“Koen is… paying you?” Lily’s question is laced with horrified apprehension.
“Not for that!” I clap back, immediately realizing where her mind went.
“Well if not that… forwhatexactly?”
I check around the studio again, careful to keep my voice as low as possible. “He just wants mewithhim. To hold me over Gio’s head, I think. And he’s bringing me places—clubs. He wants to know if I recognize anyone from that night at Wonderland and the warehouse.”
I don’t tell her how Koen admitted he and his brothers are trying to take down the trafficking network I got swept up in. One, because I’m still not one hundred percent sureIbelieve him, and two, if it’s true, and I tell her and he finds out, he might go after her.
There’s a pause, and then her voice comes in softer, “Are you going to tell him?” And I know she’s not talking about familiar faces.
I stop my pacing, turning to stare at myself in the mirror for a long second. The question has been at the forefront of my mind ever since I saw Koen that night. It’s a question I’d shoved away for years, constantly reminding myself that the man I’d spent the night with, Rí—with his devilish charm and quiet smiles—wasn’t real. He’d flipped the switch on me so quickly, he left my head spinning for days. The real Rí— Koen O’Rourke, is ruthless, all hard edges sharpened by near constant violence. The man wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if it furthered his agenda.
But yet… he hasn’t hurt me, even when he thought I was a threat and might expose his brother. And last night, he carried me home and put me to bed instead of taking advantage. He could have, I wouldn’t have been able to stop him. The few flashes of memories I have, I remember how gentle his touch had been…
“I don’t know,” I admit. To her… myself… my voice barely audible.
“If you don’t tell him, and he finds out about her—” Lily whispers anxiously into the phone.
“He’s not going to,” I say firmly. “I can’t risk it. There’s no telling how he’ll react, what he’d do to me. What if he tries to take her?” My voice betrays my fear and I feel my hand shaking. I’m not mafia, but I know enough to know those families are insular as all hell. He’s never going to marry me. Girls in families like his are nothing but currency. Like his brother’s new wife, Rory, I think her name is. An object to be traded for one means or another. I can’t let that happen to Remi. I have to keep her safe.
Koen can’t be trusted.
“Just be careful,” Lily breathes, her anxiety transferring through the phone and feeding mine.
I let out another sharp breath before diving in to what I really need her to know. “That reminds me,” I pause, working through my words on how to say this right, “have you noticed anyone following you?”
There’s a long silence on the other end, long enough I have to verify she’s still there. “Lily?”
“No. Why?” I feel like I can see Lily peering through her curtains as we speak.
“Gio found you. He sent me a photo of Remi. She was wearing that jersey your parents got her.”
“Oh my god.”
“I don’t think he’ll do anything. I’m doing everything he wants, but—he knows where you are. I’m so sorry I dragged you into this.” I press my forehead against the glass, shame burning through me. This is all my fault. I’ve put everyone I love in danger.
“It’s not your fault, Briar.”
I sigh. It is though. But she knows me too well. “Just stay close by your brothers, alright? Is Dash there?”
“Yeah,” she agrees, and I breathe a little easier.
Lily’s two older brothers are a force to be reckoned with. Growing up, my parents were always out of town, and instead of staying home with the hired au pair, I found myself spending more and more time with Lily’s family until they’d all but adopted me as their own.
I spent far more time with her family than I ever did mine. My house was always clean, cold, and empty. But Lily’s house was every bit the opposite. Her house was messy, loud, and pure chaos the majority of the time. Her parents made sure I knew I was always welcome.Always.I loved it.
Her two brothers, Dash and Sam, were pains in our asses growing up, ridiculously over-protective of their little sister, and by extension, her best friend. I can’t prove it, but I’m almost certain the pair of them are the reason Lily and I stayed single all throughout high school. No one wanted to piss off the resident hockey gods of Lake Placid.EspeciallyDash. He was built like a tank, strong, dependable, good with guns, and he could fight.
Sam, too. While smaller than Dash, he had sharp instincts and noticed things others didn’t. He was a brick wall, both on and off the ice. Dash was lucky enough to score a Division I scholarship at Northgate University right in our hometown, but both Dash and Sam were home for winter break.
"Ok good. He won't have to do anything if I just do what I'm supposed to do...bide my time with Koen, and keep my head down, and we all just might survive this."
I hope.
“Can I talk to Remi?” I ask, my voice thin.
“Of course,” Lily breathes out, the heaviness of our conversation weighing on her. Guilt nags at me again for putting her through this. “Just give me one second, I think she’s still outside with the boys.”
