Serenity pulled her hand back, tugging her sleeve down to cover it. “Oh, that? It’s nothing.” She laughed, nervously. “Me and Mega are into some freaky shit. BDSM, you know? I told him I wanted to be pushed to my limit without using my safe word. He got a little carried away.”
I stared at her.
I knew that laugh. I used to make that same laugh when people asked about my bruises. When I’d blame my “clumsiness” or make up stories about bumping into doorframes. That laugh was a shield. A deflection. A lie dressed up as a joke.
“Serenity…”
“I’m serious, Mehar.” She met my eyes, her smile still firmly in place. “It was consensual. I asked for it. You know I like it rough.”
I wanted to push. Wanted to grab her and shake her and tell her that I recognized the signs because I’d lived them. That she didn’t have to lie to me. That I’d been exactly where she was—making excuses for a man who hurt her, convincing herself it was love, believing she deserved it.
But I also knew that pushing too hard would make her shut down. Would make her defensive. Would drive her further into Mega’s arms instead of away from them.
So I filed it away. Stored it in the same place I kept all my concerns about her; the cocaine, the weight loss, the way she flinched sometimes when her phone buzzed.
I’d deal with it. Just not today. I needed her brothers to be all in on this but right now the focus was on getting Zainab home.
“Okay,” I said softly. “But you know you can tell me anything, right? No judgment. Ever.”
“I know, babe.” Serenity’s smile softened into something more real. “I love you for that. But I promise, I’m good. Mega takes care of me.”
I nodded and let it go. For now.
Thad’s apartmentsmelled like the Caribbean he’d ordered for us. He greeted me at the door with a kiss that made my toes curl, pulling me inside like he’d been counting the minutes until I arrived.
“There’s my girl.” He wrapped his arms around me from behind while I set down my purse. “How was your day?”
“Good. Went to the shooting range with Serenity.” I leaned back into his chest, enjoying the warmth of him. “I’m getting better.”
“That’s my baby. Deadly and beautiful.” He kissed my neck, making me shiver. “You hungry? Food just got here.”
“Starving.”
We ate on his couch, some reality show playing in the background that neither of us was really watching. This was my favorite part of being with Thad. It was the quiet moments, the comfortable silence, the feeling of being completely at ease with another person.
His phone buzzed on the coffee table. He glanced at it, then flipped it face down without responding.
“You not gonna get that?” I asked.
“It’s just work stuff. They can wait.” He pulled me closer, his hand sliding up my thigh. “I’d rather focus on you.”
I smiled and kissed him, letting myself sink into the moment. His phone buzzed again. And again. He ignored it each time, but I felt him tense slightly beneath me.
Before I could ask about it, my own phone rang.
Prime.
“Sorry, I have to take this.” I pulled away and answered. “Hello?”
“Mehar.” Prime’s voice was tight. Controlled in that way that meant something was very wrong. “I need to tell you something.”
My heart dropped. “What is it? Is everyone okay?”
“Zainab got arrested.”
The world tilted.
“What? How? She was on house arrest, she couldn’t?—”
