'I would pay this debt if I could. But there are politics here. If it appears that I am protecting you… She and I are not friends, and if it is known that you are a liability for me, a chink in my armor, they will kill you simply to bother me. You must not tell them that we know each other.'
'I understand,' I say.
'If my name comes up, tell them that the only reason we are in business is because of your friend, Jack Novelle, and that you do not personally know me at all. And NEVER mention Marguerite.’
'I understand,’ I say again through clenched teeth.
'Bon. I thought I would give you…how you say…a heads up.'
'I appreciate that,' I say, my voice sounding wooden as I turn away.
I leave quietly, step back into the elevator, and push the penthouse button. The ascent seems to go at a snail's pace.
'Fuck my dad,' I mutter.
No wonder he wanted me to go to the prison. Inmates loyal to the cartel were probably watching me the whole time.
‘Fuck,’ I mutter again.
When I get into the penthouse living room, I find Daisy and Mav making out on the couch. I get a beer from the fridge quietly, and I sit in the chair. I watch them.
When they come up for air a minute later, Daisy looks alittle bit bashful when she notices me. I force myself to grin like I don't have a care in the world.
But the truth is, I don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified. Working for Kormak has been bad enough, but I figured he wouldn’t bother with Daisy. He doesn’t give a shit about that stuff unless you become a problem to him.
But the cartel is different. No mercy, no loyalty.
I hated that Sauvage knew that Daisy existed at the beginning, but the cartel knowing about her is a thousand times worse, especially if they realize the French mobster likes her, too.
What if they already know?
The smile on my face cracks a little.
No, Sauvage would know. She’s safe for now, but I’m going to have to do everything they want and make sure they never, ever find out about her.
Because if they do, she’ll be in even more danger than she was before.
Chapter Nine
Daisy
The next few days pass quickly. John is buried in the plot next to April Novelle. The funeral itself is much like my mother’s was, though the lush trees of summer have given way to the bare branches of winter. I stand with Shade to my left and his brother on my right while the priest speaks of eternal salvation and Heaven.
Andy doesn't really talk to me except to say thank you when I give him my condolences. All in all, the morning leaves me with an odd feeling that I can't describe and I don’t like. Afterward, the Novelle brothers both go to the will reading at their lawyers’. I’m not included, which suits me fine because I don’t want anything from John, even in death.
When Shade gets back to the hotel later, though, he’s distant and quiet. I get the impression he’s surprised by the reading somehow. I don’t pry, but I try to be helpful and supportive because, even though he’s adamant that he’s not upset, his father did just die.
It’s been about two weeks since The Heath. I’ve finally started getting into my routine again. I wake up in the mornings and head down to the lab where I make Envy and do my classwork. At Applegate’s insistence, he doesn’t want me on campus at all. He doesn't know what happened specifically, but he’s made it clear that my safety is paramount, and he doesn't want me doing anything to put myself in danger. I could have fought him on it, but catching up on my schoolwork is actually easiest to do in the solitude of the lab or the penthouse while the guys are at class in person, so I don’t argue.
Mav, Shade, and Blake usually come and visit me periodically through the day, bringing me snacks and drinks whenever they’re around. I've streamlined my process, so I don't need to watch Envy quite so closely and don’t have to be downstairs anywhere near as many hours as I was before if I don’t want to be.
In the evenings, Sauvage usually invites us to the restaurant, and seems to be earning a begrudging respect from my guys, who have started asking his advice about Wrath’s reopening. I’ve belatedly noticed that the gangster dotes on me quite a lot. It’s almost like he really sees me as a daughter. When I mentioned it to Blake, he looked at me like I had five heads and muttered a ‘finally noticed, huh?’
He’s been acting weird. He’s been disappearing at odd hours, coming back and not speaking to anyone. His smiles don’t look the same and his jokes are sharp. I asked him what was wrong the other day, and he scoffed at me, rolled his eyes, and never answered. As a result, and because I’mtotallyan expert at communication, I’m now avoiding him. I don’t think he’s even noticed. He hasn’t hugged me or even really touched me in days.
I know that something is going on with him and I’m starting to wonder if it’s me. Has he had enough of myneurodivergent quirks? Maybe he’d rather have a normal girl instead.
My mind moves away from the subject of Blake as soon as thoughts like that start to trickle in. I don’t want to think about why he’s pulling away.
