“How about tomorrow?” I said instead.
“When is too early for me to ring your doorbell?”
I lifted my brows.
Ace laughed. “That wasn't an innuendo. I meant to ask, how about breakfast?”
“I'd like that.”
Ace beamed at me, then got in his car—a silver antique Rolls—and drove down the street. I watched him go. I already knew which house was his. He gave me a tour when we dropped off Bruno. It was even larger than mine, not that I cared. What I'm trying to say is that I wasn't watching him to see which drive he turned down (the one at the end of the street). No, it was simply that difficult to turn away.
Then a masculine voice sliced through the night, ruining my good mood. “That guy isn't for you. And you are definitely not for him.”
I rolled my eyes and turned to find yet another gorgeous man standing behind me. He looked casual and relaxed, with his hands in his jeans pockets. But tension radiated from him. Not as tall as Jake or as muscular, he was still solid and big, his shoulders straining the fabric of his T-shirt. He had the same dark hair as his brothers and the same street-fighter jaw. Except his eyes were gold like Hades' but a bit brighter. They gleamed in the dark, catching the meager light from a nearby lamppost.
“You must be Lex.” I looked him over. Nothing to complain about there. Besides him being there, that is.
“I am.” Lex didn't have the southern drawl that his packmates had picked up. “And you must be crazy if you think you can go out with other men after we—”
“Caught my scent?” I waved my hand. “Yeah, yeah, I've heard it from your brothers.”
“Packmates.”
“Whatever, hound. Go away. Shoo!” I waved him off like a bad dog and headed up my steps.
I could feel him following me.
I opened the door and went inside.
Lex tried to keep following me over the threshold.
“Oh, I don't think so, mutt!” I pushed on his chest, sending him stumbling back.
Lex looked down at his chest, then up at me.
“Don't give me that shocked look. I didn't invite you in. In fact, I did the opposite. You're not listening to me. So, let me make this clear as I possibly can. I'm not putting up with any alphahole bullshit!” I pointed at him. “You want me? You're gonna have to wait. Now, stop drooling on me and go hump some other woman's leg.”
I slammed the door on Lex's shocked—and extremely handsome—face.
“Ugh!” I growled as I headed upstairs. “Why do they have to look like all of my sexy dreams combined?”
Chapter Sixteen
That night, I did not have a sexy dream. I had another nightmare.
I was back in the hold of a ship sailing from France to America, puking into a bucket that was already full. Seeing the filth, I steeled myself and pushed the rest of my vomit down. I needed the nourishment from what was in my belly if I was going to survive. And I would survive. If for no other reason than to get my revenge on Louis.
I was young and strong. I had that in my favor. A lot of the other women onboard were older than me. They were spinsters, widows from the middle class, or criminals from prison. Women whose best option was a new life. They all eyed me, but there was no room for disdain down there. We were all literally in the same boat. And that boat was gonna sink if we didn't stick together.
I rubbed the back of Cecile, a woman twice my age who had chosen to travel to the new world after her husband died and his oldest son tossed her out into the street.
“It's all right, Cece,” I cooed. “Just a little further. We're going to make it. You see. I'll lend you my strength.”
Shivering, she leaned against me. I cradled her head on my chest and sang to her. Someone moved the bucket away.Not that it mattered. The hold always reeked no matter where you went in it. We got let up top for twenty minutes a day, and I had the impression that the Captain was being generous. Women were bad luck on ships. The sailors didn't want to see us—which also happened to be a plus. Although, to be honest, I might have preferred some naughty time with the sailors than be locked up for most of the day.
Suddenly, my song faltered. I was choking on something. I coughed. Cecelia leaned back. I hacked and spat. The women gasped and pulled away. Blood. That could only mean one thing—tuberculosis. I had caught the sickness.
I coughed up more and more blood. Buckets full. I coughed and hacked until I retched the stuff. It filled the hold. Women screamed. They ran for the ladder, but the sailors wouldn't unlock the trap door. The blood rose higher and higher. I couldn't stop. There was more blood than a single body could hold.
