“No. I know my girl. She has a dark speck in her green eyes, and here, there is a splash of white on her chest and a tiny scar near her ear.” I turn her in my arms so she’s laying in them like a baby and show him the scar on her lower belly. “I took her to get spayed. This is my cat. Or at least the stray that belongs to me. I don’t know where Sylus found her, but?—”
“Holy shit.” Ace’s eyes go wide as he stares at Good Lookin’, then Sylus, and back at me. “I remember that. Oscar said she disappeared for a week and came back fixed.”
I stare at Ace, then down at the cat in my arms, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “Are you telling me… we’ve had the same cat this whole time?”
“Of course, she’s your cat, Sparkle.” Sylus laughs, leaning back against the counter. “She’s a smart pussy.”
Ace shoots him a cold stare. “Could you not call my cat a pussy?”
“Oh, but that he calls me one is fine?” I huff, thankful for the break from the heavy feelings as I stroke Good Lookin’—Jinx—whatever her name is. “And here I thought you were out there starving,” I murmur to her, and she responds with a loud, contented purr.
Traitor.
“Well, you can fucking leave! Nobody wants you here anyway!” Levi’s outburst from the living room is so unexpected it makes me flinch. My gaze snaps toward the sound, and dread curls low in my stomach.
I already know who he’s yelling at.
Without thinking, I hand the cat over to Sylus. “Hold her.”
He frowns at me and hands her to Ace, but I’m already marching to the living room. Pain and exhaustion aresmothering me, pressing down with the weight of everything I haven’t let myself feel yet. It all swirls together, louder and sharper than it should be, and I can’t tell if it’s frustration, guilt, or sheer exhaustion clawing at me. Maybe all three.
But I can’t afford to fall apart. Not now.
Not when Nicholas risked so much only to get yelled at.
The scene that greets me in the living room makes my blood boil.
Levi, Ezra, and Koen are standing shoulder to shoulder, glaring at Nicholas like he just declared war.
Nicholas stands on the other side with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, but there’s vulnerability in his eyes.
Oh, hell no.
I stride forward, planting myself directly in front of Levi, shielding Nicholas from his wrath. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I’m glad to see him standing and apparently feeling good enough to cause drama, but I’m not letting him go after Nicholas when he risked so much for us.
Levi’s glare snaps to me. “Stay out of this, Little Bird.”
“No.” I cross my arms. “You don’t get to shout at him like that. Not after what he’s done for us. Foryou.”
“Little Thief—” Koen starts, but I cut him off.
“I’m talking to Levi,” I say sharply, keeping my eyes locked on him. “What’s your fucking problem?”
“My problem?” Levi’s voice rises again, his eyes blazing. “My problem is that you not only fucked shit up, no, you also broughthimhere!” He jabs a finger toward Nicholas, who remains silent. “And he’s acting like the pampered prince he is, muttering shit that he has to be somewhere.” Levi looks up at Nicholas over my head. “Then fucking go! You don’t belong here anyway.”
Is he fucking kidding me?
“Enough.” I square my shoulders, ignoring the sharp pull in my arm and the way my legs feel unsteady beneath me. But Levi actually steps back, startled. I get the distinct impression that nobody ever talks back to him when he’s like this. “Yes, I fucked up,” I admit. “And yes, you have every right to be pissed at me for that. But you havenofucking right to be pissed at him for being here. If it weren’t for Nicholas, both of us would be dead right now. Not just because of my stupidity but also because ofyours.”
“I was only in there because you weren’t capable of doing what we needed you to do.” Levi’s anger feels sharper than it should, each word landing like a blow on skin that’s already bruised.
“Dove,” Koen warns, but I pay him no mind.
“Yeah? Maybe I’m not capable!” I fire back. “But you weren’t either! What the hell were you even thinking, going in there alone without telling anybody? That was a fucking suicide mission!”
“We need that evidence,” Levi growls out. “She has to pay for what she did to Oscar.”
