Going into the bathroom, I look in the mirror and wince. I look like shit, and I feel like I was hit by a bus, but the throbbing in my face has gone. As I turn on the water and go about brushing my teeth, I think about my life and all the shit my mom put me through. The schedules, the weight loss pills she had me taking when I was ten, the expectations of perfection. I never had a sleepover with friends, or went to the mall, or had any free time. It was like I was a pet that she handled.
By the time I’m done, my heart is pounding against my ribs. I fix my hair, putting it into a messy bun on top of my head because I just don’t fucking care what I look like at this point. It doesn’t matter.
As I stomp from the bathroom to the closet, I grit my teeth, my mind still racing. I fucking hate that bitch so much. How could she do this to me? To our family? To the Italian mafia? My father was loved and respected by their men. He was fair and loyal. And he deserved better.
I change into clean black yoga pants and pull on a bright pink hoodie, then slide my feet into a pair of hot-pink checkered Vans. On the way out of my bedroom, I grab my phone and purse.
When I find the name I need in my phone, I send a text and then get in my car and drive toward the airport.
I havetwo bodyguards following me, and neither one of them has approached since I boarded the plane. They’re both on here, too, though, which means one of two things. One, Kian and Luciano have told them to hold back, and they’ll be at the airport waiting for me when I land. Or two, they haven’t been able to get hold of either of them yet, so they’re keeping the required distance unless otherwise told.
It’s pretty hard for these men to blend in, especially when boarding a damn plane. Not only are they bigger than everyone else, but they look like they eat three-pound steaks for breakfast. I smile when they have to walk past me down the narrow aisle and try to fold themselves into seats at the back of the plane. I snagged one of the last tickets near the front. They didn’t get so lucky.
The flight is quick, and as soon as I exit the terminal and head out toward the exits, I break out into a smile as familiar faces come into view. Standing tall and broad, Knox McCray and his stunning wife, Addie, wait for me. As soon as Addie sees me, she breaks into a smile and comes running to hug me, while Knox makes his way toward us, his gaze flitting around the airport.
“Lacey, oh my God, it’s so good to see you,” Addie says as she squeezes me tightly. “Are you okay?”
I nod and look up at Knox, who doesn’t seem quite as excited to see me.
“You know you have two bodyguards on you, right?” he asks quietly without greeting me first.
Addie elbows him, but he doesn’t apologize; instead, he keeps watching beyond us, like some sort of guard. Gosh, what is it with these overprotective men?
“Yes, I know. And they would have had to disarm themselves before they got on the plane. I’m sure they won’t have anyone meeting them here to help them out, so I’m not worried about it,” I answer evenly.
It’s not an airtight plan, but it’s the only one I have. As long as I can get there before Kian and Luciano, that’s all I care about.
“Lacey, I don’t like this,” Knox says as he scans the airport again.
Smirking, I give him a thumbs-up. “Noted and disregarded. Can we go now?”
He sighs and takes Addie by the hand, then nods in the direction of the parking garage. When we walk up to two matching black SUVs, Knox stops and turns toward me, a key fob in his hand. “Your pistol is in the console, and there’s an extra magazine there too.”
Addie eyes me, licking her plush lips. I met Addie when I lived in Seattle. She owns a boutique that carries some of the most beautiful clothes I’ve ever seen. We got to talking one day while I was shopping. She told me her husband and brother-in-law own a gun store and shooting range in Seattle. She invited me to come to the range for a weekly ladies’ night, where Knox and a few of his brothers teach women how to handle weapons and do target practice. It ended up becoming a regular thing for me, and Addie and her sisters-in-law, who also often came to the weekly sessions, were all so sweet to me.
“Are you sure you need this, Lacey?” Addie asks. “I mean, I support you if you do, but you can’t take it back once it’s done.”
Reaching out, I hug Addie, which is all the response she needs as she squeezes me back.
“You guys can go. I’ll call my watchdogs out once you leave,” I tell them, looking up at Knox, hoping he doesn’t argue.
It was a long shot, asking him to do this for me, but from when Addie introduced me to her overprotective husband, who reminds me of a couple of other men I know, I knew he was a safe person to go to.
Knox steps toward me, so I have to tip my headwayback to meet his cool gaze. “There is a tracker in the car, and another one that looks like a key fob sitting next to the gun. It has a panic button on it. My brothers, Wolf and Angel, are going to tail you, but they won’t intervene unless you hit the button.”
Narrowing my eyes, I square my shoulders. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
He hits me with a smug smile and shrugs. “It is now. If I had half a fucking brain, I’d be on the phone with your cousin right now, telling him where you are. My brothers will stay back, but if you need anything, Lacey, press the fucking button. Understand?”
In a way, it means a lot that Knox is trying to protect me. Other than Luciano, I never really had anyone in my corner, but maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough.
“Thank you,” I say begrudgingly. “And thanks for meeting me so early.”
Knox nods and nudges Addie toward his SUV. “Be careful.”
As soon as he pulls out of his spot and drives toward the parking garage exit, I stand next to the vehicle Knox provided me and scan the rows of cars.
“Hulk One and Two, I know you’re lurking closely, so you might as well show yourselves,” I call out, thankful there’s no one else around me to hear me say that.
