He considers me. “Nope, you know the rules. Besides, Jagger and Asher are busy, and I want you all to myself for a second. You know it’s torture watching you dance while I try and work out.”
I’m about to say “well, good, it’s what you deserve today,” when I’m interrupted by a loud knock at the front door. Goosebumps immediately rise over my arms.
He glances toward the front of the house then back to me, and his eyes say what the fuck. Not like this place has visitors ever. “Maybe Mal or security. Go get started on that shower and I’ll be right there.” He races off to answer the door.
I’m not in so much of a hurry. I know it’s strange to have a knock at the door, we’re in the middle of nowhere and no one has come to visit us out here except Ricky in that first week and Georgina when I needed my hair sorted. The only other person with access is Sloane, and if it's her, I want to see her. I finish packing away the butter and then stack the dishwasher while I wait to hear who it is. A loud bang sounds, like the heavy front door swinging open, then clambering, and the wall vibrates through the front of the house, making me jump. What the hell?
“Fuck you, Jagger,” comes Sloane’s furious voice. “Where is he, Cruz?”
It’s only Sloane. My racing heart slows a little. But then I realize what she said. She’s pissed at Jagger.
The office door opens. “What the hell, Sloane, I’m in the middle of a meeting,” Jagger snaps back at her.
I peer around the corner to find Sloane, with her guard Onyx, and Jagger, Cruz, and Asher. Jagger and Sloane stare each other down. Her hands are on her hips, and she looks like she’s about to tear his head off. She shoves him in the chest. “Daisy deserves to know why her family is hunting her down. Fucking Valentine, I should have known killing him was never going to be enough. He knew what he was doing all along, stopping his brothers from getting their hands on all of Moretti Media in Italy and controlling her at the same time. She’s trapped forever.”
“Keep your fucking voice down,” he growls back at her.
“She’s in the shower,” Cruz tells him.
I pop back out of sight. What the hell? I’m trapped because of Moretti Media? I don’t get what Sloane is going on about, but the fury in her voice has me on edge instantly. I can hear them moving closer, so I scurry into the walk-in pantry and close the door. I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, I know it, but this seems too important to miss. Besides, it’s about me, and I won’t find out otherwise.
“You’re overreacting, we have this handled.” Jagger matches her intensity, his voice harsh.
Something clatters on the kitchen counter, and I know they’re super close to me. “She doesn’t have to be trapped. That’s why you need to leave this shit to us,” Cruz backs him up. His words make my heart sink. I guess I always knew Jagger was willing to do whatever it took. That’s why he’s the boss man. But knowing Cruz is also keeping shit from me hurts more.
“If you three aren’t willing to tell her the truth, I will,” spits Sloane, the anger in her voice palpable.
“I know your heart is in the right place, sis, but you don’t always know best. This time you need to stay out of it,” Asher hisses back at her, a cruel edge to it that I don’t recognize.
Oh, dear God. Asher must be with them as well. Pain explodes through me. All three of them are keeping something from me. Sickness sinks to the pit of my stomach like a lead weight. What on earth does she mean, tell me? I fucking knew they were hiding stuff from me. It was all too easy, their protection, them falling for me. That damn card game to determine who should marry me. I should have seen through it.
“What are you going to do? We both know how dangerous this is now that her brother knows she’s not dead. He wants her married to that motherfucker Leone Russo so he can take over a massive share. This is bad for all of us,” Sloane says.
Sounds like a fist slamming down on the wood counter. “It’s handled,” Jagger yells, his voice vibrating through the room.
“How?” Sloane asks, sounding more desperate.
“She’s going to marry Asher,” Cruz announces. “Problem fixed.”
My whole body goes rigid. I try to breathe, but it feels impossible. I should have known there was more to all of this than just keeping me safe or them having fallen for me.
There’s silence for what feels like forever. “She will never forgive you for this. I don’t care what your reasoning is. I will never forgive you for this. You manipulated her into marrying one of you to placate Alex, have you lost your fucking minds?”
“It’s the only way to keep her safe,” Cruz snips. “We’re not out here having some fucking party at her expense. Her family did this to her, not us.”
Sloane’s laugh is bitter. “And make sure you get everything you fucking want in the process. You have gone too far this time.” Heels click along the floor. “You have two days to tell her the full truth or I will.”
“Where are you going?” Asher calls after her, sounding desperate.
“To fix yet another problem my immature brothers have caused,” she mutters, her voice getting farther away.
“It’s fucking handled, don’t go meddling, little sister. I…” Jagger calls after her, his voice cutting off as he gets farther away from me.
My legs go out from under me, and my heart hammers so hard I think I’m going to have a heart attack and die right here on the floor of the pantry. Alone. I don’t know what the hell to do. I put my trust in them. I fell for them, and all along they were manipulating me to get something they want. I bury my head in my hands.
When I know the other two are gone, I creep out and make my way to the shower. I don’t want them to know what I heard. It doesn’t fully make sense to me yet, but one thing is for sure, I will get to the bottom of what they’re keeping from me.
A minute after I turn the shower on, Cruz appears in the doorway, a cheeky grin on his lips, like nothing just happened. The way they can lie to me is unnerving and heartbreaking.
