I look between Papa’s wide eyes and Estelle’s bitch-ass attitude and decide I can risk it. I don’t look at him again as I duck into the car, followed by the giggling omega and Estelle. She’s not even in the car all the way when it starts moving.
As we pull away, I twist to look through the back window. Papa stands alone in the parking lot, his figure shrinking with distance, but no less menacing.
I laugh once and cover my mouth. There’s nothing funny about this. Then all of a sudden there’s a knee in my face as the little omega is halfway crawling into the seat behind me.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Bella. Get your ass out of my face.” Estelle grunts and pushes Bella aside, scrambling into the front seat. She pops open the glove box and stores the gun away.
“This is our cousin, Bella. She has no sense of personal space.” Tia says, adjusting the rear-view mirror.
Bella drags a giant tote bag out from the back seat with her. It hits me in the head, and I’m forced to help her maneuver it into our seat.
She tears the zipper open and gasps. “Eugene!” The level of panic in her voice makes my own heart thud.
“Eugene is in my house. Where you left him.” Tia’s voice has an edge of affectionate irritation to it.
“Oh, right. Here. Omegas need cuddles,” she says, pulling out miles of fuzzy leopard print material. She fluffs it up, and roughly wraps it around me like I’m a burrito.
I’m immediately drowned in her scent. It’s like Pixie sticks and lemon sherbert. I nuzzle into the fabric and my whole body sags.
“See? Cuddles!” Bella wraps an arm over my shoulders and throws her legs into my lap, like she knows that’s exactly what I need.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes like it’s the first time I’ve ever breathed in my whole life.
Tia cranks the music. It’s that K-pop band that Estelle is obsessed with. And finally, I can let the adrenaline shake its way out of my body.
Chapter thirty-nine
ASH
Isitcross-leggedonTia’s rug with Eugene in my lap. Turns out, he’s a three-foot weighted plushie elephant, and is worth every ounce of the panic Bella had when she thought he was missing.
“I need to get me one of these,” I mutter, nuzzling the fuzz.
Tia comes in, balancing a tray of lasagna and store-bought cupcakes, adding them to the already obscene buffet on her coffee table. Popcorn, nachos, two tubs of ice cream, mozzarella sticks, and a smashed box of crackers. She surveys the spread, dusts her hands, and declares, “Soda. I forgot the soda. Be right back.”
I pull the leopard blanket tighter around my shoulders and inhale the borrowed hoodie Tia lent me. It smells like fresh laundry, a little like Pierce, but not as nice. Bella is perched on the couch behind me, combing her fingers through my hair, her fingers occasionally getting snagged in knots.
Estelle follows Tia back in, cracks a Diet Dr. Pepper, and hands it to Bella.
“Okay, now that we’re all cozy and have all the main food groups represented, we need to put on our big girl pants and have a conversation,” Estelle says. She drops onto the rug across from me and picks at the lasagna with her fingers. “Ash, you want to share with the class?”
I wish the hoodie would swallow me whole. Eugene’s floppy head makes a convenient shield. “When you finally learn all of it, you’re going to kick me out and drop me right back on my father’s doorstep.”
Tia reappears with a bottle of wine and glasses dangling from her fingers. She changed into sleek leggings and an oversized shirt that hangs off one shoulder. The fit is far too casual for her sleek living room. I’m almost afraid to touch anything because I feel like I’ll just mess up the magazine-worthy decor.
“Seriously, there’s nothing you can say that will shock us. Out with it, girl.” She puts the bottle on the table but doesn’t pour a glass, like the wine is just for the vibes. She reaches over for Bella’s Dr. Pepper, takes a sip, and gives it back.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Estelle says, rolling her eyes. “There’s nothing you can say that would shock us.” She presses her palm to her chest. “I shot my first boyfriend in the dick.” She jabs a finger at Tia. “Tia scored her first condo by blackmailing the married man she was fucking. And Bella? She got an entire fraternity put on academic probation.”
“No, no. I got them all expelled.” Bella sits up, grins, and shrugs. “They knew what they were signing up for. The last straw was when they accused me of having fake boobs in the middle of heat.”
I snort, nearly choking on my soda. “I don’t even know where to begin,” I say, voice muffled by Eugene’s head.
“How about you start with your father tricking you out?” Tia says, motioning with a piece of popcorn pinched between her stiletto nails.
“You know?”
“We suspected,” Estelle says gently, resting her hand on Tia’s wrist like she can dial her back. “Your father has a reputation in certain circles. We put two and two together a long time ago. We were waiting for you to come to us.”
