He huffs good-naturedly. “I know that, but a nap sounds good.”
“I’ll message Suzy and ask her to organize an early dinner,” I say, but before I can pull out my phone, his eyes light up, and he sits up straight.
“I’ll do it,” he shouts. I stare at him with surprise, and he looks sheepish. “Sorry, I have a craving, and I’m hoping I can sweet talk her into making my favorite.”
“Okay, I’ll leave it in your hands. Maybe message Gio and see if he and Casey will be back by then. I doubt he remembered to let her know.”
Sage is quiet while he sends his messages, and I watch the city glide by through the window.
I guessed Lorenzo was working with someone, but I thought it was just the Mexican cartel trying to undermine us. Knowing he’s actively working with a rival cuts deeper. We expected it, but to have it confirmed is like a slap in the face. I want to kill him, not have him arrested by the FBI, but unfortunately, I’m between a rock and a hard place, and if I don’t give Agent Garcia someone, he will come after the rest of my organization. This will at least get them off our backs for a few years, or that was the agreement. Sometimes you have to make a deal with a demon to take out the devil.
When the limo glides to a stop at the agreed spot at Suncity U, the others are waiting under a big maple tree. Vienna is leaning against Xavier, and his arms are around her while they talk quietly. Colton and Tristan are throwing a football back and forth between them.
They gather their bags and throw them in the trunk, and then one by one, they climb into the limo. Vienna gives Sage a kiss on the lips on her way past before doing the same to me. A warm, fluttery feeling happens in the pit of my stomach, and I blink away my surprise, but when Colton does the same thing, giving Sage a kiss and then me, neither of us can hide our shock. I’m pretty sure our faces match with our mouths dropped open and our eyes wide with surprise. Vienna giggles and points between us.
“You should see yourselves. You both look like stunned catfish.”
“Hell, I want in on some of this action,” Tristan says, and he grabs Sage by the hand and hauls him from the seat across from him and into his lap. “Hello, handsome,” he drawls before kissing Sage soundly. When they break apart, he pushes Sage gently back into the seat he was in before turning his attention tome. Xavier sits down on my other side, and it’s him that Tristan speaks to.
“Give Tori a kiss for the both of us, will you?” he instructs, and Xavier doesn’t hesitate. He slides his hand behind my head and drags me toward him, pressing his lush lips to mine then firmly stroking my tongue with his. I moan and sink into him, enjoying it immensely as the limo starts the journey back to our house in Banebridge.
When he pulls away, his eyes sparkle, and there is a small smile on his lips. “Hi.”
I’m flustered but manage to get myself together and reply, “Hi, that was nice”
He frowns. “Nice? Well, I guess I need to do better next time.”
I expect the atmosphere in the limo to be awkward after all that affection, but it’s not. The four of them tell us about their day. Xavier talks about his self-defense class, which is just as popular as ever, and Vienna gushes about the party they’ve been invited to on Saturday night. Apparently, anyone who is anyone is going to be there. I feel my eyes glaze over, unable to contribute to the conversation.
“We’d love to go, wouldn’t we, Tori?” Sage startles me with his question, and I tune back in, unsure what he just agreed to.
“Huh?” I ask, feeling my cheeks heat with embarrassment.
“Vienna was just inviting us to go to the party on Saturday night,” he tells me before turning to the others. “Tori’s never been to a party with kids her own age before.”
“Actually, that’s not true,” I argue. “Before Dad’s death, Gio used to throw parties at home all the time.” I wrinkle my nose. “Not that they were much fun. I would blow them off and smoke weed in my room with…” I trail off, not wanting to mention who I would do that with, but I can tell they all have an idea.
There’s a slightly uncomfortable silence before Vienna claps her hands, breaking it. “Perfect. I can’t wait. There will be drinking and dancing, and we will all be able to blow off some steam. You will have a great time,” she tells me, and I wince internally.
I’m not sure I will, but I want to make an effort to be more like a normal young adult. I want what Gio has, and I guess some of my anger toward him stems from that, so what will it hurt to take a night off from being a mafia queen?
“And I booked our spa day tomorrow, so you will be all fresh and relaxed for the party on the weekend.”
Ha, I’m pretty sure I will be in a situation that will cause me to be tense well before then, but I don’t tell her that. “That’s sounds great, I can’t wait.” I’m not lying, really.
I look out the window at the trees flashing by. We’re well and truly out of Suncity now and passing through the forest that sits between it and Banebridge. The large tree canopy blocks out a lot of light, so the inside of the limo is a little less bright. The faint hum of the engine is soothing, and the subtle sway of the vehicle gently rocks me, making me fall into a slight daze. It’s already been a long ass day. I’m looking forward to my nap later.
A hand caresses my leg, and I look down in surprise, not expecting it. Tristan’s hand is pale against my black pants.
“Um, Tori, care to explain why you smell a little coppery and your pants are sticky?” He lifts his hand from the material, and I see a smear of red on it. I guess the blood hasn’t completely dried yet. Crap!
“Um, occupational hazard?”
Before anyone else can ask questions, the limo explodes into violence, the screech of metal deafening as the entire interior shudders from impact. One side caves in as the vehicle is sent into a spin. I get thrown onto the floor, my head hitting something hard as stars burst behind my eyelids and pain shootsthrough my body. Before I can get my bearings, there’s another thunderous crash, and the other side of the limo is hit, the vehicle jolting with the impact, sending me rolling around in a tangle of limbs with everyone else who is also in the footwell with me. Finally, the vehicle stops moving, and there’s a small pause of complete silence as I open my eyes and see us covered in shimmering shards of glass before noise comes rushing back in. I hear the guys all shouting in their panic and Vienna sobbing as she calls to Colton to wake up.
“Shit, Tori! Tori, are you okay?” I blink to clear the fuzz in my mind. My temple throbs, and my body aches all over, but when I manage to focus, I find Sage staring down at me with a cut on his forehead. His nose is also a little bloody from where it must have impacted something hard.
“What happened?” I ask as he helps me up. The inside of the limo is a mess, but thankfully, it’s still intact. I look around and find Colton slumped to one side with a big cut over his right eyebrow. Vienna shakes him, trying to wake him.
