“I’m sure Colton knows all the ins and outs of the program now, so he can do it. The less I have to do with Mario, the better.”
No one says anything else, but the air is full of tension as the five of us help ourselves to the leftovers from the wake.
“Are there cameras in my bedroom?” I ask, breaking the heavy silence, and everyone stops eating.
“Not that I know of. Xavier insisted that there weren’t any if he was going to move into it with you,” Colton replies, but Tristan gives a small shake of his head, and Colton’s eyes widen. He pulls out his phone again and scrolls through the feeds before pausing with a sharp inhale. Xavier scowls but stays quiet.
They must have installed them when we were out, and this is the first they are hearing of it.
I play along. “Good, I don’t need any more of my sexual exploits ending up available for public viewing,” I joke while trying to plan how I can figure out where it’s installed. I need to be able to move around the house at night. Hell, my room isn’t going to be the only problem, the whole damn house is. I don’t necessarily need to get to the basement to use the escape tunnels, but I do need to get to the escape room, which is in the library on the same floor as my bedroom. Both of those rooms are covered by our normal surveillance, which Colton already has access to, and I bet if he does, Mario has others monitoring it as well.
While I’ve been eating, I’ve been coming up with a semblance of a plan. It all hinges on those four actually being on my side. I need to take a leap of faith, and tonight, I’m going to figure out once and for all whose side they are on. If they aren’t really on mine, then why should I care if their daughter is hurt or not? I’ll get my hands on a weapon and put a bullet in Mario’s brain while he’s sleeping. Whatever happens to them and their family is none of my business. Hell, if I was willing to kill my brother and boyfriend, then one little girl won’t matter—or that’s what I tell myself.
“I can assure you, Tori, that will never happen again,” Colton says firmly, and I have the feeling he’s going to make sure that whatever they see on the camera isn’t whatever is actually happening. My shoulders sag with relief, and I give him a small nod of acknowledgement.
“I think I’m done. If you don’t mind, I’ll allow Penny access, and then I’d like to go to bed,” I tell them, standing up and taking my dishes over to the dishwasher. The five of us stayed in the kitchen to eat at the island rather than returning to the dining room.
“I’ll escort you.” Colton stands up and does the same with his own plate. “We will catch you all in a little while,” he tells the other three, giving Vienna a kiss on the lips before striding out of the kitchen. I give them an awkward wave and hurry after him. My goal is to get my hands on that piece of paper with the address.
Chapter Seven
Sleeping that night was nearly impossible. I managed to reactivate Penelope’s permission to enter the house after lockdown and grab the piece of paper in the top drawer of my father’s desk. I shoved it into the pocket of my pants without Colton being any wiser. I’m not sharing the information with them yet, if ever. They still have to prove I can trust them again.
Colton quietly assured me on the walk to my room that he would loop the cameras on this floor once we all went to bed, leaving footage of the five of us sleeping all night for whoever is monitoring the cameras to get bored with.
He leaves me at my door with a brief goodnight. I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to say more, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. I didn’t even wait for him to get to the other room they are sharing. I don’t know if that’s where they are all still staying, but it’s none of my concern at the moment. The only one I have to worry about is Stacey. She has the room next to them, and I need to come up with a way to ensure she isn’t wandering around this house in the middle of the night. I could just kill her, but that would only lead to more drama, and I’m sure Mario would make my family suffer. She will keep, butdrugging her nightly meal may be the solution. I will have to play it by ear.
I didn’t hear her come home. Our rooms are soundproof, but I got an alert to my phone from the security system, showing Penny accessed it around eleven. I put the phone back on the bedside table, my body on full alert due to the other warm body in my bed. I had only just gotten used to sleeping with Sage, and Xavier’s presence is a whole different kettle of fish. It’s just more all over. He’s bigger, and his presence is heavier. He kindly didn’t force conversation when we went to bed. Both of us went about our nighttime routines in semi comfortable silence, only breaking it when he asked which side of the bed was mine.
I was surprised he was kind enough to inquire to be honest, but he had no complaint and happily took the other side.
“I’m sorry, Tori. If I could avoid making you uncomfortable, I would, but Mario won’t stand for it,” he says quietly when we both climb in, and I’m lying on my back, feeling all kinds of awkward.
I sigh. “I know, it’s okay. It’s just a lot, you know?”
His sigh is even more loaded than mine was. “I know.” His hand brushes mine, and he gives it a squeeze. “I will try not to make it any more difficult than it already has been. There’s no pressure from me about anything.”
“How does Tris feel about all this?” I ask him, fiddling with the ring on my finger that feels foreign but also kind of right. I feel his whole body tense.
“He isn’t thrilled. He doesn’t want anything to do with Stacey, but he isn’t sure how long he can put her off. He feels sick at the thought of touching her, and I want to carve her heart out and chop off her fingers for touching what’s mine,” he answers, barely holding his shit together. There is more going unsaid, but with us being monitored, there isn’t much more he can say out loud. To be honest, I didn’t mean how Tristan felt about theStacey situation. I couldn’t give a fuck about that, since she’s one bullet hole away from not being a problem anymore. I meant about Xavier and I being married, but I won’t force the issue for now.
“Goodnight,” I say and roll over, putting my back to him. I reach under my pillow and touch the knife, feeling reassured when I feel the cold steel in my hand. I don’t think I’m in any danger from Xavier, but it’s still nice to have something, especially since I don’t have my gun anymore.
“Goodnight,” he replies, and the bed shifts as he rolls away from me as well. This can’t be easy for him. His long-term partner has basically been shoved aside for Mario’s greed. I hope the two of them are strong enough to survive the fallout of all of this.
I lie still, going over a hundred scenarios in my mind, until Xavier’s breathing evens out. I have no idea if he is a light sleeper, and I’m worried if I move, I will wake him, but I need to get to the safe room and use a burner to call Mickey. I need to know what’s at that address. There are also a number of weapons and drugs in the safe house that can only help my cause. If I can drug everyone at night, then it will make coming and going much easier.
I finally make a decision that could ruin me, but without risk, there is no reward. I roll over and slide my hand across Xavier’s mouth. He startles and starts to struggle.
“It’s me, stop wriggling.” He instantly calms, but I don’t move my hand. “Colton said the videos are looped, but not the listening devices,” I whisper as quietly as I can in his ear. “We need to talk, and I have a place where we can do it without being heard, but we need a distraction for the listening devices. Grumble something about the room being too damn quiet and put some music on the Bluetooth speaker. I’m hoping they don’t notice the video doesn’t change. Then, leave your phone, get theothers, and meet me in the library. Try not to wake Stacey, but her room is soundproof too, so she shouldn’t hear anything, and I know she sleeps like the dead.”
Thankfully, he doesn’t question or argue with me, giving me a quick nod, and I release him. He doesn’t even question my instructions, instead rolling over and reaching for his phone. He does exactly what I told him, and I hear him muttering about the silence before music starts to play. We don’t turn on any lights. I grab his hand and tow him over to my bedroom door, knowing precisely how to navigate my room in the dark. I crack the door open and peer out. The hallway is lit by some ambient lighting, but the coast is clear. I point in the direction of the room the other three are in before pointing down the hall toward the library. He gives me a quick nod and silently moves toward the other room, while I turn my back and make my way to the library.
The house is completely silent, but I wouldn’t hear much anyway. The stairs separate both wings, and there is an external door between this one and the one my father used to reside in that Mario has taken over.
I hurry toward the library and slip into the room, keeping quiet as I wait for the others. It doesn’t take them long before they arrive. I left the lights off, only using the hallway to illuminate the room in case anyone checks. Vienna opens her mouth to say something, but Colton slaps a hand over it and shakes his head. I blink, a little distracted by all the exposed flesh. All three guys only wear boxer briefs, and Vienna his wearing something similar to me—a tank top and panties—and they all look a little rumpled and soft. It’s cute, but I can’t let it distract me. I turn my back to them and pull the book lever, allowing the panic room door to click open with an audible sound. When I look back for them to follow me, Tristan’s andVienna’s eyes are wide with surprise, but neither Xavier nor Colton look like it was unexpected.
I pull the door closed behind us and take what feels like my first full breath in two weeks. When I turn around to face them, they are looking around the room in awe.
