My teeth grind together as I watch him go, hating the fact that my feet are already moving to follow.
FIVE
BELLAMY
The house risesout of the dark like it’s been waiting for us. My fingers tighten around the door handle as we approach. I should feel relief after what happened in the desert, but my throat closes instead. The windows stare back at me, dark and knowing, as if the whole structure might fold in on itself and trap us all inside. My skin prickles beneath my shirt, a thousand tiny needles working their way from my neck down my spine, and I have to force myself to shake off the sensation.
“Fuck, who’s gonna tell Ma?” Gage sighs from behind me.
“Well, don’t look at me. She’s not our mother,” Lola says around a yawn.
His fingers brush against my shoulders as he grabs my seat and leans forward. “Honestly, Bell, she might take it best from you. You know Coco has a soft spot for you.”
Coco Calloway is a lot of things—including an incredible actress. There’s no way on god’s green earth that she would take this news better from me.
I crane my neck to the side, my pulse quickening as I catch Gage’s profile in the dim light. “Your mother would probably pull a gun on me if I told her we lost a third of the take.”
Gage’s eyes crinkle at the corners, that familiar half-smile appearing. “Nah, she outsources these days. And Rafe won’t shoot you, will you, brother?”
Rafe’s knuckles whiten against the steering wheel as he pulls into the driveway. Gravel crunches beneath the tires. Bishop’s headlights flash in the rearview, too close.
“Bro, your silence isn’t exactly comforting,” Gage says, voice light but eyes watchful.
Rafe’s gaze slides from the house to his brother before landing on me, heavy and deliberate. “I’m not going to shoot you.”
I bite the inside of my bottom lip. “Wasn’t on my list of concerns.”
Something shifts in Rafe’s expression—a dangerous spark behind his eyes as his mouth curves upward. “At least not tonight.” The car door opens and closes in one fluid motion, leaving his words hanging in the air between us.
Gage’s hand finds my good shoulder, warm and steady. “He’s just?—”
“I know.” I step out into the night air, cool against my flushed skin.
Bishop slams his car door. “Everyone inside.” His jaw twitches as he scans the tree line, hand hovering near his waistband. “No one leaves tonight.” He jerks his chin toward the closing gate at the end of the driveway.
Gage hooks his arm around my neck, careful of my shoulder, and pulls me in like it’s automatic. “Looks like we’re having a sleepover tonight.”
I glance up. His split lip curls into a grin despite the purple shadow blooming beneath his eye.
“Think your mother keeps enough ice packs for this many houseguests?”
He flashes me a grin. “Have you met her sons?”
“Good point.” My head finds the hollow of his shoulder, fitting there like muscle memory.
Rafe heaves a bin from the trunk, and Bishop follows with another. Beck grabs a third one. The garage door rattles upward before they reach it, and Coco appears in the opening.
Her mouth tightens into a bloodless line as her gaze sweeps over us, cataloging injuries, calculating losses.
Her eyes lock on Bishop. “What happened.”
He murmurs something too low to hear as he shoulders past her with the bin. She pivots, following him inside like a shadow. Rafe and Beck drop their bins inside the garage, and they’re both out quick.
Lola materializes at my elbow, jaw clenched tight enough I can see the muscle jumping beneath her skin. “We’re staying here now?” Her fingers tap a staccato rhythm against her thigh.
Beck plants himself beside her, arms folded across his chest. “I don’t know about this, Bells.”
I nod once, twice, three times. “I hear you. But it’s the middle of the night, and we have a lot of unanswered questions. I can’t believe I’m even saying this, but I think Bishop’s right. We should stick together just for tonight.”
