Page 35 of One for the Money

They both groaned at this, clearly frustrated at my lack of worry.

“Hang on one sec, Hound signaling he’s got something for you,” Astin said, followed by the muffled sounds of the phone being handed over.

“Yo, V, I just need you to know that I’m a fucking hacking master, and you need to understand how blessed you are to have me as a friend,” Hound boasted. “It took some major digging and skills that few have to find this. However, if I didn’t have a time frame to work with, I’m not sure I’d have found it as fast, so thank you for that.”

“I’m truly humbled,” I stated flatly, catching sight of Bear exiting the house. “Are you gonna tell me what your super sleuthing has uncovered or what?”

“Damn, V, not even a thank you?” Hound asked, pretending his feelings were hurt.

Rolling my eyes, I started to pace again. “Hound Dog, if you want someone to kiss your ass, call Braxy-poo. You’d enjoy it more from him.”

“Enough, you two,” Ivy cut in. “Save your verbal sparring for a time when I’m not forced to listen to it. Now, Hound, what is it you learned? Did it have something to do with the hit?”

He took a moment to clear his voice and get serious. “No, V called me to look into something about Serena. Something happened five years ago that caused one of the twins to split. It was tricky to find because it wasn’t just one thing, and each piece by itself wouldn’t raise any alarms. Knowing what I know about how these crime families and how they like to cover shit up, I flagged tricks I’d seen before.”

I was just about to turn and continue my pacing when an arm wrapped around my waist, tugging me off my feet. The tattooed arm made it easy for me to know it was Bear going all caveman. He carried me over to his favorite lounge chair, sat down, and settled me on his lap, making him my chair. Before I could chew his ass out for the manhandling, a plate was plopped on my lap. Bear had brought me lunch and was making damn sure I ate it.

Franzi had made a simple sandwich, but she’d also added a scoop of my favorite cucumber salad. “Hell yeah,” I cheered, grabbing the fork Bear offered me.

“Ah, V, did you get any of that?” Hound asked.

“Shit, sorry. Bear commandeered me to make sure I eat my lunch,” I answered before shoving a helping of the salad into my mouth. “Can you repeat what you just said?” I mumbled.

“I’ll give you the short version,” Ivy decided. “Serena changed the will five years ago that if anything were to happen to Gian or his heir, Zeus, she would be the interim head of the family until the twins could be located. In the event the twins can’t be found, Serena would be the one to decide on a new heir. Then the bitch went and added a clause to each of the major businesses that owned the smaller ones. That clause states, should she be the sole survivor of an attack on the Accardi Family, she’d maintain control until those who attacked the family were held responsible.”

Utterly confused by what the fuck any of this meant and trying to understand turned the beginnings of a headache into a full-fledged pounder. Setting my fork down, I fell back against Bear’s chest, pinching the bridge of my nose in hopes of relieving the pulse that started to throb there.

“What the fuck does any of that mean?” I asked. “I’m serious… talk to me as if I were a toddler who has no concept of legal matters.”

Bear gripped my shoulders and pushed me forward. I assumed he was telling me to get off him, but when I tried to leave, he growled. So I let him put me where he wanted and groaned like a bitch in heat as I felt his thumbs digging into the tense muscles of my neck.

“Whoa, V, we are friends and all, but I’m not going to stay on this call if you’re gonna fuck someone at the same time.

“Ha, like you’d ever be that lucky,” I snorted. “I’ve got a killer headache from thinking too hard and, you know, getting blown up a few days ago.”

“O-okay,” he said hesitantly. “I’ll take you at your word, but if I hear anything like balls slapping skin, I’m out.”

“Good thing I’m on top then,” I quipped before I thought better of it. “Joke, you horndog, no reason to run away.”

“If Astin has any questions about this conversation, I’m making you explain yourself,” Hound grumbled. “Anyway, if I were the twins and I figured out what Serena did, then I’d play the vanishing act myself. This woman just prepared for a multifront attack on the twins.”

“Toddler, Hound, as in can’t-spell-my-fucking-name simple,” I reminded.

He laughed before trying again. “Fine, scary stepmom is an evil witch, and she cast a spell, one where she could rule the kingdom. The only thing standing in her way was her husband, the king, and his two sons, who’d been preparing to rule the kingdom when he died. So this means she needed a way to kill them without anyone suspecting her. Just like in Snow White, she sent out a huntsman to find the mysterious hidden twins, but they’d vanished. No matter how hard she looked, they were nowhere to be found, and she lost the best excuse to kill everyone who stood in her way of taking over the kingdom.”

“Holy shit,” I gasped. “Coronis figured it out and knew he needed to start creating false trails for them to follow. Hold the fuck up,” I yelled, nearly knocking my plate off my lap. Bear rescued the dish and set it aside before resuming his work.

“I bet that bastard Trent has been giving out that fake address for years whenever someone came looking for the twins. Fuck, it was known that if you wanted information about them, he was the guy to go to. Trent’s been working with the twins or one of them for a long-ass time, helping to cover their tracks.” Anger welled up in me to the point I struggled to get out of Bear’s hold, but he ignored my efforts and wrapped me up in a hug I wasn’t going to get out.

Knowing it was futile, I gave up and flopped back. “Okay, now I’m fucking pissed. This means my ass got blown up for no fucking reason.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Hound interjected. “You are one of the people responsible for attacking the Accardi Family, so per the clause, she has to take you out if she wants to rule the kingdom.”

“Son of a bitch!” I snarled.

Trent:

Hey just wanted to give you a heads-up. Looks like you’ve got a new face sniffing around asking about you.