by Eden Summers
The kids are no longer around, their laughter and occasional shouts carrying from a far corner of the house.
“Penny, I’ve got something for you.” Sarah slides what looks like a black leather wrist cuff across the table, a shiny metal design on the front. “I thought it might be a nice start to your arsenal.”
“My arsenal?” I reach for the offering, running a lone finger over the metal.
“What is it?” Luca asks.
“A blade,” Hunter mutters. “I bought it for her a while back, but apparently my gifts aren’t appreciated.”
Sarah grins, saccharine sweet. “I appreciated it on merit. What I didn’t approve of was the hidden GPS tracker you told me nothing about.” She holds my gaze with a cautionary stare. “Just a word of warning, these guys tend to trample over privacy and personal boundaries. Make sure you remember that if Luca ever buys you jewelry.”
“It’s the thought that counts, right?” Cole smirks. “It’s the little things we do to keep you protected.”
Sarah ignores him, keeping her attention on me. “The metal part is a retractable blade. I can teach you a few tricks with it later if you’re interested.”
“I’d love that.” I place the cuff on my wrist, then turn my arm to clip it in place as the rest of the table eat their breakfast. “I’d appreciate anything you’re willing to show me.”
“Are you two finished now?” Cole asks around a bite of bacon. “We’ve got a lot to discuss.”
He isn’t lying.
He spends the next half hour relaying a mass of information that steals my appetite.
He explains how Nina was attacked by masked men in her parents’ home, taking two bullets—one in the chest, the other in her thigh.
Luca squeezes my leg as I’m told of her precarious situation in ICU. I think I’m supposed to be appeased, or even thankful, when Cole tells me men have now been assigned to keep an eye on her, along with Lilly, but I’m not placated in the slightest.
“We’re nailing this fucker to the wall as soon as possible.” Cole turns his gaze on me, his dark stare narrowing.
With one look, I understand why he’s feared by grown men. There’s no soul behind those eyes. No warmth. Or fear.
“I assure you those women are taken care of.” He enunciates the words slowly, the bitter grate to his tone making the reassurance more of a threat. “The men assigned to their protection are ex-military. They know what they’re doing.”
He goes on to vaguely mention the informants, authorities, and members of his outer circles who are currently searching the state for the man of the hour and his unknown sidekick. Luca adds details of a green sedan. Hunter stops eating to mention a potential lead who left a voicemail in the early hours of the morning, while my brother remains quiet, holding Keira’s hand on the top of the table for all to see.
Then the rules start.
The kids won’t be attending school. Us women aren’t allowed to leave the house without an escort. And everybody is to advise Cole of their whereabouts at all times.
“I know I’m stretching the limits of our task list, but can we add the death of your neighbor’s dog to our daily chores?” Hunter asks. “That fucker kept me up all night.”
“It wasn’t just the dog.” Sarah’s attention turns to Luca. “Don’t forget about the people fucking in the bathroom beside ours.”
My cheeks flame. Red-hot. And I try to ignore the way Sebastian’s fingers clench tighter around Keira’s.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again,” Luca snarls. “We’re not fucking.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Hunter waves him away, his focus on Cole. “Can we kill that dog or not?”
“Talk to the old lady who lives there.” Cole pushes from the table, taking his dirty plate with him. “But make sure you’re prepared before you knock on her door. She’s a typical Italian mother. You won’t leave her house with an empty stomach.”
“Speaking of mothers.” Keira turns pained eyes to my brother. “We need to cancel tonight. It isn’t safe.”
Sebastian inclines his head. “I’ll make the call.”
“Cancel what?” Cole continues to the kitchen, placing his plate in the sink before he returns. “What isn’t safe?”
“It’s nothing.” My brother sits taller. “We’ll postpone.”
“Postpone what?” Cole pins his focus on Keira. “If Robert is stopping you from your usual plans, I want to know what they are.”
Sebastian scoffs. “You just confined the women to the house. How is that any different?”
“It’s okay.” Keira remains calm. “We were going out for dinner, that’s all.”
“With who?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Cole smirks, the expression becoming unkind. “Who?”
“My parents,” Sebastian snaps, pushing from his chair.
Luca’s hand presses harder into my thigh, offering adamant support.
“They’re here?” My voice is high-pitched with apprehension. “In Portland?”
“This had nothing to do with you, Pen. We made plans weeks ago for Keira to meet them. They weren’t going to come anywhere near you. And we sure as hell weren’t going to mention anything that’s happened.” Sebastian shoves his chair back into place. “It was just meant to be dinner and drinks. A laid-back welcome to the family.”
I tense, keeping all the threatening panic low in my belly. The thought of Mom and Dad being near is overwhelming. They’re in the same state as I am. The very same city.
“You’re not cancelling.” Cole returns to his position at the head of the table. “We don’t hide.”
“Despite all of us having to relocate to your mega mansion?” Sebastian bites out a vicious laugh. “I’m pretty sure this is the definition of hiding.”
“This is protection. It’s fucking strategy.”
“Call it whatever you want. But I’m not dragging my parents into the line of fire. Not for you. Not for fucking anybody.”
Cole raises his brows. “Not even your sister?”
“Torian,” Luca warns.
“No.” I swallow to ease the dryness taking over my throat. “This has nothing to do with me. I don’t want them dragged—”
“You’re not cancelling.” Cole pulls his cell from inside his suit jacket and frowns as he taps the screen. “This is the perfect opportunity to draw Robert from the shadows. We’ll make it a joint family event. We’ll invite everyone. I’ll even host at the restaurant and pick up the tab.”
“No.” I slide my chair back only to be stopped from making a dramatic outburst by Luca’s hand grasping mine. He demands my attention with the squeeze of my fingers, his determined eyes attempting to assure me.
“It’s okay,” he soothes. “We need to talk this out.”
“I don’t think it requires much talking.” Keira glares. “It’s heartless to bring more people into this.”
Cole slaps his cell down on the table. “How do you not understand that they’re already fucking involved? Anyone Penny cares for is a target. Maybe not right now, but certainly in the future if this drags on. What the hell do you think is going to happen when Robert can’t get his hands on her?” He stares at me. “He’s been successful in finding your friends. How long do you think it will take for him to start coming after us? He already shot at you once.”
“We don’t know it was him.” Hunter stabs a hand through his hair. “It still could’ve been someone looking for me.”
“Bullshit. You don’t believe that. He came after Penny, and soon he’ll come after us all. And not just everyone at this table, but Decker’s parents, and our fucking kids. We need to think about Stella and Tobias.”
“I’m not risking them,” Sebastian seethes.
“There is no risk. We’ll have the neighborhood surrounded. I’ll place guards on the door. We’ll have men scanning the surveillance recordings and on street corners and rooftops for blocks. He won’t get near the party. We only need hi
m to get close enough for someone to take him out.”
“Right…” Sarah glances around everyone at the table. “And you can arrange all that before tonight?”
“Watch me.”
I shake my head, my stomach twisting in knots. I can’t let him do this. I can’t.
“How do you even know he’s nearby?” Hunt asks. “You said he was responsible for the attack yesterday. He’s probably still driving around the countryside with his dick in his hand.”
“Because of this.” Cole unlocks his cell and slides it across the table. “He took more money from Luther’s bank account this morning.”
“You couldn’t have led with that information?” Luca snatches the phone and shows me the email.
“Look at the time stamp, asshole. I only just got the notification.”
“Fuck.” Sebastian slumps back into his chair, his elbows on the table, his head in his hands. “You’re asking us to use our parents as bait.”
“No, I’m asking you to have dinner with them in a controlled environment,” Cole corrects. “After the last shooting, the restaurant windows are bulletproof. I’ll ensure the security is second to none. They’ll be safe.”
I keep shaking my head, but Sebastian doesn’t react.
He’s caving.
How is he caving?
“No.” Blood surges in my veins, fueling me. “I won’t let you.” The weight of everyone’s attention presses on my shoulders, my chest. It’s hard to breathe. “Please, Luca.” I turn to face him, my knees brushing his thigh. “Don’t let him do this.”
“He doesn’t have a choice.” Cole reaches out a hand, wordlessly requesting his phone. “This needs to happen.”
“Not necessarily. If we find him today there won’t be any risk tonight.” Luca shoves to his feet and stares down at my brother. “What time are you meeting your parents for dinner?”
There’s a beat of hope-filled silence before Sebastian raises his head to glance over his shoulder. “Seven. Why? What are you thinking?”
Luca focuses on his watch. “I’m thinking we’ve got twelve hours to find this fucker. And I don’t plan on wasting a single minute. So let’s get our asses moving.”
27
Luca
I stalk back to our room, Penny hustling to keep up at my side despite knowing she’s going to be stuck here all day. I head straight for the duffels in the corner, pulling my Mac from the bag as she escapes to the bathroom and turns on the shower.
I’m still hunched on the floor when someone else enters the doorway behind me.
I don’t need to look to see who it is. His resentment already thickens the air.
“If you’re going to kill me, make it quick. Otherwise I’ve got shit to do.” I push to my feet and start for the bed as the shower door grates from the adjoining room. I dump my ass on the mattress and open my computer, scrolling to my home-surveillance software. I looked over a million hours of recordings yesterday, but none of them were mine.
“If I kill you, I promise it won’t be quick.” Decker leans against the doorframe, wishing the life from my lungs with his narrowed stare. “What are you doing?”
“Checking my security feed from the other night. If it was Robert who shot at Penny I might have recorded his car. And if I’ve got his car, I might have his plates, which means we’ve got something to track.”
He pushes from the doorframe and moves to the end of the bed, continuing to glare down at me as I play the feed from the night Penny ran.
I watch in double time as Hunter’s car pulls into the drive, another vehicle following moments later. I hit pause, rewind, and watch it again.
It’s that green fucking sedan with what looks to be a blurred hooded man behind the wheel.
I hit rewind again. Pause. “You got a pen?”
“No,” Decker grates.
“I need to figure out these plates.” I look up at him from my lowered vision. “You want to help your sister, don’t you?”
“I’d do anything for my sister. You, on the other hand—”
“Quit the bullshit. Either take down the details or fuck off.”
He remains in place, pulling his cell from the back pocket of his jeans. “Well, what the fuck are the details, you perverted fuck?”
I grind my molars as I skip the video back and forth, trying to get a clear view. I relay letters and numbers through clenched teeth, and hope they’re the right ones, before pressing play on the video.
I scrutinize every aspect of the pixelated car. The busted headlight. The dents and scratches. Every detail counts.
“Jesus Christ.” I hit the slow-motion button and watch the replay of Hunter and Sarah walking across the lawn to the front of the house. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
“What is it?” Decker moves to my side, staring down at my Mac. The car creeps onto screen at the same time as Hunt knocks on my front door.
“They were right there. Right fucking there. All they needed to do was look over their shoulder and none of this would’ve happened.”
“If you want to see it that way, you could also say this never would’ve happened if you didn’t cozy up with my sister and take her back to your house in the first fucking place.”
I ignore the throb reigniting in my head.
I count to ten.
Breathe.
I do whatever calming voodoo I can muster to keep my ass on the bed instead of launching my knuckles into Decker’s face.
“Does it show him following Penny after she left?” he mutters.
I keep every muscle clenched while the video continues.
My fingers twitch as I watch the desolate street, not a single vehicle passing before Penny runs from the house. She’s frantic, and I have to fight a wince at the pain in her features. The pain I caused.
She scrambles into the black Suburban in my drive and doesn’t stop when Hunter and Sarah come rushing after her.
The seconds after she speeds away make me furious. As my friends reach for their phones and pace my front lawn, the green sedan drives by, following less than a minute behind. He must have circled the block and been watching the house.
“He was right there.” I jab a finger at the screen. “If Hunt was paying attent—”
“It’s not Hunt’s fault.”
I scoff. “No, it’s mine, right?” I shove from the bed, my brain screaming in protest at the sudden movement. “This is all on me.”
“I didn’t say that.” Decker relaxes, settling into calm superiority. “But it sounds like you think so.”
Fuck him.
Not only for the judgment and the threats. Fuck him for nailing exactly how I feel.
It’s my fault for not realizing Robert had found her. It’s my fucking fault for not confirming he was dead in the first place.
I should’ve been all over this. I should’ve fucking known.
“Do you really blame yourself?” He shakes his head and scoffs. “Do you seriously think you could’ve stopped this from happening?”
Without a doubt, if I’d been on the top of my game. If my focus had been aligned.
But instead of protecting Penny I endangered her. Became distracted by her. And even now, with one of her friends dead and another injured, I don’t think I can regret falling for her.
“You couldn’t have seen this coming. Torian told me Robert was dead. That all Luther’s men were taken care of. Get your head out of your ass and realize you’re no better than anyone else. You couldn’t have predicted this. You’re just as helpless as the rest of us.”
“It was my job.”
“Yeah, well, it was my job to find her in the first place. She’s my sister. So quit the pity party.”
Is that it? Is all this macho hostility because I found her instead of him?
“And while you’re at it,” he snarls, “quit fucking her, too.”
“Don’t push me, Decker.” I grind my teeth to the point of pain. “I’ve told you I’m not fucking her.”
&nbs
p; He scoffs and looks away, his jaw ticking.
The need to fight this out is reciprocated. There’s only one reason we aren’t, and she’s a few feet away, behind that bathroom door.
“Look.” I huff. “I care about her. And whether you approve or not, I’m going to keep protecting her.”
“With your dick?”
“Enough,” I warn. “We don’t have time for this.”
He straightens, his vicious eyes meeting mine. “Fine. But we also don’t have time for you bitching about how you let her down. So powder your fucking vagina and make up for your mistakes.”
My ears keep deceiving me. Through the threats, his demands sound similar to thinly veiled approval.
I breathe out a laugh. “She got to you this morning, didn’t she? Whatever she told you in the basement has you second-guessing putting a bullet between my eyes.”
“Hardly. I’m still trigger-happy, motherfucker. Keep pushing me and you’ll see how close I am.”
There’s little intimidation in his tone. Penny must’ve dug deep under his skin, and a whole heap of pride accompanies that knowledge.
She’s healing.
Slowly, but surely.
The water cuts off in the shower, then the screen door clatters open.
“She’s going to be out here in a minute.” I clap my Mac shut and sidestep Decker to grab my wallet and car fob from the bedside table.
“Where are we going?”
I pause. “We?”
There’s a beat of silence as I turn to face him.
“Yeah, we. The two of us are all she’s got. And I’m not going to put my family in harm’s way because of my hatred for you. I want to find this fucker, and it needs to be before tonight.”
The bathroom door opens and Penny pads into the room, her loose hair damp around her shoulders, her skin flushed, her T-shirt and jeans still incredibly baggy. As soon as she notices I’ve got company, she stops, her eyes growing wide. She glances between me and her brother. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” I walk for the duffle to dump my Mac inside. “Deck and I are getting out of here.”
Her gaze turns frantic. “The two of you?”