“Do you wish there was?”
“Right now, I kinda do. Not just for me, but for my mom too. It’s going to kill her to know he’s been alive all this time.”
“I’m just a phone call away. For anything, Nev. If you need to vent, or cry, or anything. You can call me. If you want to see me, I’ll come to you as fast as I can, but if you don’t, we can just talk on the phone.”
“Thanks, Dylan. I mean it,” I tell him reaching out to caress his cheek. I shouldn’t be touching him, but I can’t stop myself. “We should get back before the guys and Darcy come looking for us.”
“Speaking of that, I know how Matt, Aiden, and Nate are close, but where does Darcy fit in?”
I shrug. “They all bonded over video games and beer. She’s super close with all of them, especially Nate.”
“Cool. You’re right about us getting back. I’m surprised they haven’t come for us yet. I’m happy they haven’t, but still surprised.”
He takes my hand and helps me to my feet, which isn’t exactly easy in my short dress and heels. I hold onto his shoulders while I steady myself, but let go when it feels too comfortable. I need to take some time away from him, not just because he lied; although that’s a big part of it.
I also need to figure out who I am and who I want to be. So much of what I’ve done and chosen for myself over the years was because of my father’s “death.” To know that he wasn’t dead changes so much for me. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel, because even though I’m relieved that he’s alive, he’s been dead to me for so long as a martyr that it’s hard to know he staged everything. He hurt us all, and I can’t just forget that and move on. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know his re-appearance in our lives isn’t going to bring rainbows and sunshine. In fact, I’m pretty sure there’s going to be destruction, if not death—for real this time.
Chapter 12
Dylan
To say things are tense when we walk back into the room is so far from an understatement that I don’t even have a word for it. It’s just bad. I know it, and I own my part in it. I can justify it in every way possible, but what I did was wrong. Never mind that I did it out of loyalty and a vow. Those things may explain it to everyone, but they don’t excuse anything.
“Are you okay, Nev?” Matt asks her, getting up and walking to us.
“I don’t know. How about you?”
“I don’t know, either.”
“We’ve got to see my mom.”
“I know. I already called and told her I need to see her and Sully. I would’ve sent a jet for them, but it’s faster for them to fly commercially.”
“It’s not safe,” Sadiq tells him.
Matt ignores him, so Nev answers. “We’ve all flown commercially to Vegas from time to time. Nothing has changed to the outside world, so if they’re not safe now, they never were.”
“No one is ever truly safe.”
“I’ve taken care of their safety for all of these years while you played scary hermit neighbor.”
“That isn’t fair, Matthew.”
“And what you did to him is?” Reina says, rising to face him.
“I didn’t realize how deeply it would affect him,” Sadiq says, looking away from her. “I am so very sorry. For both of you.”
“Would you have changed your plan if you’d known?” Nev asks, I already know the answer, and I’m pretty sure she does too.
“No. It wasn’t my plan—I had to keep us all safe.”
“You made me question who I was…what kind of man I was.”
“It was war. You were taught to kill.”
“Bad men and women. I was taught to kill them, not an innocent man.”
“There are always innocent casualties when war is upon us.”
“Now we all know that casualty was me.”
“I have nothing to offer you except my apology.”
Matt nods. “To me, maybe. To Aqeelah and your children, you better be prepared to offer a hell of a lot more.”
“Bringing them here is a mistake. It could get us all killed.”
“We won’t let that happen,” Reina tells him. “Your rise from the dead doesn’t change who they are to us. They are Matt’s family, and Nev is part of the Society family as well. We don’t take that lightly.”
“My daughter does not belong with you.”
“Really? You know me so well after being gone for more than half my life?”
“You are not a killer.”
“No, but I am someone who wants to make a difference in the world. You have no say in what I do, or the job I take. You lost that right the day you faked your death.”
“Matt groomed you for this. He tricked you.”
“Shut up,” Nev says, grabbing Matt’s hand to keep him from going for her father. No one but me would try to stop him, and it wouldn’t end well. “Matt may have given me access to training, but I always had a choice. He never tricked me, or chose for me. He believes in me enough to trust that I’ll do what’s right for me.”
“I do,” Matt tells her.
“I know.”
“I blame you as well, Dylan,” Sadiq says, turning to glare at me. “If you’d just stuck with the plan, none of this would be happening.”
“Yeah, not sorry about that. Your plan was a mess. You have to know that, even if you won’t admit it. And I don’t know how anyone could hang with Nev and not fall in love with her, or want to help her for real.”
“Stupid boy.”
“He’s stupid for falling in love with me? Wow.”
“Don’t twist my words, Neveah.”
“Don’t try and adopt the ‘stern father’ tone of voice with me.”
“I am your father whether you like it or not. You will respect me when I speak to you.”
“No. I will respect you when you earn my respect.”
He starts to open his mouth, but I step in front of her and put my hand up. “Enough, Sadiq. What’s happened today is more than enough for her and everyone else. My sister has a birthday cake to eat, and you can go…well, wherever the hell you want.”
“You’re kicking me out?”
“Not yet. Keep at Nev and we’ll see where you end up.”
“Now you stand up for her?”
“Yeah. I’m standing up for her now. You want to punch me again?”
“You punched him, too? Enough! All of you. If Dylan deserves to be punched on my behalf, I’ll do it myself.”
“That’s what I tried to tell them,” Ellie says, speaking for the first time. “I understand what it’s like to be treated with kid gloves by the people who love you. It sucks.”
“Yes, it does. Even if I was a princess in a tower instead of a spy trainee, I’d want to fight my own battles. Sometimes I might need help, but I want to be involved.”
“And you will be,” Reina assures her. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but the Society has your back, no matter what you have to do. Always.”
I know she means it, and that makes me feel a little better. What’s coming with Sadiq’s return to the world is going to be bad.
“How about that cake?” Ellie asks, obviously trying to steer us all away from what’s to come.
“Yes. Cake. I’m so sorry we ruined your party, Ellie,” Nev tells her.
“It’s not ruined. There’s still cake, booze, and good friends out there waiting for us. A little excitement just adds to the fun.”
“Thanks,” I mouth to her, and she nods. My sister really does rock!
* * *
Neveah
“That’s really your dad?” Kalila asks when I join my friends in the backyard.
“Yep.”
“Bloody hell, Nev. I thought us royals had some screwed up secret shit going on. You might just have my family beat!” Jenysis tells me.
“Are you okay? I mean, as okay as you can be?” Harlow asks.
“I’m still trying to process everything. My mom and brother are already on a p
lane. I don’t know how we’re going to tell them. I also worry about Matt,” I say, looking over to where he’s sitting with Reina.
“I can’t even imagine what it’s like to know the man you thought you accidentally killed years ago is alive. Didn’t I hear something about his guilt keeping him away from Reina for a few years?” Rhieve asks.
“It was more than a few years. It was over a decade,” Camari tells her.
“I know he’s angry, because he’d finally come to terms with his guilt, and now he knows there was no reason for it in the first place. There was no reason for him to push her away. But they’re strong now. She’ll help him through this. We all will,” I tell her.
“Speaking of pushing someone away, I’m just going to come out and say it,” Rose says. “You’ve been hooking up with Dylan Gallagher? The manwhore of the NBA is the guy who’s been sending you flowers and stuffed animals? And helped you get comfortable with guns?”
“Yes to all of it.”
“Damn girl,” Matisse tells me. “He’s hot.”
“He is. He’s also sweet. I mean, except for lying to me since the day we met.”
“Sometimes lies are necessary,” Sierra says quietly, and I reach over and give her a hug.
“I know. We’ll have to lie, and it’s not really fair for me to judge him for doing the same thing. He’s not part of an organization, but he made a vow he felt he had to keep. Until he fell in love with me, and broke it.”
“You still believe he loves you? He didn’t just lie, he let his asshole friend insult you,” Rose reminds me.
“I do believe it, but I’m not being a pushover. He says he can’t tell me why he didn’t defend me, and I told him I need all his truths before we can even think about being together.”
“You’d really get back with him?” Matisse asks me.
“Yes.”
“You can’t just stop loving someone because they disappoint you,” Kalila adds, looking over at Theo with a sad smile.
“When are you going to tell us about Theo?” Jen asks her.
“When you tell us about Wayne,” she shoots back.
“Nothing to tell.”
“Save it, princess,” I tell her. “You two are completely into each other.”
“Well, maybe,” she says, ducking her head as she tries to hide her smile.
“We’re quite the group,” Rhieve remarks.
“Yes, we are. We’re still missing one, though. When do you think Isa will get a new girl?”
“Don’t look at me. Matt’s family, but Reina isn’t spilling secrets over the dinner table,” I tell her with a laugh. “Usually she’s just testing out different languages on me to see if passing that portion of training immediately was a fluke. Or trying to give me clothes.”
“Reina offers you clothes? Please tell me you take some! I would die to get inside her closet,” Matisse says dramatically.
“I’ve taken a thing or two, and yes, her closet is pretty cool. I’d imagine Stella’s is even more spectacular, though.”
“I’m sure it is, but getting into the mind of the queen would be awesome,” Matisse grumbles in response.
“Her closet isn’t her mind,” Kalila insists.
“It kind of is,” I answer, earning me some raised eyebrows. “I know, I know. I’ve pretty much sucked at my Stella lessons, but we had a really good one recently that opened my eyes to exactly what she does.”
“Finally one of you understands. Thank God.”
“You’re so dramatic, Teesy,” Camari tells her, using the nickname that came up after one night of too much drinking, and just stuck.
Matisse flips her off in response as we all laugh. The rest of the afternoon passes with cake, beer, and fun. Just what I need right now.
“Nev,” Dylan calls out as we’re starting to leave. He jogs up next me, and it takes everything I have inside of me not to jump into his arms. “I was wondering if I could hug you goodbye.”
God, yes. “Oh. Yeah,” I tell him, dropping my purse on the ground as I lean into his arms.
His arms close around me, and it feels just like it always has—it feels right. I belong in his arms, and I just hope he finds the strength, or whatever it is he needs to find, in order to tell me the truth.
“Don’t forget what I said. Call me anytime.”
I lean back to look at him. “Don’t forget what I said, either. Find a way to tell me everything, Dylan. Please find a way. I love you.”
“I love you, too. I promise you that I’m going to figure things out. Be careful, and stay safe.”
“You too. I’m pretty sure Reina’s going to arrange for security for you and my dad, but I still worry.”
“I’ll be fine as long as I know you are.”
I impulsively reach out and give him a peck on the lips. Just a light kiss, but it’s enough to bring a smile to his face. I like knowing I’m the only who makes him smile like that, which makes me think of something else. He sees my face fall and reaches out to cup it with his hands.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re not…I mean, are you…going to see other women?”
“What? No! I don’t want anyone else.”
“Are you sure? I made you wait for so long, and now I’m walking away from you. I wouldn’t blame you.”
“I didn’t mind waiting, because you’re worth it. You’re always worth it. Maybe I’ll even end up ambidextrous, because my right hand’s going to need some help.”
“I think you need to get started,” I tell him, feeling his erection right now.
“I’m pretty sure it’s going to be 24/7 until I have you back in my bed.”
“Don’t forget the kitchen island, the couch, or the basketball court,” I remind him, chuckling when he growls in my ear.
“It’s probably a good thing your parents decided to switch those letters around in your name,” he says referencing what I told him about my name starting out as ‘heaven’ spelled backwards, but that my parents decided to switch things up.
“Am I not heavenly?” I ask, walking back to my friends.
“At the moment, no. In general, yes,” he tells me as he watches me go.
I smirk, and then blow him a kiss. “Let me know how that ambidextrous thing works out for you.”
Chapter 13
Neveah
The fun of the last few hours is forgotten as I wait for my mom and Sully in Matt and Reina’s apartment. Because of the threat my father seems to think is coming, we all felt it was best for them to stay in our building, which is more secure than just about anywhere else in the world. They’ll have their own apartment, and anything they need, but we can’t let them go back home, and neither of them is going to be happy about that.
The front door opens, and I run to my mom, hugging her tight. Sully lifts me off the ground with his hug, and I smile at both of them while I still can. “We should all sit down,” I say.
Matt drops his keys on the table and sits down with Reina across from us. “You’re not going to believe this. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself.”
“What is it, Matt?” my mom asks him, but he nods at me to speak instead.
“Our father is alive.”
“What? No, Nev. He’s not. It’s a trick.”
“The trick was that he faked his death, with help from the U.S. Government.”
“You saw him?” Sully asks.
“Yes. We all saw him today.”
“Why? Why would he do this?”
“He says he stumbled onto something at work and had to disappear to protect us all. Faking his death was apparently a convenient way to disappear.”
“Convenient for whom? I’m pretty sure I was inconvenienced when my husband ‘died’ and Matt, oh Matt,” my mom says, looking at him.
“I’m trying to deal with it, Qee.”
“How could the man I fell in love with—the man I married—do that to you?”
“He assured me it was nothing perso
nal. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Matt says, although he doesn’t look sure of anything right now, and who could blame him?
“Do you believe he was in danger? Or is it just an excuse for wanting a new life?” Sully asks.
“I believe him. It sucks, but it also sounds exactly like something our government would do. He said no one thought I’d freak out so much,” Matt tells him. “And from what I can tell, he hasn’t been enjoying a carefree life. He didn’t want to leave all of you, and he’s been planning a way for Nev to join him on the run.”
“What? Nev?” my mom asks, her eyes going wide.
“Yeah. He-he sent someone to meet me. A man he helped as a boy.”
“Did the man take you to him?”
I shake my head. “No. He taught me to not be afraid of guns, and we fell in love. I got angry at him, and stormed into his pool house where I came face to face with dear old Dad.”
There’s so much more to all of it, and I feel a little guilty for condensing it down, but right now my dad is the priority, not Dylan.
“I didn’t think you’d ever follow in my footsteps, but apparently we both fell in love with the wrong men. I’m grateful that marrying your father gave me the two of you, but I don’t know how I can ever forgive what he’s done.”
“Dylan is the right man for me. He just chose the wrong path to follow in this instance.”
“Are you so blinded by ‘love’ that you’ll forgive this man?” Sully asks.
“I’m not blind, and I’ve told him he needs to earn my trust, but yes, I can forgive him.”
My brother shakes his head, and Reina speaks up. “He’s a good man. His sister is one of my best friends. I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that Dylan Gallagher was helping Sadiq.”
“Dylan Gallagher?” my brother asks. “The manwhore of the NBA? You’re in love with that guy? Good luck, sis.”
“He’s the MVP of the NBA, and he loves me.”
“Sure he does.”
“He loves her, Sully. I can assure you of that,” Matt says. “I saw the way he looked at her, and the way he fought us all off to go to her when she ran from the room.”
Neveah (Society Girls #2) Page 10