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Was that petty of me? Eh, maybe, but you know what?
I didn’t care.
Zander didn’t say a word more, not even when I stood up and scooted away from his kneeling figure. I walked around the bench, leaving him in the dirt, literally. I did not toss a single glance over my shoulder to make sure he remained on his knees, not until I got to the parking lot, near the car, where Damian was waiting, leaning against the hood with a smirk on his face.
And, yep, Zander was still on his knees.
“Would you look at that?” Damian spoke with a twinkle in his eyes, “Is he praying for forgiveness? Shoulda had your priest come.” He pushed off the hood and got into the car with me. After inserting the key into the ignition, we were out of there.
I didn’t say a word, mostly because I was too busy replaying the meeting in my head, going over what Zander had said, how he’d looked, how I’d instantly wanted to believe him.
It was Damian who spoke next: “So? What’s the verdict, baby girl? Do we trust him or should I take care of him for you?” Offering to kill him for me. Kill him, get rid of his body, the works. Kind of sweet, in a psycho sort of way.
“I don’t know yet,” I whispered. “But once I decide, I’ll let you know.”
But as we drove back to the house, I knew that wasn’t true. Even though I felt hurt and betrayed by Zander and what he did, I couldn’t let Damian kill him.
Chapter Nine – Giselle
It’s official. The Black Hand competition was over—or at least, that’s the official story. Now that Nixon Hawke came out as Nixon Jameson, he became the official heir to the Jameson bloodline.
Shay came to tell me the news, and she brought Piper. I was hanging with Cade when they arrived—Damian finally got some cable in this place, so at least there was more to do other than work out.
Cade didn’t move when Damian let them into the house, but I got up to meet with them. The three of us huddled around the small island in the kitchen when Shay told me the news. Shay stood across from me, while Piper had wandered to the fridge to check out what drinks I had.
Hint: nothing too spectacular.
Piper Lipman was the last of her line. It was her position Miguel had officially taken, whereas Rocco had gotten the vacated Hawke position. She was unlike Shay in every way; taller, thinner, with long, ashy-white hair and a sleeve of tattoos on her arm.
“Is there some kind of ceremony?” I asked. “Something to… commemorate it or something?” Miguel had to think he won. He had to let down his guard and relax somewhat, and that meant things had to feel real.
“Oh, yeah. Tonight at midnight, we’re gathering at the Black Hand mansion and having a ceremony where we drink from the same cup. Robes are involved,” Shay said, acting totally normal, as if she didn’t storm out of here a few days ago after I mentioned Miguel was still trying to dig up dirt on the Hand.
I’d only met the other members of the Black Hand once, but I couldn’t imagine any of them donning robes and drinking out of some old-fashioned goblet together. “Really?”
Shay’s mouth thinned, and Piper came to stand beside me with a bottle of water. Silence stretched between us for what felt like ages, and then Piper chuckled. “No, she’s kidding. The Black Hand isn’t a cult.”
“No offense,” Cade spoke as he wandered into the kitchen, “but it kind of sounds like it.” All eyes turned to him as he came toward me, his tall, muscular figure even more impressive when compared to everyone else in the kitchen.
God, he really was like Superman, only with light hair. Forget Clark Kent. Cade Cunningham was where it’s at.
“I should get going,” he said. He grabbed me, pulled me in, and bent his tall frame down to give me a quick kiss. Nothing too heated or passionate; didn’t want to give the girls a show. “I’ll see you later, princess.”
I couldn’t help but smile at him as he pulled away, well aware both Shay and Piper were watching us with interest. Even after he grabbed his coat and left through the front door, I couldn’t shake the smile on my face.
Alas, I wasn’t alone. Shay and Piper were with me, and they’d both witnessed the whole thing. It wasn’t Damian who made fun of me, but Piper.
“And here I thought you didn’t have any boyfriends,” Piper said, grinning to herself as she took a big swig from the water bottle. “Turns out, you’re just like Shay, collecting them everywhere you go.” She sounded normal, but I didn’t know her that well. She’d lost so much… I couldn’t help but wonder whether this was simply a facade of normalcy.
“They’re not my boyfriends,” I told her, but based on the look she gave me after that, she did not believe me in the least.
“Really? So he just kissed you goodbye because, what, he thinks you’re a good friend? Huh. I’ve been treating my friends wrong all this time—” Piper looked at Shay, and Shay only held up a hand and shook her head.
“Don’t look at me,” she huffed.
“Right, right. You don’t swing my way. Whatever.” Piper inched closer to me. “What about us, princess?” She used Cade’s term of endearment for me as she leaned in. “Are we friends now? Because I could give you a goodbye kiss that would knock Cade’s out of the water.”
I stepped away from her, just to give myself some space. “I’ll pass, but if I ever change my mind, you’ll be the first to know.” Piper only rolled her eyes at that, but I took it as a sign to revert the conversation back to Black Hand business. “Miguel and Rocco are probably already planning the next step of their takeover.”
