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Did they plan all of this?
No, they couldn’t have. How would they have known I was even in New York?
Are they blackmailing me, trying to scare me so I’ll trust them when they drop in as my white knights, here to save me?
My feet freeze in place and tears pool in my eyes. My teeth grind together with the anger boiling through my veins. My hands fist at my sides, and I meet Otis’ stunned expression.
“Princess, what’s wrong?” His tone holds so much confusion and concern I almost feel bad for putting it there.
“Are you playing with me?” My voice breaks with the last word, but I pull myself together and hold myself steady.
“Devin, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” He takes a step closer, and I take a retreating one back, maintaining the space between us.
“Are you, Dante, and Lucian blackmailing me with images from our first night together, threatening me to stay away from Cole, so you can pretend to swoop in and save me?” My body shakes with the adrenaline flooding my system, and I wrap my arms around my middle to hold myself in place.
“What the fuck are you talking about? What blackmail? No, we’re not fucking playing with you.”
“I have a fucking hard time believing that I’ve been here for months, and I never saw any of you, but, after one run-in, now I’m seeing you guys everywhere. Dante is stopping by the library, and Lucian admitted to stalking the café looking for me, and you … you just happened to be outside the grocery store at the exact moment I was coming out? These events just aren’t lining up, Otis.”
He puts my bag down and holds up his hands—palms out—as he approaches me. “Do you remember what I told you that first night we met? After Lucian promised you that nothing would happen you didn’t want to have happen?” I shake my head but don’t speak. “I told you, you’re safe with us. Devin, princess, you will always be safe with us. I promise you we will never do a thing to hurt you. But we will fuck up whoever is.”
He steps closer, and this time, I don’t back away. His hands rest on my shoulders, and he gently tugs me closer until he can wrap his arms around my shaking body. He kisses the top of my head and holds me while I cry into his chest. The events of yesterday finally fully sinking in and the peace of mind knowing it wasn’t them. They are my safe place.
“Come on, princess, let’s get you back to your apartment.” He picks up my bag again, tucking it in one arm to wrap his other around me, pulling me in protectively against his side. “Tell me where we’re going.”
I wrap an arm around his waist and can feel the tension in his body. Looking up I watch the tendon in his jaw works and he holds back his anger of what I assume is on my behalf. “It’s not far. Just three more blocks,” I tell him, pondering how to quell the rage building inside of him.
“Otis, I’m sorry I accused you of blackmailing me. It’s the anxiety in me messing with my mind, it makes me think stupid things sometimes.”
He kisses the top of my head as we continue walking. “Think nothing more of it, princess. Do either of the others know about what happened?”
“Just Lucian. He upgraded my security for me after it happened.”
“Good. We’ll figure out who’s blackmailing you and we’ll make them wish they had thought twice before stepping foot inside your apartment.”
Warmth fills me with his words, knowing they have my back in this crazy city. I snuggle in closer to his side and decide now is a really good time to pry more intimate details out of him. They’re always asking me questions and demanding answers. It’s my turn.
“How did you meet the others?”
“Hmm, let’s see. I went to grade school with Dante, though I was a true asshole to him until high school, when he beat the ever-loving shit outta me.”
I gape up at Otis from under his arm. “He what? No, not Dante, he’s such a lover.”
“It’s true. He beat me to a pulp and then tossed me into a dumpster for good measure.” His face remains flat, though I can see the smile trying to poke out at the memories.
I cover my mouth with my hand to hold back the laugh threatening to break free at the mental image of Dante beating Otis and flipping him into a dumpster conjures. “And now you’re as close as brothers?”
Otis looks down at me, complete affection written on his face. “He is my brother. Like I said, I was an asshole. I deserved the lesson he taught me that day.”
I shake my head and point to my building, fishing my keys out of my bag. “Boys. I’ll never understand them.”
“Trust me, princess, we feel the same about girls.”
Holding open the door for Otis to enter, I ask, “So, how did you meet Lucian?”
We hike the first flight of stairs to the elevator while Otis tells me about his first visit to Club Rapture with Dante, where they met Lucian, who had been working there during special events—like the lock in—for two years already. They met Cole through Lucian, who met him at the club as well.
“So, if it hadn’t been for Club Rapture—other than you and Dante—none of us would have met,” I muse as I unlock the door to my apartment.
