“Yeah,” he confirms. “Apparently she likes him.” Don’t I fucking know it.
“He’s not good enough,” I snap. “Actually, he’s fucking terrible. He gets distracted way too easily.”
Bones shrugs. “These snake-fuckers aren’t exactly pros. Domino’ll handle it. And you’ll still be there. At a distance. Making sure he doesn’t fuck up.”
I grind my teeth, rage simmering under my skin. But I nod. Then he draws a breath, and my eyes narrow again. He’s not fucking done.
“She wants a meeting with you,” he says. “Now.”
My heart jerks. Surprise flashes through me, followed fast by dread.
“She asked to see me?Willingly?” I ask, the suspicion thick in my voice.
“Yeah. She’s outside.”
Fuck. That can’t be good. It’s about the divorce, I’m sure it is. But even if she’s about to hammer the final nail in my coffin, I can’t say no. I’ll take it. Take the hits. Take the pain.
I stand and nod once. Let’s get it over with.
Adora
“He’s waiting for you,” Bones says the second the door shuts behind him. His expression is unreadable, but his tone cuts.
“And just so we’re clear, this is the last time I get involved.” He exhales hard. “He’s my brother. You’re one of Temper’s closest friends. I’m already walking a tightrope here, and if I fuck up my balance, it’s my ass that gets shredded.” A pause. His eyes narrow, a little haunted. “And believe me… I do not want to end up on Temper’s bad side. Again.”
“I understand,” I squeak, voice too small, eyes too wide.
He gives me a once-over, like he’s not entirely convinced, then turns on his heel and leaves.
But before I can even wrap my fingers around the door handle, Ria starts yelling.
“Wait, Adora!Wait!” her voice echoes behind me, followed by the distinct sound of rapid footsteps.
I turn, only to be greeted by a bottle being waved in my face.
“What the hell is this?” I ask, breathless as she stops in front of me, panting like she just ran a marathon.
“Tequila,” she gasps out triumphantly. “Now drink. Take a shot.”
I blink at her. “Tequila?! This is not the time to get hammered, Ria—”
“It’s not to get drunk, you drama llama!” she snaps, hands on hips, exasperated. “It’s for liquid courage. You need something to silence the noise in your head. This right here? It’s good tequila. It’ll burn like hell on the way down. And every time your thoughts start spiraling, you focus on that burn. Anchor yourself. You’re not going in there just to talk to Ghost. You’re going in there to win.”
She jabs a finger at my chest. “Serve him those damn papers and don’t you dare back down. Once this is over, it’ll be a hell of a lot easier to put him in his place every time he tries anything ever again.”
I eye the bottle. “Normally I’d call that some crazy flapdoodle… But you’ve never steered me wrong before,” I finish with a grin.
Without overthinking it, I take the bottle, tip my head back, and chug like a fucking warrior. It burns all the way to my soul.
Perfect.
I shove the bottle back into Ria’s hand and march into the room, but I freeze in my tracks the second I see him.
Ghost. He’s standing, leaning against the edge of the table like some warrior biker king, all muscle and storm clouds.
I blink, caught off guard. I specifically asked for a room with a table. I wanted to sit on one side, him on the other. To have distance. Structure. Like a business transaction. Cold and clinical.
But now we’re eye to eye, no barriers. Just air charged with tension and something I refuse to think of.
