Page 88 of Barinov

I obey, the mattress creaking as I plop down onto it.

“Look, we both know that Luca’s insane, right?”

“Certifiable,” I correct.

“Well, when you and the guys started dating he got—I don’t know—jealous and a little turned on,” he says through another scrunched nose. “And somewhere in his fucked up mind he got this wonderful idea to recreate your trio. With us.”

“With us? Like us, us?” I ask, gesturing between me and him.

He nods.

“That’s disgusting.”

“Believe me, I know,” he continues. “You should have heard what he said after Cade’s trial.”

“Don’t tell me,” I say through a cough. “I’d rather not puke right now.”

“That’s fine. I’d rather not repeat it anyway.”

“So how does Miami fit into all of this?” I ask.

“The Red Hour,” he says with a shrug. “I had to go to Miami to secure the ring for it.”

“The ring?”

He nods. “Los Cuervos.”

“You had to go see Alejandro?” I wince, my voice pitching on a high note.

Out of all the Black Books, Alejandro Vega is the only one who legitimately scares the living shit out of me. And for damn good reasons. The man is brutal and practically soulless.

“Worse,” he adds. “I had to go see Mar.”

“Gross,” I gag. “Fucking little pink slu—”

“Cut it out,” he snaps. “She’s not guilty of anything in this and you know it.”

“Oooh she’s guilty of plenty,” I shoot back.

“Like what?”

I scoff. “I don’t know, let’s start off with conspiracy to be a raging bitch.”

“Bells.”

“I’m not done.” I hold up a hand. “How about leaving you and breaking your heart multiple fucking times. Or treating you like complete dog shit during the everlasting on-again-mostly-off-again roller coaster that you guys called a relationship?”

I begin ticking Marisol’s infinite number of infractions off on my fingertips.

“Or that one time when she came to visit and stole my favorite red top out of my closet before we went to dinner with the Briggs triplets.”

“She didn’t steal—”

“She did,” I interject before he can try to defend the bitch. “And then there’s your twentieth birthday dinner. Oh, and let’s not forget my all time favorite… the thing with Laing.”

“You of all people have no right to bitch about anyone with Laing.”

I blink at him. “Excuse me?”