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The valet brings Theo’s car around for us quickly after we step outside, and we all pile in.
Theo gets behind the wheel as usual, while Ryland and I climb into the back seat with Marcus. It would be less crowded if one of us took the front, but that instinct to stay close, to band together, feels even stronger now than it did when Marcus was missing. I have a feeling that if Theo didn’t have to drive, he’d find a way to cram into the back seat too, just to be near us.
Marcus’s body seems to deflate as soon as the car door closes behind us. As soon as Theo starts to roll around the curved driveway, his shoulders slump, and he leans back against the leather seat.
“What happened?” Ryland asks, his voice low.
Marcus repeats what he told me in the laundry room, filling in more details of the story now that we’re all together.
“After we split up at the warehouses, Carson tracked me and Ayla down. I took three bullets in the back, and we went down. After that, shit gets a little fuzzy. I was barely fucking conscious. But I remember hearing Carson’s voice. He was standing right over us. Gloating. About to put bullets in our heads to finish the job.”
He clenches his jaw, reaching over to rest a hand on my leg, as if to remind himself I’m still here.
“I heard a shot,” he continues, “and for a second, I was sure that’s what it was. The last shot, the one that would kill me. Then Carson’s body fell next to us, and a second later, I was being hauled away. Victoria dragged me to her car, got me in the backseat. She told me she’d get me medical attention if I agreed to her terms. If I agreed to marry her.”
“Motherfucker,” Theo breathes, shooting us a look through the rearview mirror. “That’s who was working with Carson. She knew where he was, and she took him out.”
“What?” Marcus’s voice is sharp, a little strength returning to it as he sits up straighter.
Ryland shakes his head. “That bitch Natalie told us that Carson was working with someone else besides Dominic on this, although we never found out exactly what that person’s involvement was or how much they knew about the plan. But it’s pretty likely that person was Victoria. Unless she just lucked into discovering Carson’s whereabouts.”
Marcus’s features turn hard, his grip on my leg tightening. “So she played fucking everyone.”
“Yeah.” Theo sounds pissed.
Victoria killed Carson and threatened to let Marcus die if he didn’t agree to marry her, but it occurs to me suddenly that she didn’t kill me. She could have. Easily. I was unconscious on the ground, the easiest target she’d ever have. But she let me live.
I almost point that out, but I don’t particularly feel like defending Victoria at all right now, so I close my lips around the words.
“What happened after that?” I say instead, turning my head to catch Marcus’s gaze. He told me Victoria offered to save him, but I don’t have any idea where he’s even been for the past two weeks.
“She took me back to her place. She’s got a doctor on call just like we do.” Marcus runs his free hand through his hair, wincing slightly at the movement. “One bullet hit my lung, but the other two didn’t hit anything vital. I’d lost a lot of blood, but her guy is good. He patched me up and has been monitoring my recovery daily.” He grimaces. “One of Victoria’s terms was that I couldn’t let anyone know I was alive until Luca’s party.”
“She always did have a flair for the dramatic,” Theo scoffs.
“Well, it fucking works.” Ryland shifts in his seat. I’m sandwiched between him and Marcus, and I glance at him as he speaks. “I guarantee you everyone at Luca’s party is talking about this right now. She just changed the entire game.”
I can feel Marcus’s muscles tense again, anger knotting his muscles. But there’s nothing we can do about it at the moment, and he needs to rest. To heal.
Placing my hand over his on my thigh, I thread our fingers together lightly, reminding him without words that I’m still here. That we’re together.
His body relaxes a little, and we all lapse into silence for the rest of the drive.
I don’t even blink when Theo pulls into his garage. This has become our home base over the past two weeks, and now that Marcus is back, I hope and assume that he’ll stay here too.
His steps are a little stronger as we head into the house, making me think that the time off his feet in the car was good for him. I’m sure he has recovery instructions from the doctor, and I make a mental note to find out what those are so I can make sure he follows them exactly.
Without even discussing it, Theo leads us into the living room. He, Ryland, and I often gather in the kitchen, but I know he chose this room because these chairs are more comfortable than the barstools that line the kitchen island. It’ll be easier for Marcus to sit in here.
The thoughtfulness of that small gesture makes something in my chest ache a little.
These men love each other.
Unreservedly and unabashedly.
Fiercely.
They love each other in a way that makes me want to be a part of that bond. In a way that makes me think there might be hope for humanity after all.
