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I throw on a baby pink dress and slip into a pair of Badgley Mischka ivory flats. The toes are encrusted with crystals of all different sizes, and the sides are mesh. There are a few stray crystals lingering along the binding, making their way down the length of the shoe toward the back. Surprisingly, they’re pretty comfortable minus their pointy toe.
I examine myself in my bathroom mirror and feel something is off. As childish as it may seem, I want my hair up. I want to show off the mark Teddy left on me. I pull it all into a sleek ponytail before twisting and pinning it into a neat bun. Once I feel satisfied with my appearance, I walk out of my room and back into the kitchen.
The twins are gone, but Carl is there, pouring red wine into six glasses. He looks up as I walk in and gives me a smile. “Charlotte.” He dips his head.
I nod in return, then slide onto the barstool across from him. My fingers fidget with the hem of my dress, and my eyes bounce around the room.
“Don’t be nervous,” Carl says, as his eyes catch my movements.
I give him a weak smile. “I just have so many questions. Do they look alike? How did his brother end up in this shit too? Who’s older?” The words rush out of my mouth in a jumble.
Carl laughs. “Teddy is older by three years. His brother is thirty-two. He was actually adopted into the family he works for, the right way, when he was about five, and as far as looks…” Carl trails off for a second, looking to his side toward the doorway. “You can see for yourself.”
I turn on the stool and see Teddy standing in the doorway next to the same man from the club. The twins and Desi are positioned perfectly behind them as Carl slips past them and disappears into the hall.
“Emil?” I question out loud.
It all starts to make sense as I stare at them side by side. The night at Red Eye, I was so focused on Teddy and protecting him that I missed the very obvious similarities between them. Maybe that’s why Teddy got as upset as he did for me pulling a gun on him that night.
There is no mistake they come from the same blood. Their eyes have the same oval shape but possess different colors. Their cheekbones are both chiseled in the same way, hard and elegant all at once. And their lips carry the same easy pout.
Although they have so many of the same characteristics, they still have their differences too. They both have dark hair with Teddy’s glistening just a shade lighter. Teddy has pale skin, and Emil is tanned, but both are flawless. They stand only a few inches apart in height with Teddy being taller.
“Monkshood,” Teddy speaks, drawing my eyes to him. “This is my brother, Emil.”
I slip off of the barstool and extend my hand to him. “We’ve met. Sorry about that, by the way.” I can feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment.
He smiles, showing me a smile that mirrors the one I’ve seen on Teddy. “It’s forgotten, hermosa.” He leans and kisses the top of my hand.
I see Teddy stiffen out the corner of my eye. I quickly retract my hand and make a move to push my hair behind my ear, but quickly drop my hand when I remember it is up.
Teddy steps closer behind Emil and grips his shoulder. I can see the fabric of Emil’s shirt bunch under Teddy’s hold, only feeding my suspicion he isn’t doing it softly. “Hands off, brother,” he hisses. “She’s mine.”
Emil gives Teddy a half smile, shaking out of his hold. “No disrespect.” He sweeps his hands in front of him to the barstools sitting behind me. “Shall we sit?”
Teddy nods, then pushes past him, placing his hand to the small of my back and leading me back to my spot on the barstool. He stands behind me, keeping his hand on my hip, as everyone else settles into their spots around the counter.
“Chief said there was another overdose yesterday, on the Southside off the freeway,” Lucas starts, staring at Emil. “That’s almost the border of here and Westdell, which means not only are they trying to hustle into our shit, but yours too.”
Desi waves his hand around. “This isn’t news. We’ve already told you they burned our place on McAdams down. That was our whole reason for getting the casino on the southside border in the first place. We thought moving closer to Northridge Heights, being closer to another powerful family, would deter them. I guess we were wrong.” He shrugs.
Lucas rolls his eyes. “That’s the point. They don’t give a fuck. We need to get to the bottom of this before shit gets messy.”
“Do you have a plan?” Emil asks.
Teddy speaks from behind me, his voice vibrating down my spine as his thumb moves in soft, smooth circles over my hip. “Do you have a locksmith you could trust?”
Emil tilts his head. “Do you not?”
“I’d rather do this away from Northridge, if possible.” His hand stills on me.
Emil nods in understanding. “I have a guy, but the only payment he likes is my girls. He’s an early-sixties fat fuck. They don’t like seeing him. Maybe a little persuasion from your boys could make them feel charitable.” He winks.
I look over my shoulder and see Teddy lock eyes with the twins. Lucas seems to almost be bursting at the seams with excitement, while Julius seems unfazed by whatever is going on.
“What is he talking about?” I whisper to Teddy.
Teddy lets out a low chuckle, then leans into my ear. “He deals in the sex ring, but don’t worry, it isn’t what you think. All his girls work willingly and are compensated generously. They really love Luke and Jules.”
