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“Are you going to tell him?”
“Tomorrow,” she whispers. “Let him sweat it out for the night.”
An amused smile spreads across my face. “You’ve always been best at making him grovel.”
THE NEXT MORNING, I wake to the sound of my phone ringing. Tessa’s name flashes across the screen, reminding me of everything that’s happened within the last twelve hours. I sit up and run my fingers through my hair before answering.
“Hey, Tess.”
“Delaney?” She sounds panicked.
I roll my eyes at her overprotective tendencies. “I know I’m not hom
e, but I’m all right. It’s a lot to explain, and I still need to figure it all out, but I promise you’ll be—”
“Laney! Whatever he says, don’t listen to him!”
“Shut up!” Another voice comes through the phone—one that makes my heart drop.
“Tessa!” I scream. “Oh my God, Tess.”
A deep chuckle sounds in my ear. “Not such a badass now, are you, Laney?”
My chest gets tight as tears stream down my cheeks. “She has nothing to do with this. Let her go.”
“Now, now, you little bitch,” Uncle Dom sneers. “You don’t call the shots here. I do. And if you don’t want anything to happen to your precious sister, you and your boyfriend will come to The Underground by no later than noon.” I glance at the clock. It’s 10:15. “I don’t think I need to give you details on what will happen if you try any shit, do I?”
The line goes dead, along with any hope that my life will ever be normal again. Savannah looks at me, the fear in her eyes matching my own. In an instant, the two of us jump out of bed and run down the stairs. Grayson, Knox, and Zayn are all in the living room, and the second they see our faces, they jump to their feet.
“Delaney?” Knox’s brows furrow. “What’s wrong?”
“Uncle Dom. He ha—” I swallow down the lump in my throat. “He has Tessa.”
31
KNOX
I lie awake on the couch, watching as the sun rises outside and the darkness turns to light. No part of me slept a wink, but I didn’t expect to. If I’m asleep, my guard is down, and that’s one thing I won’t allow to happen right now. I can’t.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Cal is out for blood right now, and not just any blood—mine and Delaney’s. He’s not a man who’s used to being told no. Hell, for as long as I’ve known him, he’s never been one to take no for an answer. It’s yes, or yes sir. There is no other option.
I’ve spent the last few hours running every situation through my mind, and it all comes back to one solution—the only way I can keep Delaney safe. I have to turn myself in and use what I know to take Cal down with me. It’s a long shot—a Hail Mary by all means—but it’s all I’ve got. It’s that or kill him, and I don’t think another life on my tally board, her uncle’s especially, is something Delaney wants.
Delaney. My heart. My soul. My reason for fucking existing. I never thought I’d find someone who could make me feel things I can’t even explain. And I sure as hell never thought that someone would come in the form of an innocent, doe-eyed, trust-fund baby—but she’s yet to do one thing that doesn’t surprise me.
There’s an age-old saying that you can’t love someone else until you learn to love yourself, but that’s bullshit. I’ve hated myself for as long as I can remember, convinced that I was the reason my dad left and why my mom is never around. The darkness is something I’ve gotten used to—something I’ve learned to find comfort in, even. But Delaney? Fuck, I love her so much it numbs the feeling of hating myself.
ZAYN WAKES UP SHORTLY before ten. He comes downstairs looking like something out of The Walking Dead. I smirk at him as he rubs his eye with his fist.
“Damn, lack of beauty sleep really fucks you up,” I quip, and he flips me off.
“Coffee,” he grumbles, walking into the kitchen.
Grayson stirs from his place on the floor. He didn’t fall asleep until four in the morning, after going upstairs and checking to make sure Savannah was okay. When he saw that she was sleeping, he decided to try to get some rest. Lucky him. I’m starting to think sleep isn’t a luxury I have anymore.
“What time is it?”
I look down at my phone. “Ten.”
