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The room narrows down to the screen, the faint screams of my mother and sisters sounding in my ears as I read the message again.
“Tarl?” Aeron’s voice breaks through the remembered noise, and I snap my head up to look at him, blinking the light from the screen away, the words imprinted on my irises. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes,” I answer automatically, my face a blank mask as he studies me, his arms crossing. “Just a message about tonight’s job,” I lie, seeing his shoulders loosen ever so slightly. “I’m not keen on leaving Lark by herself.” That's not a lie, the thought of being apart from her leaves my skin crawling. He huffs a breath out.
“Me neither,” he agrees, his eyes going distant as they always do when he’s trying to come up with a solution. “I think we should leave her with my dad and Rook up at the big house. Security is top-notch there, no one is getting through, and Rook and my father will be there so she won’t be alone.”
I’m nodding before he’s even finished, using the discussion to put the two messages to the back of my mind. I’m safe here, I’m a Tailor for fuck's sake, not some frightened little boy who has just had his family murdered in front of his eyes.
It’s too late to stop this now anyway. I’ve come too far to not see this through to the end.
“And I’m sure she’ll like to spend some time with Rook,” I add, looking over once more at Lark who is now slow dancing with Jude to some song he’s no doubt humming.
“Then it’s settled. We’ll tell her about the job and go to see Rook after we finish here. It’s a quick exchange job. We should be done and back with her before midnight.”
* * *
“Empty Crown” by Yas
Lark
A mixture of excitement and trepidation makes butterflies fly around my stomach as Knox drives us in his truck to the big house, as they all call it. It’s where the boys grew up and where Adam still lives, with Rook staying here until he finds a place of his own.
We drive along the quiet road, on the posh side of town because of course their McMansion is on the west side where all the rich people live. My eyes feel like they’re about to bug out of my head as we pass countless other enormous houses and gates with drives so long you can’t even see the house that lies beyond them.
“Jesus, you Tailors really like to rub shoulders with the rich cunts,” I mutter, taking in the way the walls on either side of the gates get longer the further we go, clearly showing how much land these rich fuckers have. Knox laughs from the driver's seat, his eyes on the road as he talks over his shoulder at me.
“Yeah, us gangbangers really bring down the price of real estate around here.” He chuckles, and I see Aeron roll his eyes in the rearview mirror.
“They know we keep the neighborhood safe, plus most of them owe us one thing or another, so they won’t moan about living next to criminals, especially not as we line their pockets like we do our own,” Aeron casually drawls, like having the rich of the city in your pocket isn’t a big deal but an everyday occurrence.Jesus.
“And there’s just something so enticing about bad boys, isn’t there, Nightingale?” Jude whispers in my ear, and I shiver, then clench my teeth as his words sink in.
“As long as they just look and don’t touch. I will cut a bitch, rich or poor, who lays even so much as a manicured finger on any of you,” I growl, and their deep chuckles only make me frown harder.
“I’ll give you the knife myself, darling Nightingale, and we can slice them apart together, then fuck in their blood,” Jude offers, and Jesus fucking Christ, the idea of murder shouldn’t turn me on as much as it clearly is. Never said I wasn’t as batshit as the rest of them.
Before I can even formulate a response, Knox is turning left, pulling up to a massive set of wrought-iron gates, set in a high stone wall which looks pale as marble in the dying light. Winter is drawing closer, the days are shorter now, so even though it’s not yet five, the sun is already beginning to set.
We pause at a small building where two men in suits wait, glancing into the window, and then opening the gate and waving us through. The truck smoothly glides up the long winding drive, trees making the land either side of us full of shadows, and I shudder, despite my thick jumper and the warmth of the car.
“You alright,Azizam?” Tarl asks, taking my hand in his and putting it to his lips to place a kiss there. I’m in between him and Jude, their bodies pressed up against either side of me, and it's a place that I love to be.
“Yes,” I answer, craning my neck to get a better view of the house that’s coming into view. “Just a little nervous, I guess. I’m not that keen on unknown places, if you hadn’t already guessed.”
I gasp as we come to the front of the house, the dying rays of the sun hitting the pale stone and making it look like it’s on fire. It's breathtaking, with countless windows facing us, as well as a columned porch, giving it an old-world vibe.
“Welcome to our home, Dove,” Aeron says, and I turn to glance at him, seeing a look of amusement on his handsome face, the bastard.
We pull to a stop in front of the porch, and I’m surprised to see Adam jogging down the stairs in a henley and slacks, coming over to open the back door. A blast of cold air has goose bumps peppering my skin underneath my clothes, and I’m quick to take Jude’s hand as he helps me out of the car.
“Boys!” Adam greets, his face split into a wide grin as he pulls first Jude, then Tarl into a hug. I find I like that about him; he’s not afraid to show affection to the guys. He lets go of them and then his deep blue eyes land on me, his smile softening. “Lark, I’m so pleased that you’re here.”
I walk into his arms, wrapping my own around his trim middle and breathing out a sigh when he hugs me tightly back. This is what it must be like to have a father who cares about you. I step back, blinking away a rush of tears that want to fill my eyes at the thought of growing up with a father like Adam instead of Rufus.
“Adam,” Knox greets, giving Adam a hug once I’m released and squeezing tightly.
“Got back to your workout routine I see, son,” Adam wheezes, laughing as he gives Knox a manly slap on the back, and then turns to embrace Aeron. I shiver as a breeze brushes past me, making my hair fly about my face. “Let’s get you inside, out of the cold,” Adam states when he looks over at me, taking my hand and placing it in the crook of his elbow. He leads me up the three stone steps and through the double wooden doors, that an honest-to-God butler holds open for us, white gloves and everything.
