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“What? Why? He did this. He—” I cut myself off as I remember what I’ve learned recently.
“Yeah, he might have been involved in the whole thing, but selling you wasn’t something he wanted to do.”
“He told you that?” I ask Daemon.
“Not me personally, no.”
“Where is he now?”
“Dead.”
“Oh.”
I’m not sure what I was expecting to feel, learning that. I hated Derek and the things he got women involved in. He was the one who helped Blakely get into the life she did way too young. And clearly, he’s been a part of this human trafficking ring that everyone’s been trying to take down. But I’ve still known him all my life. I guess I wasn’t expecting to feel nothing.
I’m not glad, sad, or even disgusted. There’s just nothing.
Alex’s fingers thread through mine, squeezing as tight as he can.
“You okay?” Glancing over at him, I smile. He’s here. He’s right beside me, and Zay is safe and downstairs, filling his face.
Everything is okay.
“Yeah.” Gently, I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, taking a moment to appreciate his presence.
Daemon’s attention makes my skin tingle with awareness, but he doesn’t say anything. Nor do we. All of us are just trying to make sense of everything we’ve been through and process what the next few days might bring.
Voices and feet pounding up the stairs are the first clues that our peace is about to end, and not three seconds later, there’s a knock on the door, and it’s thrown open to reveal the rest of Alex’s friends.
Seb, Theo and Calli are the first to burst into the room, quickly followed by everyone else. Taking up the rear, Emmie and Stella carry two trays full of coffee, and Bri has a tower of very familiar boxes stacked on her hand.
“Is that Betties?” Alex asks, ignoring all his friends in favour of the pastries.
“Sure is.”
“Hell yeah. Maybe this was all worth it after all.”
A ripple of emotion goes around the room before Jodie pulls the lid off the top box and passes it over to Alex.
He takes a second to appreciate the goodies laid out before him, making his selection and stuffing it into his mouth like an animal.
“So good,” he mumbles, crumbs falling from his lips to his abs.
My eyes follow and my mouth waters.
“It’s okay, Evie. We won’t judge you if you lick them off,” Stella says.
“Uh… I think I just need one of these.” Reaching my hand into the box to snag a pastry, I don’t even look to see what it is.
“Hey,” Alex complains with a frown. “They’re mine.”
“Evie deserves them just as much as you,” Ant says, appearing last through the door with armfuls of water.
“Yeah,” Alex says, finally swallowing his mouthful. “About that.” Turning to look at me, he lifts his brow. “Whose arse do I need to kick for allowing you in that place when you were nice and safe here?”
“Umm,” I hesitate as Ant stands firm at the end of the bed.
“She stood before Damien, Matteo, Reid, and Luciana, and she demanded to play her part. It was fucking bad-arse, bro,” Ant explains.
