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Memories of all the times Vic has cooked for me or shared his food with me flood my mind, and something tugs at my heart as I realize how much it’s a part of his love language. Long before he could admit he wanted me or even liked me, he was doing sweet little things like cooking soup for me when I was sick or letting me use his peanut butter when he wouldn’t let his own brothers touch it with a ten-foot pole.
“You don’t have to apologize,” I tell him softly. “I really appreciate that you guys cared so much about what I would want, and about what would be good for me. I wish you could cook for me too, Vic. But you’re right, thisisthe next best thing, and it means a lot. I want to try everything you guys bought.”
I smile at him, and although the lines of stress don’t leave his face, his expression softens a little as he offers me a small smile back. Ransom takes a breath and blows it out, his shoulders relaxing as some of the tension drains from his posture. I know they’re all worried and stressed, more protective of me than ever, and they’re trying to take care of me with food the way they do in every other way.
Malice digs out some paper plates from a tub full of random stuff in the corner, and between the four of us, we split up the food. It really is an interesting mix of burgers and chicken nuggets and fries alongside salads and stir fry and a fruit platter. I take a little of everything, noting happily that I actually do feel better enough since last night to actually want to eat.
I sit on the bed cross-legged, and Malice and Ransom take the other bed, leaving Vic in the chair at the desk. There’s a certain stiffness to the way Vic moves as he takes food for himself, like he’s favoring his side and twisting to avoid hurting it, and I remember with a jolt the night he was shot.
“Are you okay?” I ask him in a rush. He must be, since he didn’t seem to be in much pain when he was hurting Troy last night, but I have to ask. I have to know. “You got shot.”
Vic smiles, sipping from a bottle of water. “I’m alright,” he assures me. “They hit my side, but Malice dug the bullet out and patched me up. I’m not thrilled about the messy stitches, but it’s healing just fine.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief while Ransom mutters under his breath about how he wasn’t the one who suggested doing stitches in the back of a moving car.
The brothers bicker and banter amongst each other the way they do, and it’s soothing as we all tuck into the food. But eventually, Vic brings us back to business.
“We need a plan going forward,” he says. “I know you probably need more time to rest, butterfly, but—”
“No, I understand.” I nod emphatically, trying to ignore the way my stomach tightens around the food I just ate. “There are still loose ends. We’re not safe yet.”
He nods. “Troy is gone, so he’s no longer a threat, but Olivia still could be. As far as she knows right now, she’s won. She thinks you’re still holed up with Troy, and to the best of our knowledge, no one knows he’s dead yet. He went far off the grid in order to remain alone and undisturbed with you, so his family hasn’t heard from him in days and won’t expect to for a while longer. But that won’t last forever. Eventually, the burned out cabin will be discovered, and news of his death will spread. Once that happens, Olivia will realize her plan didn’t work out how she intended. We need to deal with her, to make sure she can’t come after Willow anymore.”
“Should we leave again?” Ransom tosses out as he picks up a french fry. “I mean, at this point, there’s nothing keeping us here, right? So maybe the best thing would be to just get out of Detroit altogether.”
“We could. But there’s no guarantee Olivia wouldn’t try to chase us down again.” Malice grunts. “I can’t imagine she’s going to take us killing Troy and making Willow a widow lightly.”
Vic nods, staring down at his plate thoughtfully as he uses his fork to make sure the food he piled onto it doesn’t touch at all.
“You’re right,” he murmurs. “The longer this goes on, the more personal it gets. She was willing to sacrifice Willow to achieve her own ends, but at some point, it became about more than that. It’s about punishing Willow for defying her. It’s about power, control, and revenge. So even if pursuing us wouldn’t be the logical choice, I wouldn’t put it past her to do it anyway.”
“So we’re right back where we started,” Ransom says, frustration creeping into his voice.
“Not necessarily.” Vic shoots me a look, pride shining in his eyes. “Willow has resources now, thanks to her quick thinking. She would’ve inherited a portion of Troy’s estate no matter what, as his legal wife. But since he transferred everything to her before he died, she has both money and his shares of his family’s company. That means she can meet her grandmother on even ground. Level the playing field between them.”
My heart clenches with worry, and I put down the rest of my burger.
“I don’t want to run,” I announce firmly, shaking my head. “I want to stay and stand up to Olivia. Like Vic said, the playing field is more even now. She has resources, but so do I. Except… I’m worried about you guys. What if she tries to blackmail you again? I don’t want you to get arrested.”
For the first time since I was reunited with the men, Ransom grins the way he used to—a sexy as fuck curve of his lips that’s both charming and wicked. His blue-green eyes gleam as he tells me, “Oh, don’t worry, pretty girl. We have a plan for that.”
“What?” I ask, glancing between the three of them.
“So, while we were searching for you, we spent a bit of time talking about this problem,” he explains. “Olivia holding shit over our heads, always being able to blackmail us. We found out on the way back to Detroit that she must’ve turned in the evidence she had against us to the authorities, because weallhave warrants out for us now, not just Mal. But we’ve decided to beat her at her own game.”
“What do you mean?”
Vic smiles, and although it doesn’t have that same charming tilt to it that Ransom’s smile has, it’s just as beautiful to see.
“A while ago, she had us steal something from a judge,” he tells me. “It was one of the assignments she gave us before we knew that she was X. And when I was doing recon on him, I found out he was cheating on his wife.”
I grimace. I think I remember them telling me about that job, and having three men whom I know would never leave me or even look at another woman, I feel sorry for this judge’s wife. But then my nose wrinkles as I ask, “What does that have to do with getting Olivia off your backs?”
Malice smirks, grim and vicious.
“Well, it just so happens that he’s the judge who signed the warrants for each of us. So, we’re going to get evidence of his cheating and blackmail him into recalling those warrants.”
11
