AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay, but what about these?” Ransom asks, holding up some satin sheets in a bright red color.
Vic just gives him a look and Ransom laughs, putting the sheets back.
In the end, we settle on some that are a nice crisp gray color, and soft enough that I want to wrap myself up in them. We get new pillows, new comforters, new everything.
We pick out end tables, and once it’s clear that we’re using Troy’s money to pay for all of this, Ransom throws in a new gaming system too.
“May as well use that big-ass TV for something,” he says with a shrug.
It’s a long afternoon of shopping, and we head back to the penthouse in high spirits. The prospect of getting it all up to the top floor is a little daunting, but even that can’t quite snuff out the spark of excitement I feel at having all this new stuff. It’s stuff I picked out myself, stuff Troy has never touched before. That means a lot right now.
We take turns heading up to the apartment with loads of our new purchases, Malice doing most of the heavy lifting, with Vic supervising and Ransom bringing up the rear.
I grab a few of the lighter bags of stuff, and then turn around to see someone familiar heading toward me on the sidewalk. The guys are upstairs, and for a second, my breath catches.
Joshua.
I haven’t even really thought of him since that date we didn’t go on, and it feels like so long ago now.
“Willow?” he asks, smiling uncertainly. “Hey, I thought that was you.”
“Oh, hi,” I reply, feeling awkward and unsure how to navigate this conversation.
Unlike Troy, Joshua always seemed like a perfectly nice guy. He was nice enough in our few interactions, just… not my type. I never felt anything while I was around him, and when he asked me on a date, I mostly agreed just because I was still trying to pretend there was nothing between me and the Voronin brothers. I still wanted to fit into my grandmother’s world, and I thought dating a nice, ordinary guy would be the way to do that.
Then Malice put an end to any thought of me going out with him, and it never really got resolved. I never actually told Joshua that I didn’t want to go out with him, but I guess me getting engaged to Troy sent the message.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You know, after everything.”
For a split second, I think he knows about how Troy kidnapped me and held me captive, and my heart rate kicks up a notch.
“W-what do you mean?” I ask him.
“Your wedding,” he explains. “Pretty much everyone heard about your big wedding to Troy being interrupted and you being snatched right from the altar.”
“Oh.” I breathe a little easier. That probablywasbig news among the circles people like Joshua travel in. “Yeah, that was… something.”
He nods. “But I guess you two got married anyway, right? And now Troy’s dead?”
“Yeah, there was a fire at his place up in the woods,” I say, which is the truth. “It was a tragedy.” Which is a massive, massive lie.
“I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine what…”
Joshua’s voice trails off, his gaze flicking over my shoulder.
I can feel the Voronin brothers approaching before I even see them, the three of them moving as a unit to crowd in behind me. They’re radiating protective vibes, sizing Joshua up and making it clear that his presence is not wanted.
Joshua’s eyes dart from me to the three of them, and when Malice drops an arm around my shoulders, his eyes widen. Something flashes through them, and I can’t tell if it’s fear or suspicion or what, but he definitely seems even more unnerved.
I get it, in a way. He was just about to offer me condolences on my dead husband, and now three tattooed, dangerous looking men are surrounding me possessively, clearly staking their claim on me. I’m not exactly painting the picture of a grieving widow.
But I don’t want to.
It’s one thing to not admit to being involved in his death, but it would be another thing entirely to have to pretend to grieve his loss. I’ve had to lie at various points in my life, and I can do it when the need arises, but I’m not that good of an actor.
“Anyway…” Joshua clears his throat, backing away. “I uh, need to get going. I’ll see you around, Willow.”
He takes one last look at the guys and then makes his way down the street again, walking faster than he was before.
