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I nod, slowly, the fight catching up to me. My head is spinning. "I'm going to pass out," I murmur, and then I do.
I don't remember getting up, but when I come to, I find myself lying across Tristan's lap in the back seat of the Range Rover, his arms wrapped tightly around me and his face pressed against my hair. His breath is warm against my neck, and I can feel the rapid beat of his heart against my skin. Outside the window, the city lights race by as Liam drives us back in the direction of the bed and breakfast.
"Tristan," I murmur.
"You're okay," he says. "You're okay, Vivian. God, I'm so sorry.”
I struggle to sit up, the back seat spinning a little, but the steady weight of his hands on my body helps ground me. "It's okay," I assure him, reaching around and pressing a hand to his cheek. "I'm all right. I think.”
"You fainted dead away back there," Theo says from the front seat.
"It was Sienna," I reply, doing my best not to look at the blood on my dress. "I... I didn't think we would…"
"We had to, Kid," Theo replies, reaching back to put a hand on my knee. "It was her or us. No need to apologize, Tristan," he adds, shooting a glance at his friend.
"I should've seen it coming," Tristan says, stroking my hair. "I didn't realize she was so far gone.”
"None of us did, man," Liam replies, glancing at me in the rear view mirror and throwing me a heart-melting wink. "But we're all okay, so let's just count ourselves lucky.”
"Yeah," I murmur, closing my eyes and leaning against Tristan. "Let's do that.”
"We can't," Tristan replies. "Everyone in the city will be talking about this come tomorrow morning. They'll all know you're back in town, Theo, and who knows how the DiMarco family will spin this?" He groans in frustration, slamming his head against the back of the seat. "Fuck, this is all my fault.”
"Hey." I reach up to make him look at me, running my fingers over his chiseled jaw. “You guys are okay. I'm okay. That’s all that matters right now. I promise.”
This seems to placate him, and he takes my hand in his, our fingers entwining. The rest of the drive is silent, and as Liam steers us into the parking lot of the inn, it occurs to me that this is exactly what the guys have been preparing me for. They may not have anticipated falling for me, but that doesn’t change the fact that returning to London was always going to end in bloodshed.
And if I don't have the stomach to fight off Sienna DiMarco without fainting, how am I supposed to go up against my own husband?
As I'm getting out of the car, ready to take the world's longest shower, Theo's cell phone starts to ring. "Hang on, guys," he says. "I need to take this." He walks a few feet away, eyeing his phone.
"Who was it?" I ask when he ends the call, noticing a strange look on his face.
"It was your father," Theo replies, his expression unreadable. "He's gotten us a meeting with Lucas and my old man."
ChapterForty-Six
The trip back to Sterling's suburban estate the following night feels like the longest drive of my life. I'm exhausted, but filled with a mounting sense of dread at the same time, and as I sit between the guys in the back of the limo, it's all I can do to keep quiet and try to make sense of the whirlwind of thoughts running through my head.
"You okay, Vivi?" Liam asks, touching my shoulder.
I take a deep breath, trying to push the anxiety back down. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just..." I swallow. "I have a bad feeling about this.”
"So do I," Theo replies, "but this is the closest we'll ever get to a peace talk. We have to take advantage of the opportunity. We’ll take care of Lucas once he’s no longer a threat.”
His voice is hard and cold, and I can't help but remember the time he pulled a gun on the man who tried to attack me when I was out partying with Callie, the look of ruthless calculation on his face. That look is back now, and as I look from Liam to Tristan, I notice that each of them is wearing a similar expression. I don't know how to go cold like that. I don't know how to raise myself to the occasion, to be ready to fight, to kill, to die for the men I love. I just don'tknow how... and I wish I had the courage to tell them.
But there's no way I can say that out loud, not when I'm staring down the possibility ofnegotiatingwith the man who's made my life a living hell ever since I walked down the aisle.
Craig Sterling opens the front door before we can knock, looks me over, and says, "Well, at least you're not filthy this time. That's a step in the right direction.”
"Nice to see you too," I quip, unable to help myself even in the throes of my nerves.
"Best watch the attitude, Emmerico," my former boss tells me. "You owe me. I'm still trying to get the mud out of the upstairs carpets.”
“Is my father already here?" Theo asks, his tone businesslike.
"In the library, along with Andrew Dalton,” Sterling replies. "Your brother hasn't shown his face yet. I've got to give the bastard credit for audacity.”
