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There it is. The age-old issue. Pride. Coming to life in its worst form.
“Do you think I’m not enough and that’s why Evie needs the three of us?”
He takes a minute to think about that. “No.”
“Then you see why she needs all of us, right? You see that she doesn’t have to split her heart into three pieces for us. All of us get the whole thing. And in turn, we help make her feel whole.”
I can see when it starts to make sense to him. He’s not all on board but his hackles aren’t raised in attack mode anymore. I stand up to leave, knowing my job here is done. He has the information he needs. Now it’s time for him to decide the kind of man he wants to be.
I just hope for his sake…he makes the right choice.
???
Laney
Arrow: I’m so sorry for hurting you, Kitten. It won’t happen again. I need some time to figure out what to do. For now, know that I care about you, and you did nothing wrong. I’ll find a way to make this all up to you.
As I read the message aloud to Evie, my heart begins to ache. In just one night, everything changed. Havoc messaged me last night to check in after Damien told him I was upset. I adore the man for intervening, but I also hate that I couldn’t handle it all on my own.
“Well, he’s right to apologize, although I’m not sure how he can make anything up to you. Short of having a threesome with Havoc, I don’t see how anything will be enough.”
I laugh as I shove her because laughing is better than crying at this point. It’s only been a day since everything happened, but I feel like it’s been a week from how sore my body is from all the tears and angry pillow launching.
Evie sat with me through all of it, but now it’s time to face the day. I’m not one to hide away from my problems, so for now, I plan to just be cordial with Arrow until he makes a decision. Evie and my mother made it clear it’s not fair for me to accept anything less than what I want, so I’m not going to. Until Arrow can figure his shit out, I can’t be with him.
It doesn’t make it hurt any less though.
Havoc: Good morning, my unicorn. Have an amazing day. Can’t stop thinking about you.
I get out of bed with a smile on my face. He told me he was coming out here in a few weeks and couldn't wait to see me. I’ve only kissed the guy once, but I can’t help feeling this pull to him. He may be old enough to be my father, at least I think he is, but I can’t help how I feel despite that.
Not only is he crazy fit, but he makes my body come alive in a way I never expected. I was never trained in combat because my role was always to look small and weak. If I looked vulnerable, then people wouldn’t take me seriously. If no one took me seriously, then I could get away with being privy to all sorts of information. They don't think I can speak seven languages. Everyone just assumes the hair and clothes are all I care about at the end of the day.
The dumb blonde act I put on as I got older only helped my position. I was able to go undercover at just sixteen to help my father steal back hundreds of acres of land, and the look just stuck.
It didn’t hurt that I loved makeup and playing the part. I did excel in drama and arts classes, always able to jump into a new scene as someone totally different than before. It’s always thrilling to create a new character to match the plot.
It was weird though. When it came to Havoc and Arrow, I didn’t feel like I needed to pretend. Even if Arrow is being an ass, I don’t feel like I need to pretend or fake anything just to get him to come back to me faster. If he wants to be by my side, the man has to earn it. And the only man earning my attention right now…is Havoc.
Laney: Hope you have a good day too. I can’t wait to see you soon. x
Chapter 43
We have been planning everything in the three months since we got back to the island and it’s all starting to feel complete. Evie and I meet at a room in the library twice a week in place of class to work on some coding and hacking as we discuss the way The Shades communicate when going in on a big job.
“I didn’t get along well with others, so I didn’t go on many group outings,” she says, leaning over her computer. Now that we have an offical layout of the airport, we're working on plotting potential movements and ways to counter them.
“You? Not getting along with others? I can’t imagine it.”
She laughs and I sit back smiling. I love getting to see her like this. She’s in her element. If this woman had an army to command, there would be no stopping her. It’s as beautiful as it is terrifying.
“I know right? I’m very friendly and agreeable.” She can hardly get the words out without giggling, causing me to snort at her.
We talk about the code names The Shades use. My plan is to memorize them as soon as I can hack into their comms and use it against them to move them around and get them to attack each other. They should already be assuming we will have ops on the ground, especially with the amount of illegal shit we are planning to transfer. So we have to be ready to deal with an army.
We will rig smoke bombs that I will trigger based on movements, making it hard to tell the enemy apart from their own men. Not only will it make them hesitate, but it will also help keep them unfocused while we direct them to where Arrow and Laney can pick them off.
Hours later, I can see the sun setting out the window. Evie doesn’t seem to notice, but I’ve seen her nervous to go to sleep lately. She will stay downstairs and clean the dishes two times if she has to. Sometimes, she and Damien don’t get back from the gym until the middle of the night, and she only seems ready to go to bed when her eyes can’t stay open any longer.
