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“Could it be Uncle Dean’s sons?” I ask. “They have the most ammo. We killed their father right in front of them.”
My brothers lift their brows, their eyes wide as they think about that. Could it be them? Our cousins aren’t really the type to go against the director, our father, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t.
Uncle Dean himself fucked up to the point where he got himself taken out by the family, and he’s not the first one to do that, either. Then there’s the fact that I had to take out my own aunt, and if I were my cousins, I would be fucking pissed about that. Not that anyone told them, but it’s not like it is hard to figure out. So I shouldn’t be surprised, and I’m not.
But I don’t believe it’s them, at least without further investigating. “Let’s just keep this between us,” I offer.
Neither of them comments on whether they think it could be our cousins or not. And to be fair, every single member of the family is family, and we’ve had to take care of members more than once due to betrayal.
“Between us, and also, ears and eyes open,” Wells states.
I lift my glass and hold it out. Wells and Hendrick do the same, and we clink glasses. “Between us,” they say in unison.
No matter what, I know that, irrevocably, these men have my back, always. Nothing, nobody, not a fucking thing could break the bond I have with my brothers. Not even Hendrick doing some stupid shit like trying to catch a thrill by paying to fuck a kidnapped enslaved woman. Even though that fucking bullshit made me want to beat the ever-living fuck out of him.
We finish our dinner and drinks, although I’m not really present. All I can think about is Claire. She’s here in Dallas, staying at the Rosewood Mansions. I already know exactly which room is hers, and I have a key considering I booked it for her and Hendrick was the one who took her to the hotel under the guise of a driver.
“You good?” Hendrick asks, taking me out of my thoughts.
I lift my eyes, my gaze finding his. “Yeah, just thinking,” I murmur.
Hendrick laughs. “She’s beautiful,” he says.
My brows knit together, and I lean back in my seat. “I know.” I wonder why he’s saying this shit to me. He looked at her, which instantly makes me want to choke him from across the table.
He keeps his lips turned up into a grin, his eyes searching mine. “I know she’s yours,” he says. “But she’s beautiful. You know I like blondes.”
“How is Allison?” I ask.
He lifts his hand and flips me off, laughing as he does. The rest of the dinner, our conversation shifts to bachelor parties and what to do. Neither Wells nor I am really thinking about strippers.
We’ve had parties with women before that would probably put most bachelor parties to shame. I’m not sure that we even need todoanything, but Hendrick insists we both need to figure something out because it would be breaking tradition if we didn’t. Perhaps even a joint thing.
I vote for a weekend at a house on the lake, maybe some poker, some skiing, and just relaxing with us and our cousins. Hendrick rolls his eyes, obviously not intrigued by the idea, but I can tell Wells thinks it’s plausible.
CLAIRE
The hotel is nice.Like,reallynice. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t anything quite like this. It’s one huge house or condo almost. There are rooms on one side, a dining room, a kitchen, and a living room, then another room on the other side, which is clearly the master suite.
My parents naturally move toward the master suite, and I let them have it, mainly because they would probably cause a big stink if I didn’t, and it’s not worth the fight. Thankfully, with the three other bedrooms, my brothers decide to share a room, leaving my sister and me to our own spaces.
Locking the door to my room, I let out a breath, closing my eyes for a moment before I begin to unpack my things. It doesn’t take me long. My small backpack isn’t big enough to hold much, and while I know that my things are here in Dallas with Coleman, I have no idea where they are exactly.
I should probably ask, but I don’t care, and I’m kind of hoping that I can get out of here before I find out. These people can keep it all. If it means my freedom, I don’t care one little bit. Stuff doesn’t mean much, but freedom means everything.
Once everything from my backpack is placed in the dresser drawers, I decide to take a shower. I walk into my en suite and find the bathtub, and my bones ache to be inside the warm water.
Looking over my shoulder at the closed and locked bedroom door, I wonder how much time I have before I’m supposed to meet with my new family. How much time do I have before I blow this whole lie out of the water?
I’m no longer the pure virgin they ordered, and I’m ready to walk away… no, run. I’m ready to run away as far and fast as I can. Sucking in a deep breath, I start running the water in the bathtub and decide that one last bath won’t hurt.
I stare at the empty tub as the water slowly rises. It’s probably too hot, but I don’t care. Stripping out of my clothes, I sink down in the two inches of water, closing my eyes and leaning backward as the hot water washes over my skin.
Slowly, the tub fills with clear water, and when it’s close to spilling over the edge, only then do I sit up and turn it off. I lean back again, close my eyes, and just relax. I’m not sure how long I stay in the tub, but when the water goes cold and I begin to shiver, I decide to climb out.
I find it odd that nobody in my family has knocked on the door to tell me it’s time to leave, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll get ready and go when it’s time. Who knows what these people are doing anyway? It’s not like anyone has been very forthcoming, or maybe they just aren’t with me.
Rummaging through my drawers, I realize I have nothing in here that is appropriate for meeting my new in-laws. I have leggings, oversized T-shirts, and cotton shorts to sleep in with spaghetti-strap tanks.
