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Sayinggoodbye to Nico and Dean was heartbreaking. They stayed for hours after dinner, and we talked about everything except Carmine and their crazy-ass scheme to kill him. It would have been sad to say goodbye anyway, but knowing the danger of their plans for the near future makes me feel like I can’t breathe.
Stepping up behind me, Xander wraps his arms around my waist and rests his head on my shoulder. “I’m worried about them too, but Zeke and West are the smartest men I know. They’ll be just fine.”
I lean back against his hard chest, wanting to believe him.
He tugs at the waistband of my jeans and nuzzles my neck. “You still wearing those sexy-as-fuck panties under here?”
“Yeah.”
“I almost passed out when I saw you standing there like that. For a second I forgot your brother and his friend were coming in right behind us.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be doing that again.”
“Oh, no, shorty.” He tugs open the button of my jeans. “We’ll never bring guests home again. Ever. You can walk around this apartment in your underwear whenever the hell you want.”
I let my head drop back against his shoulder, and he slides his hand into my panties.
“Are you two coming to bed?” West’s voice cuts through the quiet of the kitchen.
I sigh. I’m so mad at him and Zeke, but I don’t want to fight with them. Especially if… A sob wells in my throat.
“They’ll be fine,” Xander whispers. “We’ll be there in a minute,” he calls over his shoulder.
The guys are already under the covers by the time I’m done in the bathroom and ready to crawl into bed.
Xander pats the space between him and West. “Saved your spot, shorty.”
I climb over West, and he shuffles back, giving me space to slip under the covers.
Zeke props himself up on one elbow and peers at me over Xander’s shoulder. “Did you enjoy your surprise?”
“The part where my brother and Dean came to visit? Yes. The part where you and West have agreed to get yourselves killed? Not so much.”
Growling, West wraps his arm around me and pulls me close. The heat from his skin warms my core. “We’re doing this for you.”
“But I don’t want you to do it for me. I want you both to stay here, with me and Xander and our dogs, where we’re all safe.”
Xander laces his fingers through mine.
“And what if he finds out you’re still alive? How safe would we all be then?” West snaps.
I close my eyes as guilt rolls in the pit of my stomach. “I’m sorry for putting you all in danger.”
“No. You don’t get to do that, baby doll. We should have taken our revenge on your father a long time ago. We won’t walk away this time. You are not responsible for him being the man he is, but there’s not a chance in hell that we’ll let you spend another day of your life living in fear because of him.” He reaches over Xander and cups my chin. “Do you understand me?”
I nod.
His scowl tells me he doesn’t quite buy my compliance, but then his face softens. “Good.” He lies back down and scoots forward, pushing Xander closer to me. His leg drapes over the two of us, and Xander wraps an arm around my waist, just below West’s bicep. West burrows his face into my neck, and we lie in the darkness, a sea of bodies and limbs all fused together like one.
West is right—if Carmine finds out I’m alive, none of us will be safe. He’ll assume that their importance in my life means they know the whole truth too, and that puts them in more danger than they realize. I’m the one responsible for this mess. I need to be the one to fix it.
* * *
I wake earlythe next morning to the sound of Snowflake’s soft snores. He and Stella are supposed to sleep in the den, but he sneaks in here in the middle of the night and curls up next to the laundry hamper, and occasionally in it.
“You need to go out, boy?” The reliable little pup lets out an excited bark.
“It’s too early, Snowy,” Xander grumbles.
