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“Yeah. I just don’t need it spraying all over an open blaze,” I reply, then chuckle. “Or some other damn metaphor.”
Miles stands, and I notice the guy doesn’t look so great. Dark circles under his eyes, and he looks pale, too. “You holding up OK?” I ask.
He flinches. “What? Yeah, sure. Just… Hearing you were dead took a few years off my life, that’s all.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t warn you sooner,” I say.
“I get it,” he nods. “But Avery… She wasn’t impressed, to say the least.”
“Oh, she made that clear,” I say, recalling the absolute earful I got the other day when I came clean to her about faking my death. “My ears are still ringing. That girl has a mouth like a fucking sailor.”
“Yeah, she does,” Miles says with an affectionate smile.
I notice, but I let it slide. Something’s been brewing between the two of them for a while, but hell if I’m going to stick my nose in. They’ve both been loyal to me my whole life, and part of the reason I’m trying to take this organization legit is to protect them, too. Give them a shot at a decent life, away from all this violence.
“Let me know when you’re going to leak it, if you’re still standing,” Miles says, heading for the front door. “I can delay the stuff like probate and inheritance for a while longer, but somebody’s going to ask questions soon, and want to see a death certificate. Or a funeral.”
I nod. “Will do.”
“And, as your lawyer…” Miles pauses. “I suggest you have a damn good alibi tonight. Around eight.” He gives me a look.
Vance.
“You mean, better than being dead?” I give a hollow laugh. “Yeah, don’t worry. I’m not stepping foot outside this house just yet.”
“Good.”
Miles heads out, and as the door closes behind him, I hear Lily’s footsteps, light on the stairs. She’s barefoot in a sundress, her damp hair twisted up on the top of her head.
“Let me guess, we’re still on lockdown.” Stopping just a few feet away, she puts her hands on her hips, and the fire in her eyes makes me want to put her in her place. Preferably with a combination of punishment and mind-blowing pleasure. “How much longer are you going to keep me prisoner in this place? I’m missing my art classes,” she adds, a note of genuine hurt in her voice.
Damn, I forgot about those—and how much they mean to her. But I’m not risking her safety over a couple of classes.
“You can make up the credits,” I tell her, heading back towards my office.
She trails after me. “I’ll fail the semester.”
“So I’ll write a fucking check and they’ll pass you.”
“That’s your answer to everything, isn’t it?” Lily demands, and when I turn back, she’s standing there, cheeks flushed with anger. “Money—or a bullet.”
“Well, yeah,” I drawl, knowing it’ll get her even madder. “Tell me a problem I can’t solve with either of them. Or my cock,” I add. “That’s the solution you love best, isn’t it, Princess?”
She flushes deeper, looking just the way she did laying on that bed last night, grinding the pillows in search of release.
“To hell with your big plans, maybe you should just stay dead,” she tells me furiously. “Believe me, nobody will miss you.”
Whirling on her heel, she goes upstairs to her studio and slams the door behind her. I know she’s locked it behind her. Hell, I’d be surprised if she didn’t barricade it too, after the show she accidentally gave me last night.
I go pour a drink and swallow a couple of the painkillers the doctor gave me. I’m hiding it from my guys and Lily, but my body still aches from the explosion, reminding me just how close I came to death. How I made it out of there, I’m still not sure. I don’t remember what happened, just flashes of Lily, holding me close, screaming at me to hold on and keep breathing.
But that’s impossible, she wasn’t even there.
And she sure as hell wouldn’t have saved me if she had been, she’s made that perfectly clear.
So, I don’t know what I was seeing. My guardian angel, maybe. Keeping me from slipping away.
You should just stay dead…
