AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hadn’t come here for her. I'd come to piss off Finley Salvatore, to put a fucking pin in his bright red balloon and watch him flounder all over the damn place. I came here because Dad wanted me out of the damn way. He wanted me somewhere I could be protected because it seemed like I couldn’t be protected at home.
Not anymore.
I washed and scrubbed, leaning my head back under the searing spray and felt that ache in my gut. The one that told me something was coming, something dark and dangerous, something out of my control. I hit the spray and stepped out, hearing a faintthudin the apartment below.
We all felt it.
The storm bearing down on us.
It made us all on fucking edge.
I yanked on jeans and a t-shit before stepping into boots. My phone gave abeep,right on goddamn time.
Logan: Breakfast is ready. Get your ass down here.
I just chuckled and snatched my card, slipped it into my pocket, and headed downstairs. The moment the elevator doors opened, I smelled the heady scent of bacon and eggs mingled with the sharp tang of coffee. My stomach gave a growl as I strode into the apartment, meeting Freddy’s gaze before he gave a jerk of his head.
A plate piled with food waited for me. That was one thing I loved about living with these guys, there was never any shortage of food. Logan lifted his gaze to me from behind the screen of the laptop. “Seems the storm hit hard last night.”
I gave a nod, grabbed the fork beside the plate, and stabbed a thick slab of bacon before shoving it into my mouth.
“And there’s talk of a boat off the coast again,” he continued.
I stopped mid-chew, then proceeded slowly, my mind racing, taking me back to the night Baldeon was murdered, the night I saw two figures race toward the shore…and did nothing about it. Guilt welled inside me. “Did they find anyone?”
There was a shake of his head. “But we’re not taking chances, not where you’re concerned.”
“You don’t think they’d make another attack, do you?” I swallowed, suddenly not hungry any more.
“With all the increased security around the island, they’d be crazy to try. But even with unconfirmed reports of another boat off the coast, we can’t take that chance. Which is why one of us will be around you twenty-four-seven.”
“You mean,“ I stabbed a piece of egg. “One of you ugly fuckers is gonna watch me sleep?”
“Yep.” Freddy just grinned. “One of our faces is gonna be the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night.”
“Now that’s a chilling fucking thought right there,” I muttered with a mouthful of food.
Suddenly the laughter died in his eyes as he stared at me, then turned away. Was he imagining my face instead of Baldeon’s? ‘Cause I did, every fucking day. I glanced away, shoved the rest of the food into my mouth, and stacked the plate into the dishwasher.
Every apartment came with its own maid and chef service. But fucked if I was going to let someone clean up after me. I wasn’t prissy, unlike Finley Salvatore. Speaking of…the bastard had been unnaturally quiet.
Word was pretty-boy Kilpatrick had a hard-on for me and the stupid fucking initiation was doing the rounds. But some took it way too far. Some, like Kilpatrick, used it as a way to exact justice, or revenge.
The only problem was…I hadn’t done a fucking thing,except beat a man until he lost consciousness.But we all knew what fucking side the Kilpatricks and the Bernardis stood on. We all knew when it came to loyalty, Stidda were on their own. Which is why I'd never wanted to come to this place.
Kat’s face filled my mind as I straightened and turned to the others. If I hadn’t come, then I wouldn’t have met someone like her. Someone who affected me far more than a woman should.
“I’m going to see Kilpatrick,” I announced.
“You think that’s wise?” Logan asked, his brow rising.
“Is any decision I make wise?”
“He has a point,” Freddy agreed.
I just flipped the fucker the finger. “I want to put a damn end to this initiation shit once and for all. The last thing I need is to be watching my back for some idiot to play a goddamn prank.”
Logan just nodded. “Let me suit up and I’ll come with you.”
