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I shook my head slowly. “I didn’t do anything, really.”
Yuri popped up behind me, throwing his arm around my shoulder. “Fine, I will take credit since I am her teacher.”
I startled hard, almost knocking James down as I threw myself against him. I thought James would go after Yuri but it was Jaime who shoved him away from me. His face was so intimidating and unlike Jaime that Yuri actually ran from him, sticking close to his brother.
Liam shook his head, ignoring them. They decided to move us to Mateo and Mariana’s house for a few nights so they could do repairs on the house. With windows smashed and holes in the main gate, they didn’t trust it to be safe enough. I was kind of hoping to go back to my apartment but James reminded me that it was still a mess and we would have to start working on it before we could stay there.
They all needed to work late to deal with the mess that Harrington and his crew left behind, so they sent us to Mateo’s house with Jaime and Yuri. Jo argued hard against it, bursting into tears at one point. She didn’t want to leave Liam. I didn’t want to go either but I didn’t have much room to argue. There wasn’t anything I could do here anyway and I didn’t want to get in the way. I made Liam promise that he’d make James rest though, much to James’s chagrin.
Jaime had to pull Jo away and sit with her in the back. She was normally so calm and collected that it felt awful to watch her sobbing in his arms. She didn’t stop until Mariana took over for Jaime. She pulled us both into a guest room and sat between us on the bed, listening to everything that happened from Jo. Once Jo fell asleep leaning against Mariana, I finally felt like I could breathe past the lump in my throat.
Mariana smiled softly at me. “She likes to pretend she’s tough like the guys but she’s a big softy. I would bet good money that she’ll be at the hospital tomorrow, visiting all the guys who got hurt to make sure they’re okay.”
I nodded. “She helped me without a second thought. She’s a good person. Makes you wonder how she ended up with the most dangerous man in the city.”
Mariana chuckled. “I know, right? But you’ve seen them together, they’re perfect for one another. She always says you have to go through something crazy to end up with guys like ours, but she never mentions that she will keep throwing herself into crazy situations just to stay by his side.”
* * *
We spenta good portion of the night talking. I like Mariana, she’s calm and level headed. I think she’d balance out Jo and Gabi’s penchant for mischief. Mariana told me a lot of stories of the adventures of those two together. Jo was by far the worst but Gabi came in a close second. I look forward to seeing what else they manage to get up to, though I don’t think I’ll participate if they actually go through with the street race they were planning outside the city. Apparently neither of them are good drivers and they are trying to prove a point the wrong way.
We stayed with Mariana and Mateo for a few days. I was a little braver since the attack and managed to come out of my room with James every day without freaking out. I was looking forward to today though. James was taking some time off so we could start working on fixing my apartment. I bounced on my toes, waiting impatiently for James to check in with Liam one last time.
“Jaaaames!” I whined.
I heard him chuckle, finally leaving the dining room that turned into a makeshift office for Liam.
“Alright, alright. I’m coming. I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry to clean, baby. It’s not like we’re going to a party.”
I made a face. “You wouldn’t catch me at a party. I’m tired of sleeping at other people’s houses. I want my space back. And you need to finally have somewhere you can relax. Sean told you to rest and you won’t sit still for more than a minute.”
James helped me into the SUV, not bothering to answer me. It was a daily argument now to get him to take a break. Sometimes I felt like he was doing it on purpose because the only way I could get him to sit still was by dragging him to the room and almost lying on top of him. He seemed way too pleased with the end result.
My dad met us outside my apartment, chuckling as I wrapped my good arm around him and leaned into him.
“I thought about making pirate jokes but your mother pointed out that pirates have one leg, not one arm, so it wouldn’t work.”
I stuck my tongue out at him. James shook his hand and they started to chit chat until I got annoyed.
“Chat later. Apartment now.”
I was honestly a little nervous to see the damage. Now that I had the full picture about the attack, I know how lucky I was to get away with little injury. At that point, James would’ve had no idea where to even start looking for me. My hands felt clammy as I unlocked the new door. I sucked in a breath, stepping inside.
“Welcome home, princess.”
ChapterThirty-Four
The apartment was immaculate.Most of the shelves were empty, which wasn’t surprising, but there wasn’t a mess or any damage in sight. I stepped slowly into the room, gaping.
“Your boyfriend called me a few days ago, said he wanted to surprise you by fixing the place up. I’m pretty sure your mother is already planning the wedding.”
My eyes went wide and I jerked around. Both men burst out laughing and I scowled at them. James walked up to me, pulling me into his arms.
“It’s not much, we need to replace a lot, but I know how bad you wanted to come home so when you got busy with Jo and Mariana, I took some time to deal with the mess.”
I hugged him tightly, tears slipping over my cheeks. “Thank you.”
My dad only stayed a little while. He had gotten here early to finish up a few things and wanted to see my reaction before heading home. He made us promise to visit soon, he already knew he’d never hear the end of it when my mom found out he was out here to see me without her. He clapped James on the back before heading out.
