Chapter 27
DEATH THREATS MAKE HIM GO ALL PROTECTIVE, AND I’M TRYING TO NOT FIND IT ATTRACTIVE. #MIXEDPRIORITIES
DAKOTA
Ryker’s hand gripped my shoulder. “I’ll make some calls and figure out what’s going on, okay?”
“Please don’t tell Knox about this.” My stare was undoubtedly pleading.
Ryker exchanged a look with Axel, but after a few seconds, he pressed his lips together and nodded. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
We sat in Axel’s living room, which had once again descended into chaos with all of his found family.
Blake stood against the opposite wall, his arm draped around Tessa.
Jace lounged by the window, his hand possessively resting on Scarlett’s hip.
Axel paced like a caged panther, fresh scotch in hand, his shirtsleeves rolled up to expose those annoyingly distracting forearms. Ryker sat beside me, and Faith perched on the chair to my right.
At a time like this, it was really nice to have friends that were like family. People who would drop everything and rush over at the whisper of a problem. It made everything feel less terrifying.
“Maybe we’re jumping to conclusions?” I suggested, voice pitched higher than I’d like. “I mean, our romance went public, so maybe this is some creepy fan or something?”
The guys exchanged one of those loaded male looks.
Okaaayyy, we’ll file that under Not Reassuring.
“I’ve had some followers that are … overly enthusiastic,” I admitted. And that was putting it kindly. “If I’m being honest, I do get some creep vibes from followers sometimes.”
A fresh look of alarm washed over Axel’s face. “Anyone in particular?”
“There’s this one girl, BlushBabe123, that is always the first to comment on my posts. At first, I was thrilled because it helps the algorithms, but over time, I couldn’t help but wonder how she has that much time to invest in one influencer. And her comments are …” I wobbled my head. “Overeager.”
Axel shot a glare to Ryker, who seemed to digest this possibility.
“Maybe she did this. Or some other follower.” Maybe it wasn’t the Romano crime family, who knew how to tie concrete anchors to your feet.
“It’s possible,” Ryker said, but his tone suggested he thought unicorns were more likely. “Have you ever had a fan send you something like this before?”
“Follower,” I corrected. “And no.”
“Has she or anyone else threatened you in any way?”
“Well … no.”
“Nothing’s impossible.” Ryker was careful with his words and even more careful with his tone. “But this is anger. Not adoration.”
Fair … but where does the life of an obsessed stalker begin?
“Crime families tend to have a flair for dramatics,” Ryker added. “Black roses have surfaced in some of their activities before.”
Activities. Right. Because murders would’ve been too harsh of a word for polite company.
“So, you honestly think the Romano family is going to come after Axel and me?” I asked.
Was I in denial, thinking that was overkill?
Ugh. No pun intended.
“Let’s just take this one step at a time.” Ryker’s lawyer voice kicked in.
It dawned on me that Ryker was pretty damn good in a crisis.
It also dawned on me that while his primary reason for being here had been to see the message and roses with his own eyes, to reconcile them against organized crime cases he’d worked in the past, he’d quickly developed a secondary purpose: his attention sweeping over Faith like she was a beacon of light in a room of darkness.
If Faith realized he was staring, she gave no indication. But I noticed. Hard not to when the man looked like he’d been struck by lightning.
Even with everything we were going through, I couldn’t help but feel joy, watching my brother’s friends find happiness, one by one.
Which made me wonder. Why hadn’t Ryker found it yet?
The guy was selfless to a fault. He stood by Knox’s side, spent God knows how many hours each year working on Knox’s parole hearings, probably sacrificing his nights and weekends, and he never so much as asked for a thank-you.
What if all those hours had been stealing him away from having a life of his own?
“I think it might be best if you guys stay here, stay inside, until I can figure out what’s going on,” Ryker added, his protective hand finding my shoulder again.
“I can’t stay inside.” The words tumbled out. “I have to meet with folks from my brand deal, and I have weekly dinners with my parents.”
“Can’t you reschedule?” Jace suggested.
“To when?” When would this be over? “When the crime family decides they’re done sending us horticultural threats?”
Axel’s attention laser-focused on me. “Maybe you can meet with your brand people here.”
I blinked. “You never let anyone in your penthouse.” I gestured around at the room currently full of people. “Except for close friends.”
“For your safety, I’ll happily make an exception.” His stare deepened, voice dropping. For a moment, everyone else fell away, and it felt like Axel would bend every one of his sacred rules just to keep me safe.
“As for your family,” he continued gently, “I’m sure they could understand you missing one dinner.”
My shoulders shrank. “I can miss one dinner, but I can’t miss them in perpetuity. My dad and I need to tackle his broken bathroom faucet. It’s been on the schedule for weeks. If we don’t fix it, we’ll get behind on fixing the drain, and then that’ll put us behind on the next project.”
Everyone exchanged glances. Great. Now I sound like a crazy person with a home-repair obsession.
“My parents’ house has seen better days,” I explained. “That’s why I have to meet with this brand agency. The deal isn’t for me; it’s for my parents. They spent a fortune on lawyers, trying to get appeals.” Before Ryker eventually took over.
Jace looked genuinely shocked. Having inherited a fortune, he’d generously funded the original lawyers for Knox’s trial.
But clearly, Knox had never told him about the lawyers that came after.
How could he? Mom and Dad had kept most of that from Knox, too, and I could only assume if Ryker knew from court records or something, he kept it to himself on the grounds of attorney-client confidentiality.
Besides, by the time Ryker had become my brother’s lawyer, those sharks who’d siphoned the funds were long gone, so Ryker telling everyone my parents had been taken for a ride would have done nothing but embarrass them.
Axel, on the other hand, was clearly surprised by this. His brows furrowed. “Knox pled guilty. There’d be no need for lawyers after that.”
“I know.” The words tasted like scam artists.
“I think my parents were in denial. And unfortunately, when desperate people ask for help, even if that help is doomed, there are still people out there who are willing to take their money. My parents got taken advantage of. People took their savings, but of course there was no shot of getting Knox out of prison. Now their house is falling apart.” And they might lose it. But I kept that fun fact to myself.
Looks were exchanged around the room.
“Let me make some calls,” Jace said, already reaching for his phone. “I know great contractors.”
“Hello? I’m in construction; I can organize a crew,” Axel added.
I held up my palm. “I appreciate it, but my dad is nothing if not stubbornly independent. My parents grew up doing everything themselves, and they will not accept a handout from anyone. A daughter coming over to get her hands dirty is one thing. But some wealthy guy sending an army of contractors?” I shook my head.
“He won’t even let them past the front door.
But seriously, thank you. It means the world. ”
Poor Jace looked like I’d just told him his credit cards had been canceled. This was what he was used to: fixing things with a phone call. And I was crippling his superpower.
“Okay, here’s what I’m going to do,” Jace said, already typing.
“I’ve got a bodyguard who can be discreet.
He can follow you from a distance. It’s not ideal.
I’d rather put you in a suit of armor or lock you in a tower, but it’s better than you guys being alone.
Plus, we need to document everything. Every moment you two are together needs to be photographed and posted.
The more viral you become, the safer you are. ”
I could have argued. The independent-to-a-fault gene ran strong in our family. But the truth was, those flowers did scare me. Just a little.
And that didn’t make me weak, thank you very much. It made me aware, the same way an animal was aware there was a lion nearby.
“Maybe we should postpone the wedding,” Tessa suggested quietly.
She and Blake were engaged, with their wedding coming up fast.
“You’re absolutely not doing that,” I declared, pointing at her for emphasis.
“Why are you guys getting married so quickly again?” Jace smirked, earning a death glare from Blake.
“Because we’re madly in love and want to start our life together,” Blake said through gritted teeth.
“You’re a wedding planner,” Scarlett said to Tessa. “Don’t you want the wedding of the century?”
“I already have the wedding of the century.” Tessa looked at Blake like he was a hero, walking away from an explosion in slow motion. “Because I’m marrying him.”
Axel made a gagging sound. “I will never get used to seeing Blake all lovey-dovey. I miss his grumpy, brooding ass. You’re changing him for the worse, Tessa.”
She beamed, and Blake glowered at Jace. “What are you smiling about? You’re turning all goofy too, cowboy.”
“He only goes riding with me occasionally.” Scarlett laced her fingers through Jace’s.
“Still.” Axel shook his head. “Seeing Jace Lockwood on a horse … it’s massively disturbing.”
“You’ll see,” Jace said, making googly eyes at Scarlett. “When you fall in love, it softens you. For the better.”
Both Blake and Jace looked directly at me. Oh, hell no.
Did everyone here think Axel and I were destined to wind up together? Did they miss the memo about our relationship being built on hostility and prank wars?