Chapter 9
Julia
The second the men enter the bar, everything in my mind freezes.
They scan the bar, not just looking, but hunting for me.
My lungs stop working, my vision tunnels, and the noise in the bar dissolves to just static from the blood rushing in my ears.
“Princess… who are they?” Mikey asks, his voice so low it's dangerous.
I swallow hard, but my mouth is dry. My heart is trying to crawl up my throat.
“That’s… Reyes.”
I point with a shaking hand at the tall one in the center, the one with the silver hair and the tattoo on his neck.
“Santino Reyes. My father’s top enforcer.”
Mikey stiffens.
I lift my eyes to the man on the right, with a shaved head, a broken nose, and heavy arms.
“Marco Cruz,” I choke out. “He was my father’s collector.”
And finally, scar running from cheek to jaw, dead eyes, shoulders like a wall.
“And the last one is Luciano Vega. My father’s… cleanup guy. Where bodies went after punishments.”
My chest caves inward. I feel twelve years old again.
“They all used to work for my dad. They weren’t just guards. They were violent. Sadistic. They did whatever he told them to.”
My voice breaks.
“And if they’re here? It means someone sent them. It means I was followed.”
The three men keep looking around the room, and the longer I am in here, the sooner I will be found.
I look to Mikey, then to Kai, “I need to leave. Now.”
They both get out of their chairs, and Kai steps in front of me without any hesitation, blocking their line of sight with his entire body. His broad shoulders and tense posture make him look like he is ready to take on an army… for me…
Mikey slides to the other side of me and grabs the back of my hoodie, anchoring me to him. They are protective and possessive right now. Both are wearing a terrifyingly calm expression on their face.
“Julia,” Kai murmurs, never looking away from the men, “Look at me.”
I don’t look at him. I can’t. My eyes are glued on the man in the middle… the one who dragged me out of my room by my hair when I was twelve for my “disobedience.”
I choke on air.
“I need to leave,” I say again, more stern this time. “Now.”
Mikey doesn't ask any questions, just grabs my hand. “Come on.”
Kai takes the other, and suddenly, we’re moving through the bar so fast, everything blurs around me.
We pass the tables, the bar top, and Mel, who takes a look at our faces and doesn't ask a single thing.
“Kai, back door,” she calls. “It jams. Kick hard.”
We push through the swinging kitchen door. My senses are overpowered by the smell of grease and bleach, and it makes my lungs ache. My legs stumble, but the twins’ hands keep me upright.
Mikey glances over his shoulder. “They’re not following. Yet.”
Yet… that word nearly makes me vomit.
Kai walks in front of us, reaching the back exit, and kicks the metal bar so hard the whole frame rattles. It sticks, as Mel said. He growls and kicks again. This time, the door slams open into the alley.
The cold air hits my face like a slap, and emotions flood me.
Mikey checks the alley first, making sure no one is waiting, then pushes me ahead of him and shields my back. His hand never leaves me.
“Kai, truck?” Mikey asks.
“Across the lot.”
We move fast across the cracked pavement. My breath is ragged and coming out in pants. It looks like I am smoking with how cold the air is. My chest burns, and my legs are barely keeping up. Fuck these heels.
My fear rolls through my head.
You should’ve never believed you could start over.
The moment we reach Kai’s truck, he yanks open the back door.
“Up,” He commands. His tone is sharp and should frighten me, but it doesn’t. At this moment, it actually steadies me.
I climb in with shaky hands, and Mikey gets in right beside me, sliding to the middle seat.
Kai slams the driver's door shut, locks everything, and fires the engine to life. The roar of it drowns out the sound of my heartbeat.
“Buckle,” Kai says.
I fumble with my seatbelt, and then Mikey’s hands are suddenly there, fastening the seatbelt for me. His fingers brush my hip, and I can feel the tremble in them.
Kai pulls out of the parking lot, tires squealing.
When the bar disappears behind us, I finally let out a broken and shaky exhale.
Mikey takes my hand and squeezes it hard. “Hey. You’re okay. We’ve got you.”
But he doesn’t understand.
I’m not okay, not even close.
We continue down the road, and the truck gets warm, almost too warm. I'm not sure if it's the adrenaline or the twins. It might just be both.
Mikey hasn’t let go of my hand. He’s holding it like it's the only thing keeping him sane.
Kai’s jaw is clenched, and his knuckles are white, holding the steering wheel. He hasn’t said a single word since we left the bar, and the silence is suffocating.
The city lights blur past the window, streaks of neon and orange, as the panic races through me.
Finally, Mikey breaks the silence.
“Jules…” His voice is soft; you can hear the hurt in it. “ Who were they?”
My throat closes as I stare down at our joined hands. His thumb is brushing slow circles over my skin.
I swallow.
“I used to know them,” I whisper. “From... before.”
Kai’s voice cuts through the cab; it’s lethal. “From your father.” It’s not a question, but a statement so direct it could cut someone.
I nod, barely, and Mikey’s grip tightens like he wishes he could strangle the entire past out of existence.
“You tell me right now,” Kai growls, “are you in danger?”
The question detonates something inside of me.
“I don’t know,” I breathe. “Everything was fine for months. Then tonight… seeing them…” My voice cracks. “It felt like being twelve again.”
Mikey curses under his breath as Kai says nothing. And for a terrifying second, I think he’s angry with me.
Mikey suddenly snaps his gaze towards me. “Where the fuck is your security detail?
I blink at him, startled by the venom in his tone.
“What?”
“You had five men with you at the club,” His voice tight, “You had protection. Eyes everywhere. Why the hell were you at the game tonight with no one?”
“That’s…” My throat feels tight again. “That’s different.”
“Different how?” Kai demands. “Because it sure looked like you needed them tonight.”
My stomach twists, and shame burns under my ribs.
“I don’t want to live like that anymore,” I say quietly. “Always watched and controlled. I wanted a night without shadows following me.”
Mikey exhales shakily. “Julia… That’s slaughter waiting to happen.”
Kai mutters a curse so low it vibrates through the whole truck.
“If I had it my way, I wouldn't let you walk from your bedroom to the damn kitchen without someone watching your ass.”
Mikey shoots him a look, but doesn't argue.
I stare down at my hands. “I just want to feel normal,” I whisper.
Mikey squeezes my fingers. “You're not normal to us. You're everything.”
The words nearly undo me.
I look up at Kai and see his jaw flex, “They’re not touching you. Ever.”
Something twists in my chest, and I blink hard, staring out at the skyline. “ Why do you care so much? We barely know each other.”
Kai lets out a dark, humorless laugh. “Yeah. I noticed. Doesn’t change shit.”
Mikey turns my hand, intertwining our fingers together. “You don't get it yet, do you?”
“Get what?”
Kai glances at me through the mirror, his eyes burning into mine. “You’re ours.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, my breath stutters, and heat floods my neck.
I notice Mikey doesn't correct him; he just nods once. So slow and sure of himself. “Yeah. Ours.”
My pulse trips. “That’s… that’s not…”
Kai cuts me off. “Argue later. Not now.”
I open my mouth, ready to snap back, because how dare he say that to me, but then…
He reaches his hand back and rests it on my knee.
This is the first touch he’s given me since the alley, and it causes my whole body to go still.
“We’re taking you home,” he mutters. “Where you’re safe.”
The way he says home makes my heart twist painfully… Mine? Or theirs?
I don’t get a chance to ask, because suddenly we’re pulling into the underground garage of the Monroe penthouse tower.
The truck slows to a stop, and everything goes quiet.