Chapter 19 #3
Annabelle is talking Levi’s ear off, her eyes wide with excitement as she gestures animatedly, sitting beside him on the couch.
Levi listens, nodding along, clearly amused, but when he sees us, he jumps up from the couch, giving Annabelle a smile.
“Thank you for your hospitality, and I can’t wait to see you and your boyfriend at one of our shows. ”
“Bye!” Annabelle chuckles, waving at them. “And I’ll hold you to that!”
Koen nudges me out the door, and I glance back at Annabelle, who’s practically glowing while she pulls out her phone.
Good thing I know she can keep shit to herself.
“You know you have to follow through with that, or I’m going to castrate you for disappointing her,” I mutter to Levi as we walk out.
Levi laughs, his eyes twinkling. “Don’t worry, Little Bird. If we ever step up on that stage again, she’ll be sitting front row.”
Right. They stopped doing shows after their uncle died.
Ugh… I’m a horrible person.
My phone buzzes, and I pull it out to see a text from Annabelle.
Belle
You and Koen Lane???
I sigh and feel eyes on me, so I glance at Koen while slipping my phone back into my pocket. His gaze is forward, but amusement dances in his expression.
Not wanting to entertain that conversation, I ask, “So, why do I need a dress?”
“Because you proved yourself,” Koen says matter-of-factly. “And what we need your help with is going down tomorrow evening.”
“I didn’t steal the car,” I point out, frowning.
“You don’t have to,” Koen replies. “Even Alaric sees that now.”
Alaric? Is that Captain Bossy’s name?
“You need me that bad, huh?” I huff.
“We do,” Levi joins in, tapping my nose. “But you’re also fucking good at what you’re doing.”
“Yeah, you’re impressive.” Koen nods along.
Okaaay?
We exit the building, and there’s a classic golden Ford Bronco parked in front of it. It’s beautiful, gleaming in the sunlight.
Right. We have to drive there.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I don’t care what the Uber drivers think when I roll into a ball on their back seat, they’re used to my shit by now, but the realization hits me.
I care what these two think.
I have to get over that quickly, though, because there’s no way I’m not going with them, and at the same time, no way I’ll get through it while keeping my pride intact.
“You okay?” Koen asks, his gaze sharp as he notices my new tension.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take the back. I know it’s cramped,” Levi tries to reassure me, opening the door and pulling forward the passenger seat to slide into the back seat, but I reach out to grab his shoulder and stop him.
“No, can I?” I almost beg. Levi looks back at me, puzzled. “Please?” I beg, after all.
Levi scrunches up his brow but steps aside. “Sure.”
“How long is the drive?” I’m shaking, and I have no idea if I can do this.
“Twenty minutes, maybe? I don’t know.” Koen frowns, his eyes studying my face. “You okay?”
“Sure,” I whisper, forcing myself into the car.
I slide into the back seat, curling up sideways with my back pressed against the side of the car. At least the leather feels cool. Levi and Koen get in, Koen taking the driver’s seat.
“Pull on your seat belt,” he commands, glancing at me through the rearview mirror.
“Sure,” I fumble with the belt, my hands trembling as I try to latch it.
The buckle slips from my grasp, and I take a deep breath, forcing myself to focus.
I don’t want to look at them, don’t want them to see how much I’m struggling, but I know they already do.
I can practically feel how Koen’s gaze in the mirror doesn’t leave me, watching as I fight the panic crawling under my skin.
Finally, I manage to snap the seat belt into place, but the pressure around my chest doesn’t ease. The engine roars to life, and I close my eyes, gripping the edge of the seat, feeling the vibration of the car beneath me. My breaths come in short, ragged bursts, and every nerve feels raw, exposed.
Levi starts talking, but I can’t make out the words. It’s all a blur, the sound of the engine, the motion of the car, it’s too much.
The next moment, the engine sound that’s so loud in my ears gets replaced by music.
Country?
Just as quickly as it was turned on, the volume lowers, and then a warm hand lands on my bare ankle.
The touch grounds me in a way I didn’t expect.
My eyes snap open, and I see it’s Koen who has reached back, his fingers squeezing my ankle before stroking the skin softly.
His calmness seems to seep through, and even though I want to protest that he’s touching me, I can’t.
“You’re safe,” he assures me. “I’m a good driver.”
I swallow hard, my throat dry, but the panic loosens a little. “You should keep both hands on the wheel,” I manage to whisper, though the soothing circles his thumb traces on my ankle are helping to redirect the panic.
Koen gives me a crooked smile, his eyes flicking back to the road. “If I’m driving with one hand, you’re fine.” The corners of his mouth lift into a small smile. “You can start to worry if I need to use both.”
I let out a shaky breath, focusing on the warmth of his touch, pulling me away from the whirlwind of fear.
Levi chuckles from the passenger seat, the sound breaking through the tension.
“Ko hasn’t had a single accident or even put a dent in a car,” he shares.
“Unlike me. He’s a damn good driver. Been into cars ever since we were kids.
He used to race them and got his license taken away more times than I can count. I had to lend him mine half the time.”
Koen laughs, and it sounds less restrained than usual. “Perks of being a twin.”
“Yeah, pity you can’t do that anymore. You’d have to get some piercings and dye your hair blond.” I can hear the grin in Levi’s voice. “And don’t forget the overall sparkle and shine you’re lacking.”
“The word you’re looking for is extra, Dove. I could never be as extra as you,” Koen teases, and the love he feels for his twin is obvious.
“You’re just jealous.” Levi fake pouts, then smiles. “You have other qualities, though.”
This is so natural to witness them like this. Not like in the interviews and on the billboards. Just two brothers bickering, loving each other, even if they’re like day and night.
The same as Rosalee and me.
My breathing slows, though my fingers are still gripping the seat as if I’m holding on for dear life, but the weight of their presence, the easy way they talk, is enough to keep the panic from swallowing me whole.
For now.
Talking helps. I need to keep them talking.
“You said the dress is for tomorrow night?” I ask quietly.
“Yes,” Koen replies, squeezing my ankle once more.
“I work Saturdays,” I murmur. My schedule comes out almost like an excuse. “They’re the busiest.”
“Is that so?” Levi turns to look at me. “What do you usually make on a Saturday night?”
I frown, not sure where this is going. “Why?”
Levi and Koen exchange a look, then answer in perfect unison, “We’ll double it.”
I blink. “You’re serious?”
Koen nods. “You’re with us tomorrow.”
His tone makes it seem as if it’s a fact, not a request, and part of me isn’t sure how I feel about that.
“Okay, so… what is this tomorrow?” I ask again, feeling my curiosity start to outweigh the tension.
“Our thirtieth birthday.” Levi is practically bouncing in his seat. His energy is contagious, and despite myself, the corner of my mouth quirks up.
“Okay, that’s… nice, but what does it have to do with me?”
“First, you’re our guest,” Levi says, grinning.
“And second, we’re throwing the party at the Lane Building in the museum section.
There will be a lot of eyes on us. We need you to steal something, make a quick switch, and charm someone.
Wrap him around your finger. It should be easy for you, especially once we pick out the perfect dress to show off how stunning you are. ”
His words hang in the air, and I let out a breath, trying to absorb it all. Stealing something, making a switch, charming someone… none of this is new to me. I’ve been playing this game for years.
Am I really up for this?
“So, that’s what these tests were about?” I ask. “To see if I can pull this off?”
“Yep.” Koen nods curtly. “And don’t tell me you can’t do it. I watched you do it all with so much ease, and it was honestly a treat to witness.”
Okay, I can do this. But there’s more on the line now, more people involved. The stakes are higher.
It’s your way out of here, Nova.
“And after that,” I press, my tone hardening with resolve. “You’ll get me my new Mustang and my villa in Tuscany?”
God, that sounds surreal. A Mustang and a villa. Like a dream ripped straight from the pages of a life I don’t deserve.
“After… yes,” Levi confirms, though there’s hesitation in his voice.
Are they playing me? A part of me wonders if this is just a carrot dangled in front of me, a shiny promise they’ll pull away once I’ve done their dirty work.
No. This is more than a deal. It’s a lifeline. It has to be.
Koen glances back at me, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “Why do you want a Mustang if you don’t even like to drive in a car?”
Why do I want it?
The Mustang was my dream once. Before the crash, before everything fell apart, it was freedom. Speed. Power. A way to outrun everything we hated about the world. I wanted it so badly that I didn’t think twice about stealing one when Ace suggested it. God, I should’ve known better.
That car was supposed to be my escape. Instead, it became the cage that killed them.
Ace and Rosalee. Gone. Because of me.
So why the hell would I want a Mustang now?
Because it’s not just a car, it’s a promise. A way to take back what I lost.
It’s about facing the thing that broke me, taking it into my hands, and making it mine again.
It’s about proving to myself, more than anyone else, that I can live with the ghosts instead of letting them bury me.
I may never drive it. Hell, I might never even sit in it.
But I want to know it’s there, waiting—a symbol of what I’ve survived.
Maybe, deep down, it’s another way to keep them close.
None of it is something I can voice. He wouldn’t understand anyway. So, I cross my arms defensively, a small spark of annoyance flaring up. “Does it matter to you what I’ll do with something I earned by doing the job right?”
“Fair enough.” Koen’s lips twitch, almost like he’s trying not to laugh. “That’s none of my business.”
Huh.
“Look at that. Koen can stay in his Lane,” I mutter, making both of them laugh out loud, and a tingling feeling spreads in my chest that I try to instantly diffuse. “Looks like we can be friends after all.”
Koen glances back at me, his lips curling into a full smile, one that makes my heart flip just a little. “Looks like it.”
He turns his attention back to the road, and before I realize it, we’re pulling into a parking spot in front of a shop.
The building gleams under the sunlight, opulent chandeliers sparkle through the windows, gold accents glimmer at every corner, and the doorman is dressed in a suit that probably costs more than I make in a month.
It’s the kind of place where a dress costs as much as a car.
And I’m in sweats.
Perfect.
My heart races again, not from panic this time, but from the sheer weight of where I am.
Can I do this? Step into their world as if it’s mine too?
Steal. Charm. Perform.
I glance over at Koen and Levi, who are already unbuckling their seat belts. Their casual confidence feels like a safety net, but part of me wonders how long it’ll hold before I’m expected to stand on my own.
I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.
First, I need to find a dress that makes me look as expensive as the world I’m about to enter and not the stripper I am.