Chapter Twenty One
twenty-one
Warren
The drive to the compound is all aftermath and silence, my truck's engine whining against the grade like a heart refusing to quit. I keep one eye on the road and the other on Selena. I know that she’s pissed at me, and honestly, I can’t blame her, but she knows this is what we need to do.
Before we left her apartment, she packed a bag and told her friend Madison that she was heading home for a few days to visit with her mother. I gave her space and listened as she cried while packing.
It broke my fucking heart.
Now, as we drive out of Sunnyvale, I feel an odd sense of relief. The compound isn’t far, and it’s been over a year since I’ve been there.
I turn onto a small road that takes us far out of the city limits and into the countryside.
As we move past the outer gates that shield our property from the outside world, I see Selena shift in her seat.
I cut the engine by the main house, and the silence is bigger than the house itself: three stories of black glass, stone, and a front porch wide enough to host a firing squad.
The floodlights are off, but the cameras track us anyway.
Selena steps out of the truck and tugs her jacket tight. The air out here is colder, saltier, like the sky is daring her to run. She doesn’t. She looks up at the building, then at me. I grab her bag from the backseat and move to stand next to her.
“This is where you live?” she asks, eyeing the house.
“No. I’ve never lived here. Xavier and my father purchased this land, which is like eighty acres, and built these houses.
It’s supposed to be a family compound. Mom never wanted to leave her house in the city, and Damon and I didn’t like the idea of being so far away from the action of the city.
I think I’ve stayed here once,” I admit.
“So you have two homes?” she questions.
“Yes.” I know I live a life of luxury, and I’ve never felt guilty about that until now. Selena works hard to provide for herself, and she lives in a small apartment.
She’s shivering, but she won’t show it. She follows me to the porch, boots crunching on gravel, and keeps a pace that says I’m not scared, but also don’t fuck with me.
The door opens before I touch the knob. Xavier, my brother, fills the threshold, arms folded, dark hair slicked back like he steps out of a nightmare. He’s wearing a tailored shirt and nothing else—bare legs, bare feet, and the same bruised knuckles I remember from every childhood fight.
He sees Selena and doesn’t blink. “You’re late.”
I shrug. “Had to do a few laps to make sure we weren’t followed.”
He jerks his chin at Selena. “Who’s the plus-one?”
She answers for herself, stepping in so she’s toe-to-toe with him. “I’m the insurance policy.”
For a second, I think he might slam the door in our faces. Instead, he just steps aside and lets us in, but the temperature in the room drops twenty degrees.
Lily appears next, and I almost sigh. She glares at Xavier and then offers a comforting smile to Selena.
“Hi, I’m Lily. I’m Damon’s fiancée,” Lily greets Selena.
“Hi,” Selena offers with a small smile.
The foyer is a minimalist’s wet dream with white marble, no art, and no clutter.
Because I’ve never cared to live here, I’ve never decorated beyond what little I allowed the guys to purchase.
I watch Selena clock every camera, every sensor, every possible weapon within arm’s reach. The reporter's brain never turns off.
Damon is already waiting in the living room. He’s the opposite of Xavier—stocky, soft in the middle, but with arms that look like they could snap tree trunks. He’s got a bottle of whiskey open, two glasses on the table, and a smile that could be mistaken for friendly if you didn’t know better.
Damon motions at the couch, and we sit. I stay close to Selena, the way you do with something you’re not ready to let go of.
Xavier paces behind the couch, his footsteps measured and heavy. “You know what Dad’s gonna say.”
I stare at him. “I don’t care.”
He stops, turns. “You should. Last time you went rogue, people got shot.”
I hear Selena gasp beside me, and I take her hand in mine and squeeze. I glance at Selena. She’s pretending not to listen, but her jaw is tight. “Yeah, well, last time I went rogue, we got what we needed, didn’t we?”
Damon pours himself a drink, downs it in one, then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “So what’s the plan, Warren?”
I look at him, then at Xavier. “We hold tight. If they want to come for us, they’ll come here first. I’ll keep her in the guest wing, out of sight. Tomorrow, I’ll figure out who’s trying to burn us.”
Selena’s voice cuts in. “What if I don’t want to be kept?”
Xavier smirks, but it’s not kind. “You got a better idea?”
She doesn’t answer, but her eyes are full of war. She leans over and whispers to me, “Warren, I don’t know about this.”
She speaks so low that only I can hear her. I put my lip against her ear, and I feel her shudder underneath me. “I swore I would protect you. We have a deal, remember?”
Her eyes meet mine, and behind that fear is also trust.
Damon grins at her, the way you’d smile at a pit bull before it bites you. “You’re not scared of us, are you?”
She looks at him, then at me. “If I were scared, I wouldn’t be here.”
Lily laughs. “I like her already.”
This makes Selena smirk, and I like it. I have to remind myself not to get hard around her right now, but it’s so difficult when that spark inside of her comes alive.
Xavier circles and stands in front of her. He leans down, gets close enough that their noses almost touch. “You think you can trust him?”
Selena looks through him, unblinking. “I trust myself.”
For a second, nobody moves.
Then Damon claps his hands, loud enough to crack the tension. “Alright. Lily will show her to the guest wing. Warren, you clean up and get some sleep. You look like shit.”
I stand, but Selena’s already on her feet. Lily starts talking, and together they walk off, but not before Selena turns back to look at me. I nod at her, letting her know it’s safe.
Xavier waits until they’re gone before he turns to me. “You really think she’s worth all this?”
I shrug. “Doesn’t matter. It’s done.”
He’s quiet for a beat, then: “Dad’s gonna want her gone. Or worse.”
I grit my teeth. “He can go fuck himself.”
Xavier studies me, eyes flat and reptilian. “You sound like him, you know. When you’re pissed.”
I almost laugh, but I can’t find the energy. “Xavier, you are the only one of us who can’t see to understand this,” I begin.
He clenches his jaw. “Understand what?”
“Man, Dad has mom. Damon has Lily. Now, I have Selena. We have found someone who trusts us and who we can trust in return. It’s different when you find that. These women are not outsiders.” My heart races as I confess. I just lumped Selena into a group with the only women in my life whom we love.
Fuck it, I’m in love with Selena.
I barely know her, but from what I do know, I’m crazy about her.
I crave her touch, smile, and laugh.
I need to hear that sassy mouth smart off to me.
I need to see that glow in her eyes when she tells me that she trusts me.
I need to taste that sweet pussy again.
Xavier opens his mouth, but quickly closes it. He’s speechless because he knows I’m right.
“If you found someone to care for, you wouldn’t be acting this way. You know that, right?” I say.
He doesn’t answer. Just watch me walk away, and I know he’s counting every step.
Upstairs, the guest wing is exactly what it says on the tin: four rooms, three baths, windows with ocean views, and enough soundproofing that you could kill a man and not wake the neighbors.
I find Selena standing in the hall, looking out at the sea.
She’s got her arms wrapped around herself, but the tremble is gone.
“You alright?” I ask.
I want to say something, but she turns to face me, and the words get stuck in my throat.
“Yes, but am I really staying on the other side of the house?” Her voice trembles.
“Where do you want to stay?” I ask.
My brain is screaming for her to stay with me. That she needs me as much as I need her right now, but both of us are too stubborn to admit that right now.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know, I was just asking.” She’s quiet now.
I close the space between us, and our chests are touching now. She puts her hand on my chest, right over my heart. I cover her hand with mine, just for a second, then let go. “Get some sleep,” I say, even though I know neither of us will.
I wait until she’s inside the room, door shut, before I turn away. The hallway is dark, and every shadow looks like it wants to eat me alive.
I go downstairs, and once everyone else is gone, I slowly creep back upstairs, but I don’t go to my bedroom.
Instead, I pull a chair out of another guest room and place it along the wall.
I sit and watch the door to her bedroom.
She may be too stubborn to admit that she’s scared, but I’m not too much of an asshole to let her sleep alone.
If I can’t hold her in my arms tonight, I will stay up all night to make sure she’s okay.
Reaching for my phone, I sent a quick text to my dad.
Me: After we find out who is after us and settle it, I’m out of the family business.
I turn off my phone because his response, whatever it is, doesn’t matter.
I give up on sleep by four. I watch the sun haul itself up over the bluff and cast the house in blue steel, like a blade that’s been left out to weather.
I pace the perimeter twice, check every lock and blind spot, and still the itch in my skull won’t quit.
I smoke in the east courtyard, flicking ash into the koi pond, wondering how long before the first dead fish floats belly-up. I only smoke when I’m anxious.
I’m not surprised when I see her at the glass doors, barefoot in a white tank, hair a dark waterfall over her shoulder. Selena watches me the way you’d watch a stranger throw knives for fun, equal parts fascination and the certainty you’ll see blood.