Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Phoebe
I n the weeks since the last note, somehow Kane and I had found our rhythm. We spent nights either at my apartment or his house, although we had been spending more and more time at his place because he had the space, and that way we weren’t bothering Claire. Which was still a lot because we were trying to take it slow.
It was the odd sense of being safe when I was with him, even though we still didn’t have answers. The fact that it had been so quiet and we were moving on with our lives should worry me, but it didn’t. It was only in the back of my mind.
But today was all about cheese.
“The second message was all dick. All dick. No matter what I said, he just kept sending dick.” Aria shuddered and I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh. Aria’s story was terrible, but the way she used her hands to explain the gherkin-sized image was too much.
“This is why I could never do a dating app,” Claire said, sipping her wine.
I shuddered, reaching for my glass. “I’m so glad I have never had to use one.” I frowned. “That sounds braggy.”
Claire rolled her eyes. “Of course, it’s braggy. You’ve got the sexy Montgomery.” She drew out the word Montgomery, and I snorted.
“Excuse me, but considering you’re talking about one of my cousins, I can’t comment on that. But good on you for not having to use an app. Dating apps are terrible and I’m never doing them again. I’m just going to die alone. It’s perfectly fine.”
“You are beautiful, hilarious, and a talented artist. You could have anyone you want.”
“That’s really not true. Because everybody in my world remembers that my father is the amazing photographer, and I’m just his kid who happens to do the same thing.”
“That’s not true. You’re just as talented as your dad. You don’t have to compare the two of you.”
Aria’s father was Alexander Montgomery, a world-renowned and award-winning photographer. He had done large campaigns that netted the family enough so they would always be comfortable, but also more poignant ones that had touched the lives of millions. He was brilliant at what he did and used the pain of his own past in his work. I admired him and I knew Aria did as well, even if she bore the weight of expectations on her shoulders.
“I know I’m good, and I’m still learning. I don’t need the pity party. We have cheese. What more do we need here?”
“Hear! Hear!” Claire said, and I laughed.
“I don’t understand your addiction to cheese.”
Aria shrugged. “It comes at birth. Sebastian could eat an entire cheddar cheese block and be perfectly fine. I need a little more variety.”
Sebastian was Aria’s twin and co-owned and operated Montgomery Ink Legacy, the tattoo shop. I loved how close everyone was. Kane worked next to the tattoo shop and Aria’s art studio. While not all of the cousins worked in that building, enough of them did. I didn’t work in the same place as my siblings, but I saw them often enough. In fact, I had dinner with them later tonight. This was just an appetizer, and I was only having a single glass of wine. Before too long Kane would be on his way to pick me up.
I was grateful for that. Though it was going to be a little weird to have him at another family function. For some reason we had decided to put our family functions back to back within the same ten-day period. It was as if we decided to go through that hurdle together, after so many months apart.
But there was no going back now, at least I didn’t think so. It had been weeks since I had heard from the person that was trying to scare me, weeks since the shooting. Things felt stable. And that was probably when everything was going to explode, but I decided to ignore that.
“Where are you off to?” Claire asked, and I looked up at both of my friends who frowned at me.
“What? Nothing.”
“You looked lost in thought. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Aria asked.
“I’m just thinking about dinner tonight. I’m bringing Kane.”
“Dinner with the family. I hear you had that with Uncle Dimitri and Aunt Thea.” Aria beamed.
“Yes. And Allison was there too. Though I am surprised Kingston didn’t show up.”
Claire frowned. “But he’s not Kane’s brother. Right?”
“No, he’s our cousin, but they act like brothers. It doesn’t matter though, because we’re all family.”
“And you guys are taking over the world,” Claire said begrudgingly.
Aria shrugged. “We’re trying. Although Ford’s brothers are catching up.”
I frowned. “What do you mean by that?” I asked, thinking of Ford Cage, who was with Noah Montgomery Gallagher and Greer Cassidy. I didn’t know him well, though he worked with Kane. But he was a nice guy, if a bit more growly and quieter than Kane was.
“Oh, they just had a few big business dealings that hit the news recently. And Noah and Daisy were giving Ford shit about it.”
“Because family does that,” Claire said with a laugh.
“You know it,” Aria agreed.
“I’m sad Daisy isn’t here right now,” Aria said, and I nodded. “But she and Hugh finally have date night since Lucy is with Sebastian and Raven. It’s nice that they’re able to do things like that. But it does cut into girl time.”
“I should feel bad that I’m leaving early to go to a family dinner with Kane I guess, since that also cuts into girl time.”
“You should feel bad,” Aria said at the same time as Claire, then they burst out laughing.
I rolled my eyes but leaned back into my chair. “This is nice. Thank you for bringing cheese.”
“Of course. If I don’t do it, no one else will do it right.”
“That’s not an egotistical Montgomery way of thinking at all,” Claire grumbled, though her eyes danced with laughter.
“I can’t help it.” Aria’s tone sobered for a moment as she looked at me. “Any updates?” she asked, and I knew exactly what she was asking about. Things had been quiet long enough, and it worried all of us.
“None. There’s no trace of him. And he stopped sending things. I want to believe it’s over.”
“Are they still going with you to your outside jobs?” Claire asked.
I bit my lip and shook my head. “No. They have other things to do, and since they wouldn’t let me pay, it was just wasting their time and money. I’m as safe as I can be, with pepper spray and my phone on me at all times. But I can’t live my life in a box, much to Kane’s displeasure.”
Aria grumbled. “I don’t like it. Just like I don’t like whoever tried to hurt my family is also on the run.”
I glared. “I can’t believe they haven’t found him. Do you really think he flew to another country?”
“That’s what the FBI is thinking,” Aria answered. “It’s ridiculous though that nobody can catch this guy. But with his connections and his old jobs, it makes sense.”
“What old jobs?” Claire asked, out of the loop.
“The man who owned that other security company used to be a mercenary. He worked with some really bad people in the past and did some very questionable things. How he was able to set up a shell of a company that was supposed to be legitimate, I’ll never know.”
“Money talks, and he had a lot of it. Which is probably how he got out. Everything feels so unsettled,” Aria added.
I nodded, feeling just the same.
“Well, hopefully we’ll be able to move on. Which sounds trite, but I’m not sure what else there is to do right now other than hope the FBI can handle it.”
They nodded and we discussed work a bit more, like the project I was currently working on that was a bachelor’s pad to epic portions. He wanted it to look classy yet rugged, and I was making it work. Even though he made lewd jokes with his friends when they were there giving their opinions, he never made me feel weird or closed in. There had been a few clients in the past that thought because I was working on their house, inside their home, that I needed to decorate their bedroom.
Naked.
I hadn’t told Kane those stories, but if I wanted him to be open and honest about his life, then maybe I should do the same. Only those stories were in the past, where I wanted them to stay.
“So, I was thinking about writing a book,” Aria said out of nowhere.
I turned to her, my eyes wide. “A photography book?”
She shook her head, and Claire’s eyes danced with laughter. So it seemed that my best friend knew what she was talking about. “No, I want to call it Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of the Montgomerys . Just add cheese.”
Claire and I burst out laughing.
“Are you serious?”
“What? It’ll be perfect. I’ll teach you all the ins and outs of how to deal with loving a Montgomery. Because we take a lot of effort.”
“So, you still haven’t told him?” I asked, as Claire leaned forward on her seat.
Aria pressed her lips together and shook her head. Neither of us needed to mention who him was.
“Aria, I’m probably the worst person to say you should put yourself out there, but if it’s killing you not to say something, maybe you should?”
She shook her head. “It would ruin everything. It’s okay though. I have cheese. And this book idea. It’ll make millions.”
“It does seem like only a very small set of the community would appreciate it though,” Claire added.
“I have 4,000 cousins. Add in that more than a few of us will probably end up in triads? Just think about the possibilities and the sheer number of people who will fall in love with a Montgomery.”
“As long as they stay away from mine,” I teased, and Aria beamed. “I really want to ask if it’s serious and how things are going, but I know he’s going to be here any minute. So how about you just blink twice if you’re happy.”
I blinked twice without even thinking, and she giggled, Claire joining in, but I saw the worry in their gazes.
Because I was worried too. Things felt good. They felt right.
So of course, they were going to blow up in my face at any moment.
* * *
When they left after we cleaned up, I was ready to see my family. At least, that’s what I told myself. I loved my siblings, but I was annoyed that neither of my parents were going to be at this family dinner. Dad had some work thing, and Mom was out of town with her girlfriends and wouldn’t be back until later tonight. They had both said they would come, and then backed out. But my eldest sister was great at making sure that we siblings stuck together no matter what.
Kane: I’m stuck at a red light, and I’m pretty sure this means I’m going to end up hitting that train in between me and you. I don’t want to be late, but I might be.
I grinned at his text and picked up the phone.
Me: You do realize that Isabella is going to blame one of us in perpetuity for this, right?
Kane: I love when you use words like perpetuity in a text. It’s so fucking sexy.
I rolled my eyes.
Me: Vocabulary is getting you off?
Kane: I could eat you out on the kitchen counter again and get you off. But then I’d really want to shove my cock down your throat. I love the way your eyes water just a bit when I slide down the back of your throat when you relax. It feels amazing.
My pussy clenched and I glared at the phone.
Me: You better not be sexting while you are driving.
Kane: At a red light, though I think it’s turning green soon. I seriously can’t wait to taste that pretty cunt of yours.
He ended the damn sext with a winking emoji, and I blushed so hard I knew that every time I looked over at him tonight during dinner I would think about him going down on me, and me choking on his dick. I hated that both of those ideas made me want to press my thighs together or ride his face.
Claire was at a work appointment for the evening, so the apartment would be empty once I left, so I closed up everything and waited for Kane to text me that he was downstairs. He had wanted to come up and get me, but that would’ve been a little too ridiculous considering we were just getting in the car right away. The security system looked clear, and the doorman hadn’t let us know anyone was coming up, so I figured I was fine.
I locked up behind me and made my way downstairs. Kane was in the front of the building, getting out of the car as I came out, my dress swishing around my knees.
He looked me up and down and licked his lips. I nearly tripped over my feet.
“You look good enough to eat,” he murmured as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. Without thought, I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. When he put his hands on my waist, keeping me steady, I fell .
Not physically, but in every way that mattered.
I loved him so much. And this felt right. Right in a way that it hadn’t before. We hadn’t been ready, or at least I hadn’t been. But this was different now. He spoke to me, he shared with me, and I didn’t feel confined.
And it scared me like no other. But I had to be ready for it. I could be ready for anything.
“Such serious thoughts,” he whispered, sliding his thumb between my brows.
“You’re going to mess up my makeup,” I teased, pulling back from him. I needed a moment to collect my thoughts.
“I’m sorry. I’m sure you can touch up that ugly hag of a face of yours on our way to your sister’s house.”
Mouth agape, I shoved at him as he laughed and followed him as he opened the door for me.
“I cannot believe you just said that.”
“Well, if I said that you didn’t need makeup, then you would say that you wore makeup because you wanted to. Or we’d start talking about the whole ‘not like the other girls’ motif that I know you hate. So, I’m going to call you an old hag. But you’re my old hag.”
He closed the door as I stared at him, shaking my head. I glared at him as he slid into the driver’s seat.
“I hate that you can read my mind.”
“I seriously can’t read your mind, Phoebe. But I’m trying.”
“You shouldn’t have to read my mind with everything. I’m doing better about telling you what I’m thinking, right?”
“You are. And I hope I’m doing the same?” he asked, the uncertainty in his voice hurting me. But it wasn’t his fault. We were both learning this whole relationship thing all over again. I leaned forward and brushed the lipstick off his lips with my thumb.
“We’re doing good. Promise.”
“Well, great. Glad we have that covered before we go to the gauntlet.”
I rolled my eyes. “My siblings are not the gauntlet.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure they are. Will all of them be there?” he asked as we pulled out onto the street.
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure he could see me out of the corner of his eyes. “Yes. Though my parents won’t be there.”
“Considering I haven’t even met your dad yet, I’m not surprised on that one. I am surprised about your mom though.”
“I don’t know what’s up with her. She’s usually at all of our family gatherings, but recently she’s been doing her own thing. Which is great because that means maybe she’s not pining over my dad. But I just feel like something’s off.”
“I don’t know what it’s like to have parents who have a relationship like theirs, considering my family is the epitome of nuclear. But I’m here if you need me.”
“I know. And I’m grateful for that. And your family isn’t too nuclear. I mean, I don’t think the gold standard of the nuclear family of two parents and 2.5 kids really applies to a Montgomery.”
“I suppose the number of piercings and tattoos really count us out.”
“True. Did Allison decide where she was getting her Montgomery Iris?” I asked.
The Montgomerys each had a tattoo that was a family crest of sorts. Even those who married into the family got it. It had been a running joke, as a brand to be part of the family, but people liked it. They integrated it into their other tattoos or they changed it just enough to make it theirs. It wasn’t a stamp of ownership, but it was a claim in some way. Raven got hers after she married Sebastian, and had cried when she got it. Not because of pain, but because it was Sebastian who had inked it into her flesh.
Kane’s was on his chest and intertwined with another tattoo over his rib cage, and it was like a search game in order to find it. I loved that, just like I loved that some people had it firmly on their forearms for all to see. His sister though had taken her time to decide if she even wanted one.
“I think so. She wants an entire rib tattoo done, and while that was the most painful thing I’ve ever had done, including getting shot, I think she can handle it.”
“We’re just going to gloss over the fact that you said you were shot because I don’t want to even think about that,” I said tightly and he reached over and squeezed my hand.
“Agreed.”
“Allison can totally take the pain. Men are the crybabies when it comes to tattoos,” I teased, and he grunted.
“That is true. We are babies. Kingston cried like a baby during his.”
I laughed at the ribbing, even though Kingston wasn’t here to defend himself.
Soon we were parking in front of my sister’s house, and tension slid between my shoulders.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
He looked over at me. “Of course. I like your siblings. We can do this. We’ve done it before.”
“You’re right. This isn’t a first time. It’s a second time. I don’t know why that seems more poignant.”
He leaned forward and cupped my face, his thumb caressing my cheek. “You’re okay. And I realize that I should be the one nervous right now, and I am because I know your siblings are going to kick my ass, but I don’t mind.”
“My siblings aren’t evil.”
“Of course not. But they love you and they’re protective. I’m going to try not to growl back. Because I deserve the kicks.”
“You don’t though.”
“I deserve the kicks because they love you. Not that either of us did anything wrong. They don’t know what’s going on between us, and we’re figuring that out too.” He leaned forward and kissed me softly.
The knock on the window nearly made me scream and I glared at my brother.
“Stop making out. Isabella says dinner is ready,” Kyler said as I flipped him off, and we climbed out of the car.
“Jerk,” I teased, before Kyler gripped me around the waist and spun me around.
Slightly dizzy, I put my hands on his shoulders. “Put me down.”
“I feel like carrying you off into the house and locking this Montgomery out.”
“My last name’s Carr,” Kane said with a laugh as he grabbed the bottle of wine that I hadn’t noticed before now.
“You brought a gift?” I asked, grateful when Kyler set me down.
“Of course, I did. I am trying to schmooze your sister.”
“Schmoozing doesn’t work,” Isabella said from the doorway as she was pushed aside and Emily ran towards us and threw her arms around me.
“It’s been forever,” Emily said with a laugh, and we danced in front of the house. I saw Sophia go over to Kane and hug him. Kyler did that fist bump thing that guys did, while Isabella kissed Kane on the cheek.
“We’re not mean or scary,” Isabella said as Emily moved away to hug Kane, and I went to hug my sisters.
“I know. This is just nerve wracking.”
“Tell me about it,” Sophia put in. “This is why I never bring dates.”
“You get dates?” Kyler asked, before ducking Sophia’s fist.
I found myself at Kane’s side and we walked into my sister’s house, laughter in the air.
“Okay, tonight we’re going Italian. I was in the mood to make a bunch of sauce, so if you don’t like it, starve,” Isabella said and Kane snorted.
“I like the hospitality.”
“Oh shush. I know your allergies, same as my sister’s. And I really wanted ricotta. I could just shove my entire face in a bowl of ricotta right now.”
I shuddered. “Really?”
“Hey, it’s a type of cheese, I’ll allow it,” Kane said, and my lips twitched.
“Okay, now I’m a little worried,” I teased.
“You should be,” Isabella said. “Me and Kane getting along and agreeing? It’s like hell has frozen over.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned into him, her eyes bright. “I see this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”
“We’ll see. I need to keep my ice bitch image up if I want to get a promotion. So I’m going to practice on you, okay?”
He nodded, a smile playing on his face. “Whatever you need. Do you need me to act like the asshole or be subservient? We’ll play this little drama for ya.”
“Okay, I like him. I don’t know why, but I do.” My eldest sister smiled wide at me while Sophia went to open the wine and Emily brought out the bruschetta.
Isabella’s phone buzzed and she looked down at it with a frown.
“Hey, it’s Mom.”
“You should yell at her for not being here,” Emily said grumpily, as Kyler pulled her in for a hug.
Kane handed me a glass of wine, but my attention was on Isabella.
On the paleness of her face, the shaking of her hands. Kane had seen it too, his body at attention. His stance the way it was whenever he was on alert for any outside force. That was his training, not mine.
All I saw was the absolute despair in my sister’s eyes.
She whispered something into the phone, but all I could hear was the buzzing in my ears.
When she set the phone on the counter, she looked at us, her mouth opening but no words came out.
“What is it, Isabella?” Kyler asked.
“It’s Dad. He’s dead.”
The explosion I had been waiting for, the chasm beneath my feet finally opened.
And all I could hear was the screaming in my head.