SEVENTEEN
“That’s the surprise.”
Blair's voice is flat, eyes locked with my father’s.
Since we left the car, she’s been clinging to me. Her hand wrapped around my forearm, gripping it tightly as we walked toward the door. She hasn’t let go.
“Butterfly,”
I choke a laugh. “You’re hurting me.”
Her nails dig into my forearm, her grip worsening after hearing my words. Her nails sink into my flesh, piercing through it. It’s not painful; it feels like a scratch would, but the smile on her face tells me she did, in fact, intend to hurt me.
“You don’t say,”
sarcasm coats her tongue.
“Let me remind you that I’ve just been released from the hospital.”
“You didn’t seem to care about that less than ten minutes ago,”
she speaks through gritted teeth. “Suck it up.”
As if sensing the sudden shift in the air, my dad steps forward, taking off his glasses and putting them in the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He offers Blair a warm smile, his voice surprisingly soft.
“Blair, it’s good to see you.”
Her brows narrow. “Likewise.”
Dad lifts an amused brow but doesn’t comment on the monotone tone. With a chuckle to himself, he shakes his head and walks past us. “Your mother is out, but she’ll be back before dinner.”
I nod, and Dad stops, looking at me over his shoulder.
“And Cove is joining us for dinner.”
The moment he’s out of the room, Blair steps in front of me, releasing my forearm. Her face is passive, her foot tapping against the hard wooden floor, impatience written all over her expression. She looks so cute.
“Just how much of the massacre did you plan, Arlo? And why didn’t you tell me that it was your father who took me to the condo?”
“As I’ve said,”
I sigh. “It slipped my mind. I’m sorry. I know this must’ve taken you by surprise.”
“No shit,”
she scoffs. “Any other surprises I should be looking forward to?”
“None at all.”
“Are you absolutely sure?”
“One hundred percent.”
Skeptically, Blair squints her eyes, unwavering fire hidden within. She’s silent, lifting her chin ever so slightly, trying to stare me down. It’s adorable, honestly, how confident she is that she’d ever be able to win a staring competition against me.
But it’s my butterfly, and I don’t want to break her spirit by winning, so I look away first, not missing the smile of triumph on her face.
“So what now?”
“Now,”
I extend my hand for her to take. For the first time, she doesn’t miss a beat and places her palm in mine. I interlock our fingers together, the warmth of her hands bringing a wave of my happiness. “I’ll show you around and fill you in on how things will work around here.”
The next twenty minutes passed in a blur.
I showed Blair all the important rooms in the house, with the exception of the armory and the underground bunker that is further on the land and not connected to the main house. I’ll wait for my parents to get home first, then tell her, just in case they left weapons scattered around.
Blair is especially interested in Dad’s alcohol selection. She doesn’t drink, but he has quite the collection, and she is essentially amazed that someone is willing to spend so much money on alcohol they have no plans of drinking.
The next destination was the gym. As soon as she saw what it was, she groaned and gave me an unimpressed look. She’s going to be spending quite some time here, improving her stamina and fighting abilities. And that’s something I’m in charge of.
“What is the plan here?”
Blair asks as we arrive in the main living room, taking a seat on the leather couch.
“For now, my mom will find out why exactly Simmons was in the park. Then, I’ll pay him a little visit to chat.”
“To chat,”
she repeats and swallows thickly.
“Yes.”
“Are you going alone?”
“Probably not. Cove will most likely come with me.”
Blair frowns. “This is the second time I’m hearing that name. Who is Cove?”
It takes me a moment to figure out how to appropriately describe our friendship. Memories of how Cove and I met resurface, and somehow, his obnoxious, rare laughter creeps into my mind, causing me to wince visibly.
“A friend.”
I sigh. “A very unhinged, do-not-provoke friend.”
“Basically, just like you?”
“Oh, I wish,”
I chuckle. “I’m good at controlling my anger to some degree. The word control isn’t in Cove’s vocabulary. He’s snapped at me more times in a day than I’d snapped in my entire life. He’s a ticking bomb, which is dangerous, but he’s also very…”
“Very… what?”
I frown. “Silent? He doesn’t speak unless necessary, which is ridiculous. He lets his fists do all the talking.”
Blair blinks. “Should I be scared?”
“Never,”
I responded immediately. “As long as I’m with you, you’re safe from everyone. I’ll protect you with my life.”
Blair drags her bottom lip between her teeth, rolling it as her palms fist on her lap. Her dark hair falls messily over her shoulders in soft waves, the ends slightly matted. She’s still wearing the same clothes as when she ran from me, and she definitely needs a shower.
“I’ll show you to your room.”
I clear my throat, the sight of her nibbling on her lip sending electric shocks right to Arlo Jr. “You can take a shower.”
Blair lifts a brow. “My room? You’ve thought this far ahead?”
I smirk. “There’s even a surprise for you.”
She grunts. “You’re forbidden from surprising me, ever again.”
She rises to her feet, and with a laugh, I take the lead, leaving the living room. Her sweet scent hits my nose, and I’m beyond fucking grateful for the self-control I have over myself. Otherwise, I’d probably hit on her, and she’d smack me.
“It’s the first door on the–”
Abruptly, I stop talking when I hear the front door open and then slam shut violently. The force is enough to have the windows shaking, and I immediately sigh out, annoyed. Harsh footsteps echo above the tiled floor of the hallway until the silhouette appears.
“Arlo De Santis,”
the low voice is almost threatening.
I close my eyes briefly, coming face to face with none other than Cove fucking Steele. His dull, dead eyes bore into mine, and his face is passive, as it always is. But there’s something in his eyes that’s telling me just how pissed he is.
“Where have you been?”
He stops in front of me, eyes momentarily drifting to Blair next to me. Quickly, I stand in front of her, hiding her body from his view. He lifts a brow, blinking in amusement. The motherfucker just steps around me and faces Blair.
“And who is the pretty lady?”
“I’ll kill you.”
Cove raises his hands in mock surrender. “I’m sorry. I’m just… curious.”
“Anything you need, Cove?”
He glances between Blair and me, his amusement vanishing. “I thought you were alone. So, later.”
I nod, and his eyes linger on Blair for a moment longer than necessary. He’s trying to read her, but she’s not letting him. With a huff, he turns on his heel and walks into the kitchen, acting like he owns the place.
“So that’s Cove, huh?”
She asks. “I expected more.”
I turn to look at her with a chuckle. “That’s Cove on his good behavior.”
“I don’t want to see him on his worst, then.”
My shoulders tremble with silent laughter, and I motion with my head toward the stairs. Silently, Blair steps next to me, eyes scanning the area. The wall on the right is filled with childhood pictures of my sister and me. From our baby pictures to the most recent ones.
“This is your room.”
I push the door open and step aside.
Blair immediately grins widely when she spots Arson. The cat jumps off the bed and darts toward Blair, and my butterfly hugs it tightly, kissing the top of her head. A small smile tugs on the corner of my lips at the sight.
Arson snuggles into Blair’s chest.
That should’ve been me. Why the fuck is she not snuggling me?
The damned cat looks at me, and I can swear it hisses.
Blair walks over to the bed, sitting down with the cat on her lap. She looks at me, and I can tell that some of the tension she’s been feeling has been lifted, and I’m relieved.
“Cove seems… fun.”
“Not the term I’d use, but sure,”
I chuckle. “He’ll stay for dinner. Afterward, he has a match. Would you like to come with me to watch him?”
“A match?”
“Underground fighting. Cove’s something like a legend over there.”
“Let me guess,”
she draws out. “It’s illegal.”
“Yes.”
“Are matches deadly?”
“They could be. It’s not often that someone is fighting a death match, but it does happen.”
Blair nods. “Do you fight?”
“Not anymore, no.”
“Good,”
she breathes out. “I don’t want to see you hurt. Especially now with the stitches.”
“Stitches or no stitches, I could easily take down everyone there.”
She raises an amused brow, petting Arson’s stomach. “Even Cove?”
“If he pissed me off enough, sure.”
“Sure, I’ll go with you,”
she agrees, and something flips in my stomach. “After all, you said we’d start training soon. I want to have some fun before it begins.”