Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Novalee
By the time we reach the Lane Building, the adrenaline from the ride has simmered into a tense buzz beneath my skin. Sylus pulls the bike to a stop next to the Bronco at the back entrance, and I slide off, my legs feeling slightly unsteady. Unbuckling the helmet, I hand it back to him before we head inside, where Sylus guides me to the big room with the stage in the center. The one I was in with Koen and Levi the first time.
Koen appears almost immediately as we make our way toward the center stage, striding over with his signature commanding presence. His sharp eyes sweep over me, assessing, clearly trying to read my state of mind.
“How’s your head?” he asks, stopping in front of me.
I raise an eyebrow, fighting back a grin. “Never had any complaints.”
Sylus chuckles, breaking the tension as I glance at him with a smile, but then there’s the faintest pressure on my jaw as Koen guides my gaze back to him. He’s frowning, clearly not amused by either of us.
“I was asking about your cheek,” he clarifies with a brush of his fingers below the bruise he shouldn’t be able to see.
“I’m fine,” I say quickly, stepping toward the stage and out of his touch, closer to where Levi and Ezra are standing. “It only hurts if I press directly on the cheekbone, which, let’s be honest, isn’t exactly something I plan on doing all the time.”
I greet Levi with a tight nod, ignoring Ezra entirely, but Koen isn’t done yet. He moves in front of me again as I come to a stop next to Levi. “Are you sure?” Koen presses, his eyes narrowing. “Have you eaten today?”
I think back to the Twinkie from three a.m. That was technically today, but there’s no way I’m admitting that. “Sure.”
He’s not convinced, of course, his gaze lingering on me as if he’s trying to see through my words. “Are you keeping up with your water?”
I roll my eyes, my patience fraying at the edges. “What are you, my keeper?”
“Want me to be?” he teases, something other than a concerned frown finally showing up on his handsome face. “We brought food and water. I could—”
“Koen.” I sigh, shaking my head, the annoyance evident in my voice. “I’m fine.” I cross my arms over my chest, a reflexive defense I can’t seem to shake. I don’t need him playing caretaker. And if I’m reading him right, he’s only doing this out of guilt.
I need him to be honest, not coddle me.
Koen steps into my space again, his smirk fading as he studies me, his gaze boring deep. He’s so close that I can feel the warmth radiating from his body, the intensity in his eyes making me squirm. “Are you mad at me?”
“No.” It’s a lie, and we both know it .
“Thought so.” His voice drops, almost tender. “I really am sorry, Little Thief.”
The gentleness in his words and the way his hand comes up to cup my cheek again catches me off guard. His thumb grazes my jaw, not put off by how I dismissed this gesture already, and something inside me twists and softens.
Except he lied. However, it wasn’t the lie itself. It was the fact that, for a moment, I’d let myself believe he might be someone I could trust.
That’s on me, right?
“You used me,” I bite out. “You lied to me.”
“I didn’t use you.” Koen’s eyes darken, but he doesn’t look away. “But you’re right, I lied,” he admits, though his tone is ironically unapologetic. “Because I had to protect my people. Because I didn’t know you.” His hand slips down to my neck, his touch somehow reassuring and infuriating. “I know you now,” he continues. “And I will protect you too. That requires trust, and a level of honesty I’m not sure you’re ready for.”
“Try me,” I challenge, and as I do, I’m unsure if I want to lean into his touch or push him away.
“All right.” He takes a step back, deciding for me, as he draws in a long, measured breath. It’s as if the weight of what he’s about to say is almost too much for him to bear. “No going back from here.”
Sylus moves closer beside me, his gaze darting between Koen and me as he does, while Levi shifts uncomfortably. Ezra is wearing a blank mask and unreadable.
“You’ve heard some about our Uncle Oscar, right?” Koen asks, and I nod.
“He died of a heart attack a few months back,” I murmur, feeling a pang of sympathy for their loss.
“He didn’t.” Koen’s eyes darken. “He was murdered.”
“What?” I breathe out. “The media said— ”
“The media doesn’t know shit,” Ezra snaps.
“Veronica Harrington killed him,” Levi adds, his voice uncharacteristically devoid of emotion.
Holy shit.
“Well, she probably paid someone to do it.” Sylus chimes in. “You get the gist.”
“Nicholas’s mother?” I ask, baffled.
Not that I don’t believe her capable of such a thing, especially after the longer look I got at her during the party. There was something cold and calculating about her, even in the way she smiled. Someone so close to Nicholas being capable of murder? Then again, it seemed as though Nicholas hates his mother, too, so maybe his reasons go beyond normal mommy issues .
“Yes, Nicholas’s mother.” Levi’s fingers twitch at his sides as he fights to keep calm. Ezra moves to stand behind him, ready to catch him if he needs to. “To the world, she’s a respected businesswoman, old money, the picture of power and influence. Behind closed doors?” Pure anger simmers beneath the words. “She’s ruthless. Greedy. Willing to cross any line to keep her empire intact.”
I frown at Ezra beside him. “And you, being a detective, haven’t managed to get her behind bars yet? Or was that a lie too?”
Ezra’s eyes meet mine, and for a split second, there’s a hint of frustration and defensiveness there, like he’s heard this question a thousand times, probably asking it of himself. “I am a detective, but it’s not that simple. Veronica knows how to cover her tracks. Every deal, every hit, every shady move is done through layers of intermediaries. People who take the fall, vanish, or end up dead so they can’t talk. She keeps herself insulated, and the people who could testify against her are either too scared or too loyal to speak up…” He pauses, his gaze flicking around the room to his brothers. “And let’s not fo rget, she has enough money and influence to turn the justice system into her personal puppet. We only just gathered enough concrete evidence to make anything stick three months ago. But then…”
Koen nods in agreement when Ezra trails off. “Veronica Harrington isn’t simply dangerous, she’s untouchable. At least, she thinks she is.”
Levi’s expression darkens, and Ezra adds quietly, “That’s why we’re doing this our way. To get the evidence she thinks no one will ever find.”
I nod slowly, the weight of what they’re up against settling in.
“She and Oscar had an on-and-off relationship,” Koen picks up where Levi left off, his eyes locking onto mine. “Oscar was too good to turn a blind eye to the shit she was into. He tried to stay away, but there was always something pulling them back together. Until…”
He glances at Levi, and I follow his gaze, sensing that something painful is about to be revealed. Levi sucks in a breath, his entire body tensing. “When we were seventeen, there was a… a dinner. Our families got together, and I…” His voice wavers, and he looks down, his jaw clenching hard. “We were friends. Koen and Nicholas were even best friends, but I had a crush on Nicholas. A stupid teenage crush. I’d heard rumors that he might be… you know, like me. And I thought… I don’t know what I thought.”
Ezra’s hand moves to rest on Levi’s shoulder in silent support, but Levi’s voice is still shaky as he goes on. “I approached him when he was alone. Told him how I felt. And he…” Levi swallows hard, the memory apparently still raw. “He pushed me into a wall. Screamed that he wasn’t gay. I hit my head, bled like crazy, and needed stitches. Veronica called me a fucking faggot when she found out what happened. It was… a mess. ”
The hurt in his voice makes it impossible to dismiss what happened, but it’s also hard to picture Nicholas doing something so cruel.
Maybe he’s changed?
It’s been thirteen years.
“Oscar lost it.” Koen breaks the heavy silence that follows Levi’s confession. “He cut ties with Veronica. A decade later, she attempted to reconcile. But when Oscar uncovered how deep her crimes went and how much worse it had gotten over the years, he couldn’t turn a blind eye anymore. He was planning to go to the police.”
“That’s when she struck first. She framed him for a crime he didn’t commit, had him thrown in prison.” Ezra shares. “Thanks to our lawyers, he didn’t have to stay long, but that’s where he met Alaric. The two of them spent every moment planning how to take Veronica down.”
“And when Oscar eventually got out, Alaric came to live with us,” Koen picks up again. “He kept a low profile for three years, waiting and planning until we could execute our big move. Exposing her at the Christmas show we’d been preparing. Before he could, she had him killed. Made it look like a heart attack.”
Shit.
“That’s what the media reported,” Levi says, bitterness lacing his words. “And what most people still believe. We know better. Even if there’s no evidence that she had any involvement in his death.”
“So…” I begin, my mind spinning as I attempt to take it all in. “Where do I come in?”
“Like Ezra said, we need evidence.” Koen’s brown eyes meet mine, and I can’t breathe. “ Proof that Veronica had Oscar killed. Her private quarters are locked down tight, and her security knows our faces. You’re our only way in. ”
Sylus steps closer, putting an arm around my waist. “You get close to Nicholas. Befriend him. Once you’re in his home, you find a way to access Veronica’s laptop and plant a device for me. I’ll hack in from there and gather what we need.”
“Oh,” I whisper. “I’m bait.”
If something goes wrong, I’ll be right at the heart of the enemy’s lair.
And then what?
Would they come for me?
“No.” Koen cuts through my fears. “You’re not bait. You’re part of this team. We need you, and we’ll protect you. You’re one of us now.”
His words settle around me, comforting and suffocating at the same time.
One of us.
The idea makes my chest ache. Am I truly part of this? Or am I a pawn to play in a game that’s much bigger than me?
That’s all they’ve done so far.
Sylus’s hand finds mine, squeezing gently. “It’s your choice,” he assures me as he sweeps his thumb over my knuckles. “We won’t force you. But we need you. And…” He hesitates, then pulls me into his body as his eyes search mine. “I swear, baby, we’ll do everything to keep you safe.” He interlaces our fingers as he reiterates, “ I will keep you safe.”
Reckless sincerity pours from his gaze, and when a figure shifts beside us, I glance at Levi, who’s watching me with an almost shy hope. They’re so messy and complicated, bound by grief and a thirst for justice.
Do I want to be part of this?
I’m tired of running from life while being at a total standstill and constantly feeling like I’m only halfway alive. If I keep walking away from this chance to truly start living because of fear, will I ever truly live again?
“I’m in,” I say, my voice gaining strength as my gaze lands and stays on Koen. “But I need to know exactly what I’m walking into. No more surprises. If I find out you’ve kept anything else from me, I’m gone.”
Koen’s gaze drifts to Ezra, and they exchange a long look—one of those silent conversations that only people who’ve known each other forever can have passing between them.
Before I can even try to decipher it, Levi speaks up. “All right, we’ll tell you everything about the plan,” he agrees, but the way he nervously fidgets with the fringe on his leather vest betrays him. “Honestly… it might be safer if we keep some details back until after you’re successful. That way, if you get caught, there’s nothing they could force out of you.”
Right. Fuck . I release Sylus’s hand, swallowing hard as the reality of what I’ve agreed to settles like a lead weight in my stomach. “So, what’s the plan if all goes to shit?” I cross my arms over my chest and volley the question at Ezra, knowing he’s going to be straight with me.
“You run,” he says simply. “You disappear. Get out, go dark, and contact us when it’s safe.”
Run, go dark, contact us if you’re alive. Because I see it in his eyes, there is no possibility of simply getting caught.
I do my best not to let my unease show, crossing my arms tighter against me, but there’s no sugar-coating it. This is dangerous.
“It won’t go wrong.” Sylus turns me toward him by my elbow, his lips curving into that familiar, cocky grin. “You’re too damn good.”
“This is our chance to end this, to take Veronica down for good,” Koen adds, pulling my attention. His gaze softens a fraction as our eyes meet, something warm and encouraging flickering there. “We can’t do it without you.” He lets the words hang between us for a moment, then adds, “And if the fact that she killed our uncle, who’s a stranger to you, isn’t enough, think about what good you’ll do for Vegas… for everyone here. It’s not only that she’s destroyed our family, she’s poisoned this entire city. Everything she does, every crime she’s orchestrated, it’s all tangled up in her web. This is bigger than us. Bigger than revenge.”
Fuck.
I’m in way over my head. The more I think about what this all means, the more fear creeps in. I push it away, grasping at the one thing that feels solid. “And there’s still Italy, right?”
Koen’s expression softens, his eyes losing some of their edge. He gives me a small smile. “Yeah, Little Thief. When this is over, we’ll take you to Italy.”
I lean subtly into Sylus and take another deep breath, nodding slowly. This plan is a thousand kinds of terrifying.
As I survey all their faces one more time, plainly seeing the hope and trust they’re placing in me, a spark of determination starts to steadily burn inside me.
I have something to fight for now. Something real.
Even if it’s not my something.
“All right,” I agree.
Levi is there in the next breath, pulling me into a hug and pressing a grateful kiss to my cheek. “Thank you,” he whispers, his voice full of relief. He releases me, grinning as he pulls out his phone. “I can’t wait to tell Alaric.”
“Speaking of,” I start, frowning at the group. “Where is Captain Bossy? How come I never see him?”
Levi’s smile dims, and his gaze drifts to his boots, which are also covered in fringe. “He’s… not in the best place right now.”
I want to ask more, but something about Levi’s tone makes me hesitate. Koen, as I should’ve known he would, picks up on my curiosity and answers my unspoken question. “Losing Oscar hit all of us hard,” he explains. “But it threw Ric into a spiral. Leaving the house is… something he’s not capable of right now.”
I swallow roughly, thinking of Captain Bossy being holed up at their home this entire time he’s been texting me, and it adds another layer to the tangled mess of emotions I feel.
Fuck, this is all so much bigger than me.
Sylus drops into one of the seats in the front row of the stage and pulls me into his lap. I tense briefly, but his warmth, paired with the solid feel of his arm wrapped around my waist, has me sinking into him in seconds.
And it almost feels… safe.
Levi settles into the seat beside us, reaching for my hand. His touch is gentle but confident, and when our eyes meet, there’s only sincerity there. “Ezra told me you wouldn’t even rat me out with a gun to your head.”
A shiver skates down my spine as flashes of the moment Detective Hill produced the gun fill my mind, which triggers Koen to tense in front of Sylus and me from behind. Then Sylus pulls me flush against him, one of his arms banding across my chest protectively, his forehead pressing into my shoulder. My gaze flicks to Ezra, who stands a few steps away, looking a bit sheepish.
“I don’t have a lot of friends,” Levi admits, looking directly at me. “Certainly not friends who would risk their lives for me.” I pat Sylus’s hand soothingly, instinctively, as I prepare to argue that it couldn’t possibly be true, but before I can get a word out, Levi reaches out and squeezes my hand, the one on top of Sylus’s, stopping me. “All I want to say is… thank you . ”
“You don’t have to thank me, Levi,” I say just as seriously, matching his tone.
“Call me, Dove, Little Bird.” He smiles as he intertwines his fingers with mine.
For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel completely alone. However, trust is a fragile thing, and I wonder how long it will take before one of us drops it, leaving the rest of us to watch it shatter.