Chapter Ten – Fang
I was certainly not expecting to see my princess so soon.
It was early on a Monday, meaning she should be at school, in one of her classes, and yet right now she and Mike were on their way over.
It begged the question of why. Something must have happened, something she didn’t want to get into on the phone.
I wouldn’t say I was normally an anxious person, I mainly stuck to myself prior to Laina, but I would be lying if I claimed I wasn’t at least a little anxious while I waited for them to arrive.
In fact, by the time they got here, I had the alleyway door propped open and was right there to greet them.
Laina, for all intents and purposes, seemed totally fine as she got out of the car, giving me a wide smile when she met my gaze. Mike was much slower in getting out of the car and following her to where I stood.
“Good morning, Princess,” I purred out my greeting, taking the girl in my arms and leaning down to plant a kiss on those delectable lips.
She was pliant, but strangely stiff, which informed me something was on her mind.
In we went, and soon enough we were arranged on the couch, Mike and I surrounding her. “Is Kieran coming?” I asked, since I hadn’t heard anything from the man in question.
“Finally got ahold of him on the way here,” Mike said in a huff. “He said he’ll be over as soon as possible.”
With a nod, I leaned forward and glanced between Laina and Mike. “So, who’s going to tell me what happened?”
“Right after you dropped me off last night,” she started to tell the story, “I was kidnapped. Someone was in the house. They drugged Kelly, and then they drugged me. He took me somewhere else, to his house, maybe, and…”
Though I didn’t like where this story was going, I had to ask, “And?”
“And then when I woke up, he talked to me. His name is Jason, and he works for Tessa. And, yes, before you say something, we all find it a little weird he didn’t just kill me.
If I can trust anything he said, it sounded like he wants to know the full story before deciding on how to solve Tessa’s problem—me. ”
Hmm. That was odd indeed. I didn’t know what to make of it, or of this Jason guy.
Laina added, “He admitted he’s been watching me. He knows all about you guys. He asked how I was able to lure Kieran away.”
Brows furrowing, Mike muttered, “That’s new information. You didn’t tell that to Lola and the others, did you?”
With a shake of her head, she said, “No. It was like he assumed I was some siren that lured Kieran away from Tessa. As if. If anything, Kieran was the one who decided he wanted me first, not the other way around. I didn’t steal him from Tessa.”
I rubbed my chin, deep in thought. “Even if you did, why would it matter to him? If he’s only here to solve a problem…
does that mean one of his ultimate goals is to reunite Tessa with Kieran?
I don’t see how it would be possible. I doubt he could ever forgive his sister for what she tried to have done to him, and to you. ”
Laina puckered her lips. “I know. It’s all so weird.”
“You’re here now, safe. That’s all that matters,” I told her, setting a hand on her lower back.
When I did, she inhaled a deep breath and her tense shoulders relaxed somewhat.
I could tell something was still on her mind, something pertaining to this Jason guy maybe, but if she didn’t wish to talk about it right now, we didn’t have to.
Her eyes fell to her left hand, to my contraption, the metal fingers in the place of the real ones she cut off nearly half a year ago.
She flexed her hand, bending the metal fingers with the ones made from flesh and bone.
“He was… there’s something about him. I don’t know what it is, I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s just something. ”
The look Mike gave her right then is one of confusion and concern, and his hazel stare was slow in moving off her and landing on me. He was probably wondering if I heard it, too—the awe in her voice. Almost like admiration, like… well, like she was intrigued by him.
My love was no prison. She could be intrigued by anyone she wanted. Mike, on the other hand, I did not think he was as open to such things as I was. I firmly doubted Kieran would be, too. It might be the one thing those two agreed on, besides their love for her.
I decided to change the subject, though mostly for Mike’s comfort: “Is anyone hungry? I could make us breakfast?”
“No,” Laina whispered. “But I am a little tired. My head kind of hurts. I could go for a nap while we wait for Kieran.” Then she hesitated before flipping her head between Mike and me.
“I… wouldn’t mind if you guys wanted to lay down with me.
Even if you two don’t sleep, it’d be nice to feel you around me. ”
“Whatever you want,” I told her, standing up and offering her my hand.
As she slipped her hand into mine, she got to her feet and tossed a glance back at Mike. The man hadn’t said a word, which meant he hadn’t agreed to it, but he also hadn’t said no. I could see the wheels in his mind turning, and I knew he broke the moment Laina offered him her other hand.
Those wide shoulders of his slumped, and he let out a loud sigh as he took it.
As soon as he was up, we were zigzagging around the furniture until we made it to the bedroom area, on the far right side of the wide open space.
I let go of her hand so I could walk around the other side of the bed.
Only after I slipped off my shoes did I crawl on and get comfortable, and by that time, Laina was already in the center of the bed, her head on my pillow. Mike, on the other hand, hesitated.
In fact, the man hesitated long enough that Laina rolled over and gazed up at him. The moment those pink eyes lifted, I could see whatever willpower Mike had been clinging to faded away. He bent over to yank off his shoes and soon enough he was on the bed with us.
My bed was not king-sized. Perhaps I should upgrade, given our atypical relationship. It was probably smart to have a bed with more space than you could possibly need.
The moment she was surrounded by us, a smile tugged at her lips. She rolled onto her side, facing Mike and giving me her back. “This is nice. See? I always knew you two could play nice if you tried.”
“You never have to worry about me,” I told her, running a hand along her side. “You know you’ll always have me.”
And Mike, typically the silent one, the one who never seemed to be as forthcoming with his emotions, spoke, “Resisting you was always futile. You have me, Laina, forever and always.”
I could feel the smile in her tone when she replied with a soft, “I love you both. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”
Both Mike and I scooted closer to her after she said that, moving close enough to our girl that she became the meat in this mismatched sandwich.
Honestly, I was certain this was the closest we’d ever been to her together.
It’d been something Laina had desperately wished for, too.
Who knew all it would take to get Mike to be on the same page was yet another kidnapping?
Some people needed a reminder every now and then that what you had was never permanent. Death was always around the corner, waiting to take what you loved most away, so why not enjoy the time you had? Why not live every day as if it was your last?
Mike smoothed down her hair, moving strands of it away from her face. His voice came out low, a bare whisper, “You need to stop getting kidnapped. I think you’ve already met the quota.”
Was that a joke? Was Mike trying to make a joke? Wow, never thought I’d see the day, and yet here we were.
Laina giggled softly, a sound that reverberated in my core.
“Trust me, I know. Hey, at least this time I didn’t need you two to come save the day.
It’s progress, right?” Though I was behind her, I could easily imagine the way she gazed into his eyes, and I knew as the seconds ticked by, he became weaker and weaker.
It was her superpower: she could make the strongest man weak when it counted.
Men like us, men with darkness nestled inside our hearts and our souls; we were ripe for the picking when it came to her.
No amount of putting up walls and building defenses could possibly protect us from the wrecking ball and magnet that was Laina Hawkins.
“Yes,” I told her. “Definitely progress. Still, he’s right. You should try harder not to get kidnapped again.”
She laughed. “I literally can’t help it.
I must have a sign above me that flashes in neon lights and invites all the criminals in this city to try.
” She let out a sigh, the sigh rattling her bones.
“This time it was different, though. I don’t think he’ll try to kidnap me again.
I… don’t know what he’s going to do next. ”
Mike said, “Lola and Sylvester will find out what they can about him. Now that we have a name and know what he looks like, we have somewhere to start. No one can avoid the Luciano’s eyes forever. No one’s that good.”
“Time will tell,” I whispered, my hand on her hip. “It’s not something for you to worry about right now, though.”
“I know,” she admitted. A moment passed before she added, “It’s the weirdest thing.
I’m tired, my head hurts, but now that I’m on this bed with the two of you, I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep at all.
It feels too nice having you both here.” Then she chuckled to herself.
“If I would’ve known all it took to get you two on the bed with me together was getting kidnapped, I would’ve gotten kidnapped again a long time ago. ”
I saw Mike roll his eyes, but I only smirked—and I smirked because I knew she was serious, the same reason Mike rolled those eyes of his. For a long time, Laina had made it clear she would love for us to be on the same page when it came to her.
“You’re ridiculous,” Mike growled out the words.
To which she countered, “But I’m your ridiculous, aren’t I?”