CHAPTER TEN
Victoria
Sunlight streamed through the windows across my face, and I groaned unhappily as it pulled me from unconsciousness. I lay there a while, enjoying the haze between sleeping and waking. I tried to stretch, and the protests from my body jolted me fully awake. I looked down at myself, at the bruises on my hips that peeked out from the hem of my PJ shorts. My scattered mind searched for the details of what happened. It returned a memory of me screaming my climax, and I stretched my limbs again, enjoying that sweet, sore feeling.
Carefully swinging my legs over the edge of my bed, I spotted Joey sitting in the chair he'd moved by my door, with another chair jammed under the doorknob. His long limbs were in awkward, uncomfortable positions as he slept. He was slouched with his head drooped forward. At that moment, the rest of the night's events rushed back with the fury of a hurricane. The shooting at the club, running for my life, watching Az listen to Leighton and me, and hearing him stalk through the house like a man possessed with a singular obsession. And afterward, how Joey had so gently cared for me when my mind shut down, how sweetly he'd promised to stay and keep me safe.
I reached for my phone to check the time, not sure how long I'd been out after my brain shut off for the night, not turning to look until my hand came up empty from its usual place on my nightstand. I played the night before again in my mind, realizing I didn't have it on me when we escaped from the bar. I groaned and rubbed my hand over my face. Getting a replacement would be difficult because Rich insisted I didn't leave the manor.
Joey roused at the sound I made, his eyes snapping open and tracking to my spot on the bed immediately.
"You okay, Sweetheart?" He said, his brow creased with worry. He stretched and shifted awkwardly in the chair.
"I'm fine, Joey. I just lost my phone." I shrugged as I stood, grimacing as a knot in my back protested. He gave me a quick once over with an arched brow before deciding against whatever he was going to say. "I just don't want to deal with your brother to get a replacement."
"I can take you to get one." He said brightly, seeming to perk up. I smiled at his cheerfulness. It was a breath of fresh air compared to all the dick-swinging that usually occurred in the house.
"Rich is gonna shoot that idea down the minute it comes out of your mouth," I said, padding over to my closet to find something to wear to cover all my bruises.
"Don't worry about Rich. Let me deal with my brother. You just get dressed. I'll see what Craig is making for breakfast." He checked his phone after removing the chair from the door. "What Craig is making for lunch, apparently. See you in a few, Sweetheart. I'll get you some ibuprofen too."
I rustled through my shirts for a while, not really happy with any of them. After Joey left the room, I started feeling strange excitement about going out and doing something seemingly ordinary and relaxed, knowing I wouldn't have to worry about the domineering posturing the others always had.
But that was just it. Joey was sweet, but that didn't absolve him from his associations and what they'd done. Why was I excited to go anywhere with him? I tossed the thoughts around in my head for a while as I decided on an outfit that covered as many of the marks as I could find and was soft enough to not irritate the sensitive skin.
Would he have even known they tried to kidnap me? How involved was he in their plans? I ran a brush through my hair and decided to leave it down before throwing my hands up at how I chased my thoughts in circles. I wouldn't figure it out staring at myself in the mirror. Might as well take the breaths of fresh air where I could get them for now and deal with whatever was coming down the line when it happened.
I slipped out of my suite quietly, a little jumpy and unsure what state I'd find the house in. It was strangely quiet for one of the first times since I'd been dropped off. Maybe everyone was out; that would be the best-case scenario. I padded cautiously across the great room and the gallery to the kitchen. I stopped just before turning the corner and heard the hushed tones of Rich's deep voice.
"Joey, no. Her phone is probably at the club somewhere. We'll just get Craig to check the bar since he's already gotta be by there today." He sounded tired, and I wasn't quite sure why I felt bad about that.
"She needs this Rich, some sense of normalcy. You know as well as I do, her shit just got turned upside down, and she's not been out of the house since she got here."
"We're keeping her safe while we sort this shit out. This is the easiest way to do it."
"Real bang-up job we're doing of it too, bro. She's not going to want a phone that's likely covered in someone else's blood, and she needs to get out for a while. I'll take my licks when I get back if I need to, but I'm taking her." Rich just sighed in response.
"You can come out, Princess. I know you're there. Your steps aren't exactly silent." I groaned and stepped out from around where I'd been hiding. "No one ever tell you eavesdropping is rude?"
"Hey, yeah… Listen, if it's gonna be a problem for me to go, then Joey can just get me a replacement. Or someone. I just thought it'd be kinda nice to get out and not get shot at." I said, wringing my hands and looking past him to the windows.
Rich pinched the bridge of his nose before running his hand through his curly hair. His shoulders sagged a little as he gave me a look, but not an intimidating one. He looked like he needed rest.
"Fine. I get it. I want you back in two hours. Joey, you're going armed." He said, sliding a pistol across the counter like that was a regular interaction. I stared at the gun for a long time before Joey picked it up.
"Craig isn't here, and she needs to eat. I really don't want her to have to choke down whatever we try to cook."
He pulled aside the light jacket he was wearing and holstered the gun. I looked between the holster and Joey's face several times, unable to reconcile what I was seeing now and the man who'd treated me so gingerly earlier. Rich made an annoyed sound.
"Three. We can't have the princess fainting from hunger, I suppose. But not a minute longer." He looked like he had something else to add, but Joey already had a hold of my arm. He carefully avoided hurting me as he led us from the kitchen.
"Good talk. Come on, Sweetheart, let's get you fed and replace your phone. I'll even let you pick the music in the car." I picked up my pace to keep up with his long strides as he sped us out of the house before Rich could add more rules to our outing.
He pulled open the door to the surprised look of a man standing on the porch, about to knock. He stared at Joey briefly before I stepped out from behind him.
"Uncle Theo?!" I grinned and rushed him with a hug. I felt like I hadn't seen him in so long. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh thank god, Jellybean! Hugo called this morning and said he couldn't get ahold of you or anyone in the house and he was worried. I told him I'd come by and make sure you were okay. I couldn't get you on your phone on the way over, so I started to worry." He hugged me tightly, and I had to bite back the painful groan that wanted to escape me from the rough contact.
"I'm fine Uncle Theo. I… lost my phone yesterday, and Joey was taking me out to get a new one. Uncle Theo, Joey, one of my new bodyguards. Joey, Uncle Theo."
"I can definitely see the family resemblance." Joey smiled, extending his hand for Theo to shake.
The corners of Theo's lips tugged down into a frown as he looked down his nose at Joey's proffered hand. "We're not related. I've been working with Hugo longer than Victoria has been alive."
"Way to undersell it." I snorted, turning to Joey. "He's not just my father's firm partner. He's a very old , very doting friend of the family. As a kid, anytime my parents said no, Uncle Theo would say yes."
"Old, am I?" Uncle Theo turned back to me, ignoring Joey's outstretched hand. Joey put it in his pocket, looking a little uncomfortable. "Well, I'll have you know, young lady. One day, you, too, will have gray in your hair and crow's feet by your eyes." His gaze slid over Joey again, apparent disgust written in the lines of his face. "And hopefully, by then, you'll have the experience to make good choices."
"Be nice, Uncle Theo!" I sighed, swatting his chest. "You know people are often more than they appear. Don't go acting like my father and ruining everyone's good mood." Uncle Theo wrinkled his nose, giving Joey another once over before sighing. His face relaxed slightly, and he stepped to the side to let us out onto the porch.
"I'm not trying to upset you, Jellybean. I just want what's best for you, you know that. Someone safe and steady, like that young man Benson." I couldn't stop the sick look that crossed my face before I could school my features. "I know you weren't a fan of how you were set up, but he really isn't all that bad."
"Sure, he's not bad. If you don't mind spending your time around someone who thinks the less fortunate are a drain on the system and are simply too lazy or stupid to make another choice." I sighed and gave him another hug, closing the subject. "I love you, Uncle Theo, but I'm not going to have this conversation with you. Joey's taking me to get a new phone and some lunch, and I'd like to get going."
"The fuck is the door doing open?" I heard his irritated voice before he stepped into the doorway. "What are you two still doing here?" Rich arched a brow as he looked over the three of us. "Don't you have somewhere to be, Princess?"
"Victoria's uncle stopped by to check on her because Daddy-O couldn't get any of us by phone," Joey said quickly before Rich could launch an interrogation. "We're heading out now."
I shot Uncle Theo a look and shook my head. He nodded and gave me another warm squeeze.
"I'm glad you're safe, Jellybean. Make sure you give me your new number, and maybe call an old man from time to time, huh? You know I worry." He kissed the top of my head before striding off to his car, waving as he pulled away.
Joey made a contemplative sound as we headed down the stairs to the drive toward the waiting Bentley. Joey opened the door and waited.
"Our three hours starts now. You're not docking time for this." I called out over my shoulder before climbing into the car. Joey slid in next to me and shut the door.
Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up in front of a run-down little sandwich shop that I didn't recognize. The brick was sun-bleached, and the awning was faded. The sign that read 'Eileen's' looked like it had seen better days. I looked around Joey and arched a brow. A slight smirk pulled up one side of his lips in amusement.
"Trust me, Greg and Eileen, make the best sandwiches in Sacona. Consider it an honor, because it's kind of a local secret." He opened the door and helped me out of the car. "I'd rather get my money's worth of good food than pay $30 a plate and be hungry again in an hour."
"Fair point," I said, following him in. A bell dinged as we walked in, alerting the staff that there were customers. The restaurant was largely empty, and a bored young woman looked up from the counter.
"Grab a seat anywhere. What can I get you to drink?" She drawled, punctuating her sentences with a loud pop of her chewing gum.
"Couple of sweet teas, unless you're feeling a coffee?" Joey asked, giving me room to order for myself if I disagreed. I smiled and squeezed his arm.
"Tea is fine. You know this place, so I'll trust you for what's good." He led me to a small booth at the far end of the shop, the red leather worn well beyond its prime to a sort of faded pink.
"Everything is good."
We chatted for a few minutes about what to order before we decided on our meal. I looked out the large window and watched the few people meandering around, unsure how to reconcile the feelings whirling inside me. With anyone else, on any other day, this could have been a perfectly normal lunch date–outing. This definitely wasn't a date. It wasn't an average outing, either. This was a gangster escorting me around the city because people kept trying to kill me. And I wasn't totally convinced they weren't the ones who'd tried.
"Victoria…" Joey started softly.
I blinked in confusion. I'm not sure I'd heard my actual name from any of them since the day I arrived. His face was pensive as he stared at his hands. He opened his mouth a few times as if he wanted to say something, then closed it again.
"So, what do you do for fun when you're not stuck babysitting?" I offered. Maybe a change of topic would ease him into working around to whatever he wanted to say. "The guys drag you down to the gun range or something?"
He arched a brow at me and laughed. "Sometimes, but I'm the one dragging them usually. They get rusty if they don't keep at it, and the amount of times I've had to show Az how to properly clean his gun is almost embarrassing." He leaned back in his seat and gave me a look I couldn't quite decipher. "But I also enjoy the cello. It's been a while since I've had time to play, but here's hoping things calm down enough that I'll be able to soon."
"You play cello? Somehow, that wasn't what I imagined when I pictured you doing things for fun." I chuckled, sipping the sweet tea we'd been brought.
"Yeah? What'd you picture? High-speed chases, working out, kicking down doors? That kind of thing?"
"I don't know… something like that, maybe. To be honest, I have a hard time picturing most of you with hobbies." The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I looked at him from beneath my lashes, hoping I hadn't offended him. He'd been so kind, and for some reason, upsetting him was the last thing I wanted to do.
"Yeah, I gathered. You know, we're not just gangsters, Sweetheart. Listen…" He trailed off, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck and looking out the window. "We're… ugh…"
"Joey, look–"
"No, give me a second. I'm not always good at getting stuff out. I know how you see us, and I know what you think happened. I'd say in your shoes, I'd probably think the same thing. But It's not what it seems to be. We're… we're not the good guys, Victoria. But we're not bad guys, and we're not those bad guys." He sighed again, scrubbing his hand across his face. "We never would have done anything against you, or the youth center. You don't have to believe me right now, but maybe… eventually you'll put the pieces together. Being around you, and getting to know you, proved to me we were wrong about our assumptions to start with, too."
"Well, the other guys don't seem to share your opinion. They watch me like I'm a fox that got into the hen house." I grumbled, leaning back in my seat.
"You're half right, but it's definitely not what you think." He smirked like there was something funny about the comment. "They're stubborn, Sweetheart, but they'll come around."
"Savannah Salad and French Dip with extra Swiss?" Our waitress drawled as she set the plates down.
We mumbled thanks and spent the rest of our meal in relative silence while I considered his words. There was a stark sincerity to them that was hard to brush off.
If Joey was right, and we'd all been so very wrong about each other, then where did that leave me?