Chapter Twenty-Two
SHAKING, I HOLD THEphone in disbelief. My good mood evaporates, my happiness replaced with the chill of danger.
He knows who I’m with.
He knows where I am, maybe.
And he’ll kill me.
I have no doubt he would.
Odds are, I’m worth more to him dead than alive.
I move like an automaton—quickly, efficiently, drying the rest of the way off and pulling on whatever clothes are handy, I don’t even notice. I pound down the stairs to the first floor, my ears ringing and my vision tunneling, my dumb phone in a death grip as I will this not to be another seizure.
Or...no, they’re not seizures. Another whatever those are.
“Guys?” I call out, my voice sounding tinny, hollow, far away. “Anyone home?”
“Office,” calls a voice—Rob’s. Strange that I can already tell them apart so easily. On unsteady legs, I thread through the front hallway and to the back of the house, where the office sits as a small alcove of dark wood and tall windows.
The bookshelves and desks swim together as I walk in, my fingernails digging into my palm to will myself steady. Rob’s there, and Tuck—Rob flicking through a folder of documents while Tuck squints at a computer screen, hands on the keyboard and brow adorably furrowed.
But when they see me, their casualness drops.
“Maren,” Rob says, getting to his feet. He’s wearing just a dark green hoodie and gray sweats, God help me. Now that I know what’s underneath those clothes, it’s harder to focus, even in my panicked state. But my survival instinct overtakes my hormones, for once.
“What’s wrong?” Tuck stands, too, running a hand through his disheveled hair. He’s got a light five o’clock shadow going, even though it’s only 11 a.m.
“I have to leave,” I blurt out. “I have to get out of here.”
Confusion clouds both of their faces.
“What?” Tuck speaks first. “Why?”
Rob’s eyes darken. “If this is about last night—”
I flush. “No, it’s—it’s this,” I say, by way of explanation, and hold out the dumb phone. I flip it open and scroll to the texts.
Rob takes the phone and reads, his jaw hardening.
“You’re going to need to explain, Maren.”
Then he hands the phone to Tuck, whose face goes steely.
I take big, steadying breath. I hate that I’m doing this, hate that instead of basking in whatever afterglow or awkwardness I should be getting after last night, I have to figure out a way to stay safe—again. I’m still on the run, and maybe I always will be.
“My uncle’s trying to...I don’t know what the technical term is. Steal from me.” I explain everything: about the inheritance, the conservatorship, the sheriff in bed with the courts to make it all seamless. I explain, even though it’s moot, that there was never any chance he’d pay a ransom for me, because I’m only a meal ticket to him. I pour everything out.
“I need your help,” I say plainly.
APPARENTLY, I ALSOneeded coffee.
I’m sitting on the sleek armchair in the sitting room with a steaming mug of espresso in one hand, willing the caffeine to hit my bloodstream so that I can process whatever’s about to happen here at the impromptu meeting Rob has called between the four of them.
Will looks a little bleary, but still came in turned out for the day, in a short-sleeve polo and trousers. LJ’s more casual, unsurprisingly, in a black hoodie with the sleeves cut off and a sour expression. Tuck’s sitting just to my right, elbows on his knees that are jittering up and down.
And Rob’s pacing in front of all of us.
“Well, someone needs to say something,” Will says. “Or else I’m following Maren’s lead and pouring myself a damn red eye.”
“Maren’s gotten threats,” Rob says. “Here.”
He hands over my dumb phone to Will, who reads, eyes wide.
“Goddamn,” Will breathes. “Who sent these?” He looks at me, gentle enough to break my heart. “Was it—”
“Yeah. My uncle.”
LJ takes the phone from Will and reads, too, stroking his beard. He knits his brow, looks at me. “These came in just now?”
I nod again. “Early this morning. You can check the time stamps, but I didn’t see them until after I’d gotten up.”
LJ grimaces. “Fucking animal.” He pins me with a stare. “He shouldn’t say things like that.”
My lip trembles in spite of myself.
You little slut
Whore
And my mind goes to last night. To their hands and mouths all over me. To the rippling pleasure that rolled through my body.
To how much I liked it. To how very, very badly I wanted it.
“Goddammit,” I mutter, swiping at my eyes. “I’m not...I’ve never...” I look up into their eyes, Rob’s mossy dark ones and Tuck’s warm honey and Will’s sharp blue and LJ’s deep brown, and the words burst out of me. “I’m not what he says I am. I’m not like that, I swear. Maybe—maybe you think differently, because of last night, but—”
“Maren,” Rob says sternly. “We would never, ever think that.”
“Never,” Tuck echoes.
“No, never,” agrees Will.
“Not even LJ,” Rob says.
LJ grunts, but it’s a grunt of assent.
“We don’t think of women like that,” Rob goes on, “and certainly, never, ever you.”
I want to crumble in front of them. The relief is palpable through my body, a small wave of warm pleasure.
“I just...I can’t stop thinking about last night,” I say, burning with shame.
Tuck licks his lips, darts a glance at Rob, then Will. “I mean, me neither,” he says. “I don’t know about you two, but...”
Rob gives a long exhale through his nose and nods. Will scratches the back of his head a bit awkwardly.
“I’m so...embarrassed, I guess?” I say. “I know that’s not the point right now, but—”
“It is.” This, from LJ. He barely looks my way, but I feel the intensity of his gaze all the same. “He wants to make you feel ashamed. Manipulate your emotions. Guy’s a total bastard.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I mutter. I keep my eyes trained on my mug, but can’t help but feel a tiny flutter of pleasure knowing LJ doesn’t think I’m a slut.
“Seems the coffee brought your sense of humor back,” Rob says, but he smiles, and even relaxes a little. He sinks onto the bench of the piano. “All right. So, Maren...” He glances at the other three, then at me. “Do you want to stay here? For good?”
“Hm?”
The question takes me by surprise. Although maybe it shouldn’t. It’s not like I don’t know these guys now—75% of them carnally, in fact.
And it’s not like I have anywhere else really to go.
But I’m still hesitant to answer.
“I...think so,” I say. “I mean, yes. I like it here, crazily enough.”
“That is crazy,” Will says. “A four-man bachelor pad full of smelly boy stuff?”
“Hey,” Tuck objects. “The stuff is not smelly.”
“Yeah, and watch whose bachelor pad you’re insulting or else you’ll end up pad-less,” Rob adds.
“Hang on,” I say. “You’re just letting me stay indefinitely? Just like that? What about your whole no-girls-allowed thing?”
Rob sighs. “Okay, first of all, I never said no girls allowed. I believe the exact words were that I would never allow a woman to come between us.”
Will chokes back a laugh. Confusion color’s Rob’s face until he realizes what he’s just said.
“Oh, for...” Rob groans, rolling his eyes. “You know what I meant.”
Will laughs, fully losing it, while Tuck looks bashfully at the ceiling, like he’s pretending he can’t hear any of this. Even LJ snorts. I feel my face flush what I’m sure is a brilliant crimson.
“No, no, I get it,” Will says, calming down a bit. “You just want us to edge her the whole time?”
“Jesus Chr—enough,” Rob says. “Focus, please. Where were we?”
But now Tuck’s grinning. “Having some kind of DTR.”
“For fuck’s sake.” Rob runs a hand through his hair, fighting back a smile. “Look, it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Boys—I don’t want a woman coming between us in the sense of tearing apart our bond,” he enunciates clearly, “and I think we all understand that. But that’d only be an issue if Maren chose one of us over the others—”
“And I don’t even know how I’d choose,” I interrupt.
“That’s what I’m saying.” Rob smiles his wicked half-smile. “Don’t.”
“Don’t...”
“Don’t choose,” he says. “We already swore an oath to share everything—didn’t we, boys?”
The other three nod.
“So, if you want it that way...it can be that way,” Rob finishes.
My eyes feel huge. I’m honestly lost for words. So, okay, chill, just live with four hot guys and have mind-blowing sex with any or all of them—except LJ, I guess—whenever, with no jealousy or hurt feelings?
It sounds impossible. But it also sounds so damn good.
“Sorry,” I say, feeling the heat spread over my cheeks again and covering my face. I’m just—”
“You don’t need to be embarrassed,” Rob says. “Does she?”
“No.” Will stands up, gestures for me to come close. “C’mere, greasemonkey.”
To my surprise, I do. I bury myself in his chest, let his arms wrap around me.
“Did you like it?” he murmurs into my ear. “What we did last night?”
I nod, my hair brushing against the buttons of his shirt.
“Good.” He strokes the back of my head, then gently pushes me a few inches away to look in my eyes. “So there’s nothing to feel weird about.” He smiles, and hooks a finger under my chin. “May I?”
My heartbeat flutters, and I nod. Will leans in, smooth and swift, and kisses me, brisk, hot, and forceful.
When we break apart, Rob takes me by the waist.
And kisses me, too.
His is rougher, firmer, but just as good. Still warms me to my core, sends the chills skittering over my skin. Just...different.
I gasp a little as our lips part.
Rob smiles, and so does Will, and Tuck.
LJ stares out the window, as if he’s ignoring us.
And I’m not going to lie: that hurts.
“LJ.” Rob turns to him, holding my hand in his. “I want to make something clear, here. You don’t have to do shit with Maren unless you consent to it, except protect her. Okay? That’s not negotiable.”
Silence.
“You’ve said yourself you’d do as much,” Rob goes on. “And we owe her our protection.” He lets that last line linger a long, long beat. “Got it?”
Finally, LJ nods.
Rob turns to me. “We’ll keep you safe, Maren,” Rob says. “I promise you.”
“Trust us,” Tuck adds. “We know what we’re doing.”
“You’d fucking better,” I mutter. “Because I sure as hell don’t.”
“We’ll need to figure out if anyone knows you’re gone,” Rob says. “If there’s any indication he’s really on your trail, or if he was just bluffing. Check police reports, public records—”
“On it,” Tuck says. “I can do that easily.”
“Good boy,” Rob says. “And we’ll double down on security at the house.”
Will nods. “Perimeter check?”
Rob nods back. “Just do a sweep and make sure there’s no gaps. LJ, I want you to check on artillery.”
Artillery? Jesus Christ. I shiver a little. But LJ just jerks his head affirmatively.
“Sure.”
“And you’re going to teach Maren to fight,” Rob goes on.
“What?” LJ and I say at the same time.
“She needs to know self-defense,” Rob says. “You’re the best fighter we have...in human form, anyway. Teach her the basics so that she can stick up for herself in case we’re not there to fight for her. I’m not taking any arguments on this.” He folds his arms.
“Fine.” LJ says. “Tomorrow morning. Seven a.m. sharp. My apartment.”
I nod crisply, not letting him get anything out of me. “Okay.”
“And in case anyone’s wondering what I’m doing,” Rob says, “I’m going to make some calls to...associates. Put out some feelers, as they say. See if we can’t size up what kind of a threat your uncle really is.”
“Thank you,” I say. “Seriously. I...I don’t really know what my uncle’s capable of, or even what he’s done, but...” I swallow. “He’s clearly not the person I thought he was.”
“We’ve got you, Maren,” Will says. “I’ll make sure this place is airtight. You’ll be safer than all the gold bullion at Fort Knox.”
“And I can teach you defense,” LJ grunts. “Might as well learn it from the best.”
It’s overwhelming, honestly. No one’s ever so much as reminded me to wear a helmet on my bike, and now all of a sudden I have a DEFCON-level security force protecting my every move.
“I’m guessing there’s not much you need from me,” Tuck says, half-smiling. “Unless you need some databases hacked.”
An idea occurs to me. “Actually...do you think you can help me with something?”