Chapter 16
EVERLEIGH
I slip out of the bedroom quietly, gun raised slightly as I move through the dark living room towards the foyer.
Every sound feels amplified as the floor clacks beneath my feet.
My heart beats furiously in my chest as I hear the faint sound of someone fumbling around.
I tighten my grip on the gun as I turn the corner, stepping carefully toward the entrance area.
I let out a sharp breath instantly, lowering the gun toward the floor. “Jesus fucking Christ, Marco.”
My other brother is stumbling all over the place, barely able to keep himself upright as he struggles with the front door behind him.
I walk closer to him and can automatically smell the strong stench of alcohol. His pupils are blown wide and his movements are so incredibly sloppy that I can tell immediately that he’s high again.
“Everleigh!” he shouts way too loud the second he notices me. “There you are, you beautiful-gorgeous sister of mine.”
“Lower your voice,” I hiss immediately, glancing toward the hallway on instinct, thinking Dante will be rounding the corner any second.
Marco starts laughing loudly like I said the funniest thing he’s ever heard in his life, nearly tripping into the entry table in the process.
“Whoa- Oh, shit.” He catches himself against the wall, grinning stupidly. “You always get so scary when you’re mad.”
I shove the gun into the pocket of my robe quickly before walking toward him. “You are absolutely not doing this right now.”
“Doing what?” he asks innocently, even though his speech is slurred.
“Making a damn scene. You can come back tomorrow when you’re sober.” I say as I push him back towards the door.
Marco squints at me for a second before his expression suddenly shifts into suspicion. “Why are you awake anyway?”
My stomach tightens instantly.
Behind me, I hear something move.
Marco’s head snaps upward toward the sound.
His eyes widen dramatically.
“No way,” he blurts loudly. “You have somebody here?”
“Marco!” I place my hands in the air.
“You do!” He points at me like he just solved some massive mystery. “Holy shit, what would Gabriel say?”
I move forward quickly, grabbing his arm to start pulling him towards the door before he can start yelling louder than he already is. “If you don’t shut the hell up right now, I swear to fuck-”
“What?” he whispers loudly, leaning closer. “You gonna shoot me with the gun you just hid? Horribly, I might add.”
I freeze.
He grins lazily.
“Yeah,” he says proudly. “I saw that too.”
“Leigh, who is it?”
Dante’s voice carries from behind me, low and rough from exhaustion.
Marco’s already blown pupils seem to widen even further the second he hears footsteps getting closer.
Slowly, his head turns back toward me.
There’s disbelief written all over his face now.
“You cannot seriously be that fucking stupid, Everleigh,” he says under his breath. “You brought that fucking narc here?”