Chapter Thirty Three
Victoria
Craig just stood silently beside me as I hid just out of sight at the top of the stairs listening to the guys deal with my father. I took a single step forward, intending to speak with my father myself when Craig gently grabbed my elbow and pulled me back with a soft shake of his head.
"No one here sees her as a job but you . And as far as I care, we don't work for you anymore." Rich's voice echoed up the stairwell.
I gasped, and for some stupid reason, tears welled in my eyes.
"What's wrong, Bunny?" Craig asked, causing the tears to spill over my lashes.
"I don't know why I'm crying." I sniffled, turning to wrap my arms around him. "It's so stupid. Rich made it clear he wants nothing to do with me, but now he's standing up for me to my dad ."
Craig wrapped his arms around me, petting my hair and softly shushing me. "It's alright, Bunny. We already knew Rich was a confused idiot, and it's understandable it'd be upsetting for you sometimes."
A couple of minutes later, the front door slammed, making me jump slightly. I teetered on the edge of the stairs, thankful Craig had me pulled into a hug. The last thing I'd need was to fall backward down them and have all the effort to get me this far ruined because of an unfortunate fall.
The sound of a fight drew both my and Craig's attention, and I started to turn as we heard Joey and Rich shouting at each other. His hold around me tightened.
"You don't want to be in the middle of that, Bunny. Let them sort it out. It's… been a long time coming." Craig said carefully.
So, I stood at the top of the stairs listening. More tears fell when Joey told Rich that he loved me, and with every thrown barb and revelation, it only got worse from there. A deafening wooden crack filled the house.
"Jesus, they've killed each other," I said, pulling out of Craig's arms and rushing down the stairs. He caught up with me just as we reached the point on the stairs that brought the room into view, grabbing hold of my wrist.
My eyes grew wide as I watched Az grab Rich in a bear hug and Leighton launch himself at Joey to intercept him mid-air. I covered my mouth to stop the sob that tried to escape me as I watched the aftermath of what had clearly been a brawl. The dining table was collapsed, broken down the center, and Leighton was wrapped around Joey to hold him still, and Az looked like he was barely holding on to Rich's broad frame.
And it felt as though as fast as the brawl had started, it was ending. Leighton tried in vain to get the boys to make up, but they seemed content to just… move on despite the black eyes that were forming on the brothers' faces. Jarring didn't seem like a strong enough word to describe the shift as they moved into the kitchen and went back to talking about business.
Rich gave his orders and stormed from the kitchen, barely giving Craig and me a glance as he moved past us. The slam of his door echoed down to us a couple of seconds later.
"What the fuck happened?" I said quietly, unsure if anyone but Craig would even hear me.
Leighton's head snapped up from his phone and his eyes narrowed as they took in my red-rimmed eyes, and, probably, puffy face.
"What did you do to her?" he asked Craig, shock and concern evident in his tone.
"I didn't do anything, at least as far as I know." Craig answered, letting go of my wrist that he'd been holding and putting his hand on my lower back so we could finish descending the stairs and enter the room. "There was shouting, and she started crying."
"Is that popcorn?" I asked, catching sight of the bowl beside Leighton. "Oh, you know what would be amazing with that. A chocolate bar and some of that super amazing pizza from the place by my apartment." As the words left my mouth, it dawned on me what my problem was. "Shit."
"Are you pregnant for real this time, baby momma?" Leighton asked with a wide grin on his face.
"Uh, no. The exact opposite actually." I paused, not thinking as I squeezed my boobs to check, causing all four of the guys to let out a strangled choking sound. "Yep, they're sore. I'm about to start my period."
"I have something for this!" Leighton all but shouted before taking off for his bedroom. He reappeared a few minutes later with a stack of tampon boxes so high he had to tilt his head to the side to see where he was walking.
"Again, Leighton… I don't think I'll ever go through that much. I appreciate the foresight, but it's not necessary to buy the whole aisle." I sighed with a little smile. He meant well, at least.
"I didn't buy the whole aisle. I just know from having a sister that women tend to have a preference of brand and I didn't know yours." He frowned, moving to where the dining room table had been as if he would drop his haul. "Oh, right." He stepped around the destroyed furniture to deposit the boxes on the counter instead.
"You could have asked… But I suppose I can donate what I won't be using to the center." I considered as I stared at the pile of boxes.
"I sort of figured you would, that's why I just bought a bunch of different brands instead of texting Az to ask your preference." Leighton shrugged. The sentiment made my heart squeeze a little, and I couldn't help it when I started to tear up again.
"That's… really sweet, L," I said with a soft sniffle.
"Please don't cry again just because, ya know, I'm a psychopath, not an idiot." Leighton shrugged again.
"You're not a psychopath, Leighton. You can be really sweet when you're not being an ass." I sniffled again, wiping away my tears harshly. I hated the crying, but I couldn't stop it.
Leighton and Az were slowly backing away from the kitchen as I stood there trying to get a handle on myself. Which only made me feel worse. It wasn't like I wanted to cry over a pile of tampon boxes.
Leighton stepped behind Joey, where he'd hopped off the counter and come across the room when we entered and pushed him toward me by the shoulders.
" Fix it !" Leighton said in a loud stage whisper, causing Joey to roll his eyes.
"L, that's not how–" Joey started.
"Do your wholesome magic stuff, lover boy. Make her feel better." Leighton said, staying behind Joey and looking at me from around him.
"I can hear you, asshole." I snapped at Leighton, moving to where the bowl of popcorn sat abandoned and picking at it. I wasn't crying anymore; my mood had swung into irritation.
"We need a snack-rifice." Az said with a smirk, watching Leighton panic as he stood behind Joey.
"I can go–" Craig started.
"On it!" Leighton shouted, speeding from the kitchen toward the front door, and grabbing his keys. We could hear his bike start before the front door shut behind him.
".... I'm not that bad, am I?" I grumbled. Each of the three men left found something different in the room to look at, and no one answered the question. "Really?" I snapped.
"Not at all, Sweetheart. It's just… an adjustment." Joey offered.
"Though, to be fair, I don't think I've ever seen Leighton move that fast." Az mused, snickering as he stared toward the entrance.
A sharp cramp in my abdomen caused me to grimace and I stalked to the counter and snatched a box of tampons off it. "Whatever," I muttered to myself, before practically stomping my way to the bathroom.
The rest of the evening was spent with the guys shooting me wary glances while plying me with snacks, hot water bottles, and foot rubs. Leighton had the foresight to bring back a bottle of Midol with his two bags full of candy that was working wonders for me. Rich still hadn't reemerged by the time I climbed into Joey's bed and passed out for the night.
I woke around lunchtime and was dying for some nacho cheese covered tater tots. After a quick shower, I made my way downstairs and started rifling through the cabinets. By the time I'd picked through all of them and come up empty, I was in tears again.
"Uh, shit." I heard Leighton whisper behind me.
My head snapped toward him just in time to see him backing away slowly and nearly colliding with Az.
"Wha-" Az started before noticing me. "Shit. What's the matter, Love?" His voice was gentle as he stepped around Leighton and moved toward me.
"I just wanted some tater tots with nacho cheese. Why is there no nacho cheese?" My voice sounded whiny even to me.
Az raised his hand and scratched the back of his neck in discomfort. "Craig usually does the shopping since he's the one that cooks." He glanced over his shoulder toward Leighton. "Go grab Craig for me, yeah?"
"Yep, you got it." Leighton replied, his relief at being dismissed from the room clear on his face.
"Why don't you go sit on the couch while I have a look, Love. Maybe I can find what you're after. If not, we can pick it up at the store on our way home from our meeting with our captains, okay?"
Without waiting for a response from me, Az started searching through the same cabinets I'd already checked. He was pulling everything from the second cabinet when Craig appeared on the steps, half his face still covered in shaving cream.
"Az Casadei, what the hell are you doing to my kitchen?" Craig demanded.
"Victoria wanted some nacho cheese." Az replied, glancing over to find me crying in earnest. "Why the fuck do we not have nacho cheese?!"
"Because I make it from scratch on the rare occasion you idiots ask for nachos," Craig replied.
"Of course you fucking do." Az grumbled, his voice lowering to the point it was clear he was speaking to himself. "PMSing, crying woman in the house, but you just gotta be all fancy like we didn't grow up on the processed shit. Fucking hell."
"I don't want homemade; I want the canned stuff." I wailed. "It's sooo good."
Craig looked at me with wide eyes like I'd just insulted him in the worst way.
"If the woman wants canned nacho cheese, that's what she's getting. You can just look the other way, Chef." Az said firmly. I could kiss him for defending my craving needs.
"Well, fine. We can get some of… that on our way back, but we don't have any currently. So…" Craig trailed off. I cried harder. This was dumb, I knew it was dumb. But the cravings were riding my ass, and I couldn't help it. If I were in my apartment, then I'd have my cheese, and none of this would be happening right now.
"Maybe… Can we afford to stop and get some on the way instead?" Az checked his watch.
"Dude, I'm not even done shaving !" Craig groaned. "We'd have to leave now."
"What about the tater tots?" I said between sobs and hiccups. "It's not the same without the tater tots."
"What the fuck is going on? Why is no one ready?" Rich's deep bass cut through the room in irritation. I turned to face him and had to look away. He was dressed in a sharp black suit with a pressed white dress shirt and deep crimson tie. "And can someone tell me why Ella is just standing outside staring at our front door?" He paused a moment and swept his eyes over the room. "And why is the Princess having a fucking meltdown?"
"Because of nacho cheese and tater tots. That's why no one is ready. And probably because she can hear that this is a bad time to knock." Az rattled off the answers to the questions as he moved toward the door.
"Wh– Nacho cheese and… How the fuck is this more important than the meeting with our captains. I would think we have more pressing matters." Rich said harshly.
"Because fuck you, Rich. That's why." I snapped. He could look good in a suit all day; didn't stop the fact he was an absolute dick.
Craig cut a glare at Rich and made a gesture at me, trying to control my hiccups and sobs. I caught sight of Leighton stepping up behind Rich and tapping him on the shoulder.
"I know Dawn taught you and Joey all about women's bodies and their monthly visitor, so how are you worse at this than me?"
"We don't have time for this. We're already going to be late." Rich clipped before moving toward the front door and jerking it open. "Ella, come in."
A short brunette with a deep tan and brown eyes strolled into the house, her eyes flitting around as if she was searching out a threat. Even in her black cargo pants and baggy black t-shirt, she was stunning. She definitely looked better than I did at the moment, and it had jealousy threatening to rear its ugly head in spite of the moth tattoo displayed prominently on her forearm.
"Ella, this is Victoria. Princess, this is Ella. She's your bodyguard for the day. Do not leave this house."
"Yes sir," Ella's voice had a musical lilt to it that made me want to punch her in the throat, even though I knew I had no reason to feel that way toward the woman.
"I didn't know you guys hired fucking Disney Princesses for your crew." I huffed under my breath as I crossed my arms over my chest.
Rich cut his eyes to me with a glare. " She knows how to follow commands. Any princess that knows how to listen better than you do is worth having in the crew." He snapped.
Uncrossing my arms, I flipped Rich off with both hands, stuck out my tongue and pulled a childish, mocking face. Ella burst out laughing at my actions before her eyes moved to Rich and she stiffened.
"You can laugh, Ella. My girl is fucking hilarious." Leighton cackled.
" Ours !" Craig, Az and Joey corrected in unison.
Ella looked at me and grinned. "Damn, anyone with the balls to take on these five in any capacity is someone I want to be friends with."
"She's the job, Ella. Nothing more." Rich said with a scowl, before turning his attention to the other guys. "Why are you all still standing here, not ready to go?"
Ella shrugged almost to herself and strolled around Rich toward me, extending a hand. "We already know each other's names, but it's still nice to meet you, Victoria. I promise you will be safe with me. Az told me you've been stuck with just them for a while and thought you could use some time with another woman that gets it."
"Gets which part? The having my life turned upside down, or the multiple boyfriends?" I deadpanned.
Ella laughed again. "I only have the one guy, so probably neither. But it can't be all it's cracked up to be, being stuck with nobody but those five for as long as you have been. Yeah, they're my bosses, but they're still dudes."
Whatever hormone driven jealousy had been brewing when she walked into the house vanished. "Hey, I like her. Can I keep her as a bodyguard?" I called out after the guys as they were retreating from the room to finish getting ready to leave.
Rich's cell phone rang and cut through the conversation. "Yeah?" Rich drawled, heading for the front door and stepping outside.
Ella and I fell into the casual get to know each other conversation until Rich stepped back into the house just as the other guys reemerged dressed in smart suits except for Leighton who was in his normal clothing with knives and guns strapped to him.
"We have a problem." Rich ground out as he slammed the door behind him, casting his gaze toward Ella as if deciding whether or not she should be present for whatever he was about to say.
"If you don't trust the soldier I chose to protect Victoria then you don't trust my judgment, Rich." Az spoke, noticing the indecision on Rich's face. "Just spit it out."
Ella practically preened under Az's praise, and I stuffed down the bit of jealousy threatening to resurface.
"The safehouse on Brooks is gone. We're down a captain and two others are injured. Somehow the fucking Jackals knew about the meeting, it's sheer fucking luck we weren't there when the bomb went off."
"Mother nature, one." Leighton snickered, winking at me.
"Absolutely not. We are not crediting the Princess having a meltdown." Rich grumbled. "We need to change into something more suited for clean up and get boots on the ground now."
"You do that." Leighton said, strolling toward me. "I'm not necessary for this part of the job, so I'm gonna hang here. Call me if there's someone for me to kill."