Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Sleeping that night was nearly impossible.
I managed to reactivate Penelope’s permission to enter the house after lockdown and grab the piece of paper in the top drawer of my father’s desk.
I shoved it into the pocket of my pants without Colton being any wiser.
I’m not sharing the information with them yet, if ever.
They still have to prove I can trust them again.
Colton quietly assured me on the walk to my room that he would loop the cameras on this floor once we all went to bed, leaving footage of the five of us sleeping all night for whoever is monitoring the cameras to get bored with.
He leaves me at my door with a brief goodnight.
I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to say more, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
I didn’t even wait for him to get to the other room they are sharing.
I don’t know if that’s where they are all still staying, but it’s none of my concern at the moment.
The only one I have to worry about is Stacey.
She has the room next to them, and I need to come up with a way to ensure she isn’t wandering around this house in the middle of the night.
I could just kill her, but that would only lead to more drama, and I’m sure Mario would make my family suffer.
She will keep, but drugging her nightly meal may be the solution. I will have to play it by ear.
I didn’t hear her come home. Our rooms are soundproof, but I got an alert to my phone from the security system, showing Penny accessed it around eleven.
I put the phone back on the bedside table, my body on full alert due to the other warm body in my bed.
I had only just gotten used to sleeping with Sage, and Xavier’s presence is a whole different kettle of fish.
It’s just more all over. He’s bigger, and his presence is heavier.
He kindly didn’t force conversation when we went to bed.
Both of us went about our nighttime routines in semi comfortable silence, only breaking it when he asked which side of the bed was mine.
I was surprised he was kind enough to inquire to be honest, but he had no complaint and happily took the other side.
“I’m sorry, Tori. If I could avoid making you uncomfortable, I would, but Mario won’t stand for it,” he says quietly when we both climb in, and I’m lying on my back, feeling all kinds of awkward.
I sigh. “I know, it’s okay. It’s just a lot, you know?”
His sigh is even more loaded than mine was. “I know.” His hand brushes mine, and he gives it a squeeze. “I will try not to make it any more difficult than it already has been. There’s no pressure from me about anything.”
“How does Tris feel about all this?” I ask him, fiddling with the ring on my finger that feels foreign but also kind of right. I feel his whole body tense.
“He isn’t thrilled. He doesn’t want anything to do with Stacey, but he isn’t sure how long he can put her off.
He feels sick at the thought of touching her, and I want to carve her heart out and chop off her fingers for touching what’s mine,” he answers, barely holding his shit together.
There is more going unsaid, but with us being monitored, there isn’t much more he can say out loud.
To be honest, I didn’t mean how Tristan felt about the Stacey situation.
I couldn’t give a fuck about that, since she’s one bullet hole away from not being a problem anymore.
I meant about Xavier and I being married, but I won’t force the issue for now.
“Goodnight,” I say and roll over, putting my back to him. I reach under my pillow and touch the knife, feeling reassured when I feel the cold steel in my hand. I don’t think I’m in any danger from Xavier, but it’s still nice to have something, especially since I don’t have my gun anymore.
“Goodnight,” he replies, and the bed shifts as he rolls away from me as well. This can’t be easy for him. His long-term partner has basically been shoved aside for Mario’s greed. I hope the two of them are strong enough to survive the fallout of all of this.
I lie still, going over a hundred scenarios in my mind, until Xavier’s breathing evens out.
I have no idea if he is a light sleeper, and I’m worried if I move, I will wake him, but I need to get to the safe room and use a burner to call Mickey.
I need to know what’s at that address. There are also a number of weapons and drugs in the safe house that can only help my cause.
If I can drug everyone at night, then it will make coming and going much easier.
I finally make a decision that could ruin me, but without risk, there is no reward. I roll over and slide my hand across Xavier’s mouth. He startles and starts to struggle.
“It’s me, stop wriggling.” He instantly calms, but I don’t move my hand.
“Colton said the videos are looped, but not the listening devices,” I whisper as quietly as I can in his ear.
“We need to talk, and I have a place where we can do it without being heard, but we need a distraction for the listening devices. Grumble something about the room being too damn quiet and put some music on the Bluetooth speaker. I’m hoping they don’t notice the video doesn’t change.
Then, leave your phone, get the others, and meet me in the library.
Try not to wake Stacey, but her room is soundproof too, so she shouldn’t hear anything, and I know she sleeps like the dead. ”
Thankfully, he doesn’t question or argue with me, giving me a quick nod, and I release him.
He doesn’t even question my instructions, instead rolling over and reaching for his phone.
He does exactly what I told him, and I hear him muttering about the silence before music starts to play.
We don’t turn on any lights. I grab his hand and tow him over to my bedroom door, knowing precisely how to navigate my room in the dark.
I crack the door open and peer out. The hallway is lit by some ambient lighting, but the coast is clear.
I point in the direction of the room the other three are in before pointing down the hall toward the library.
He gives me a quick nod and silently moves toward the other room, while I turn my back and make my way to the library.
The house is completely silent, but I wouldn’t hear much anyway. The stairs separate both wings, and there is an external door between this one and the one my father used to reside in that Mario has taken over.
I hurry toward the library and slip into the room, keeping quiet as I wait for the others.
It doesn’t take them long before they arrive.
I left the lights off, only using the hallway to illuminate the room in case anyone checks.
Vienna opens her mouth to say something, but Colton slaps a hand over it and shakes his head.
I blink, a little distracted by all the exposed flesh.
All three guys only wear boxer briefs, and Vienna his wearing something similar to me—a tank top and panties—and they all look a little rumpled and soft.
It’s cute, but I can’t let it distract me.
I turn my back to them and pull the book lever, allowing the panic room door to click open with an audible sound.
When I look back for them to follow me, Tristan’s and Vienna’s eyes are wide with surprise, but neither Xavier nor Colton look like it was unexpected.
I pull the door closed behind us and take what feels like my first full breath in two weeks. When I turn around to face them, they are looking around the room in awe.
“What is this?” Vienna asks breathily.
“Panic room. Nobody but Gio, Sage, and I know about it, so I’m putting a huge amount of trust in you.
I figured it was the best place for us to talk.
It’s soundproof, and if you hit that button there, it locks down.
” I point to the big red button next to the door.
“I’ll show you which book to pull in case you ever need it.
” I don’t mention there is a slide down to the warehouse as an escape route.
I’m not going to put that much trust in them yet, and I want to be able to come and go as I please.
“You trust us?” Tristan asks hesitantly, looking hopeful, and I shrug.
“Not really, but I don’t feel like any of us have a choice at the moment. I thought we should clear the air if we want to work toward a resolution.” I wave a hand at the bed and the few chairs that are scattered around the room. “Why don’t we take a seat and get everything out in the open?”
Tristan’s face falls, but he seems resigned.
Colton takes a seat at the work desk with all the screens surrounding it.
They are all dark, only activating if the red button is pushed or I use my fingerprint on the keyboard, but I see him examining the tech with interest. Vienna throws herself on the bed but pulls herself up to the headboard and pops a pillow up to lean against. Both Xavier and Tristan take the two armchairs.
“You already knew we betrayed you that day, didn’t you?” Xavier asks me, and the other three frown with confusion.
I sigh and slide my back down the closed door before taking a seat on the floor.
It means I have to look up at them, but I’m too tired to care about postering for positions of power.
“Yeah. I had just gotten off the phone with my contact who had been investigating you. I didn’t trust what Gio found out. ”
“Who’s your contact, and what did they find? I covered our tracks completely,” Colton asks, sounding annoyed.
I huff out an amused breath of air. “Are we going to be truthful with one another? I want all of your truths if I’m going to offer you mine. How did you end up with Mario?”
They are silent before Vienna replies, “It’s my fault.”
Before she can say anything else, all three boys start denying it and reassuring her that she wasn’t to blame, but she holds her hand up, silencing them.