Chapter 35
Isabella sat on the edge of her bed, tying the laces of her boots, her expression unreadable.
We were meeting up in her room first. The meeting had gone exactly as Andy said it would.
I adjusted my ponytail and then smoothed the fabric of my T-shirt.
Our eyes met. Isabella’s flickered with anticipation and the same quiet determination I had coiling in my chest.
The sound of movement in the hallway caught my attention, and I knew before I looked who it was. The scent of honeysuckle wafted through the open door. Kinsley swept into the room like she was arriving at a gala charity event.
The gown was sleek, elegant, and absolutely ridiculous for what we were about to do. Black, at least. I’d give her that much. But the high slit up her leg, the way the fabric hugged her curves—not what I imagined crew attire would look like.
Isabella let out a loud, exaggerated groan, dragging both hands down her face. “Seriously? For fuck’s sake, Kins.”
Kinsley blinked, feigning innocence. “What?”
“Did you not get the dress code memo?” she sputtered, looking as dumbfounded as me.
I glanced at Isabella, whose expression was somewhere between despair and murderous frustration, then back to Kinsley, who seemed far too pleased with herself.
“You know for a hundred percent certainty that the only black I own is dresses or lingerie. I only wear lingerie for three men, well technically two, one prefers me naked, but I digress. And trust me, this is perfect. I like to call this the ‘vengeful justice’ look and it comes with stilettos, among other things.”
Her hands smoothed down the black material of the tight fitted gown.
In her hand, she indeed held a pair of six-inch stilettos that were more appropriate for a date out on the town.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. The silly girl had somehow found a way to make light of the situation we were in, and I wasn’t mad.
“You could have borrowed something from either of us. Have the guys seen you yet? How the hell is Alek going to concentrate with you looking like that?” Isabella huffed, putting her hands on her hips.
“Don’t you worry about him. Technically, it’s Ivan’s night and, well, all I can say is he approved.”
She made her way over to the full-length mirror, turned sideways and threw her hair back with flair. Isbella threw her hands up, muttering under her breath about unbelievable…dramatic…I may have even heard a ‘why do I even bother?’ And Kinsley dramatically swept the material back through the slit.
“Oh, and look.”
Sitting perfectly on her thigh was not only a shiny blade, but some other type of gadget. Isabella’s eyes narrowed, and I gasped. Declan came bounding through the door.
“Ooh, Mummy, look Auntie Kins has a pretty dress on.”
Kinsley quickly moved to cover her accessories and turned around. She held her arms out, and Declan ran into them. Isabella met my eyes and sighed. He had taken to the two girls much like the men in this house. Thrilled to be the center of attention.
“Where are you going? Who is taking you out tonight?” Declan asked Kinsley.
“We all have plans for tonight. You’re staying home with Mrs. Patterson, remember?” I reminded him.
“Yes, I know but, you should change, Mummy. You too, Auntie Bella.”
“Well, I suppose Mummy has a gown or two, but I don’t own any, kiddo. And your Auntie Kins is the one actually overdressed for the evening,” Isabella said, rolling her eyes.
“If you say so. My girlfriends are going to wear dresses all the time.”
“Girlfriends?” I asked, amused by his choice of words.
“Yup. I spoke with Uncle Bash. He said I could have as many as I wanted as long as they know about each other. Like Uncle Alek, Uncle Nik, and Uncle Ivan. But he said I’ll change my mind when I get older. Something about one is hard enough. But I’m strong, so I can handle it.”
I sighed and was about to tell him Uncle Bash was probably right, but a knock on the door interrupted me. Branson poked his head in and said that the men were waiting for us.
“Run on down to the kitchen, son. Mind Mrs. Patterson.”
“I’ll take him, Ms. Victoria,” Branson offered.
“Okay, Mummy. Still think you should change.”
He shook his head and wrinkled his nose in disapproval, making me chuckle. After insisting on kissing all of us on the top of the head—a habit he’d picked up from the guys—he went with Branson.
As soon as the door closed behind them, I blurted out, “Kinsley, is that other item strapped to your thigh what I think it is?”
“It is, and I’m fully prepared to use it.”
“Who are you and what have you done with my season sister?” Isabella asked, shuddering.
“Don’t be silly, I’m still here. Ivan says it’s better to be over prepared than under.
Who knows what will feel right in the moment?
The best piece of advice I can give either of you is this.
Focus on the enemy. For you, it’s Cameron,” she said, pausing.
Then she turned to Isabella. “And for you, maybe you can close your eyes and picture our old enemies. Project that image onto the man in front of you and allow all the rage you’ve held back all these years to manifest. Once it’s consumed you, you can make whatever decision seems right. ”
“We should go,” I breathed, trying to reconcile the fierce woman before me with eyes of steel.
Kinsley gathered her heels and beamed up at us.
“Are you bringing a handbag by chance?” Isabella asked.
“I wasn’t planning to, but I could if you need me to,” she offered. “Are we talking a large-sized one for like a hammer or duffle bag size for a bat? I’m not sure it will go with this outfit, but Ivan will carry it for me, so it doesn’t clash—”
Isabella shook her head. “Small is good. I just want to bring this.”
She walked over to her vanity and rummaged around in her makeup stash. I was confused. What could she possibly think we’d need makeup for? She sauntered over, holding a tube of lipstick.
“Ooh, what color?” Kinsley asked.
“Red, of course, it was that or black.”
“Darn, Alek is adamant no red, but okay, you two go on. I’ll grab my handbag. Meet you in the drawing room.”
She skipped from the room as if we weren’t planning on torturing a man in a few mere hours.
“I swear, she’s crazy,” Isabella muttered under her breath.
“But you gotta love her. Thank you for this. I know it’s difficult and if I’m honest, I hope I don’t let either of you down.”
“You won’t, no matter what happens in the end. You say your peace and if that’s all you want to do, we support you. Plus, we’ve got psycho lady apparently ready to bring bats and hammers along with a wire-shaped V.”
We made our way to the drawing room, where the quiet voices of seven men waited.
I still couldn’t get over how big and imposing they were, no matter how many meals we shared, movie nights we’d had, or trips to the park.
Never mind how much they practically turned into six-year-olds when Declan was around.
Even Alek, who was the most stoic of all the crew, became almost sweet.
The fact that our vote last evening hadn’t gone in his favor made me feel on edge. I knew it was because he was concerned about his girl. If he only knew the things she said she wanted to do to Cameron if given the chance.
I shared more with Kinsley than with Isabella. It was clear from the get-go that she was still finding her way. It broke my heart to hear that she had sat in silence for so long, even if it was self-imposed.
We had no sooner arrived when Kinsley swept once more dramatically through the door. Ivan’s face lit up, Nik grinned, and Alek fumed.
“Before you say a word, Reaper, because I can see the words forming, I’m not changing. I’ll remind you of the newly negotiated terms. You only get to dictate my wardrobe on your nights.”
Nikola slapped him on the back. Ivan cleared his throat and signaled her, and she scampered over to him. I still couldn’t wrap my head around their dynamic, but every day it became clearer that it worked for them all.
Within seconds of being in front of Ivan, Kinsley’s eyes became hard and cold. He whispered in her ear, giving her a pep talk. Small bits of their conversation made their way over.
“No, you can’t…we talked about this. He is a…I know…sniveling coward…”
In direct contrast, Isabella was checking Pasha’s scar. She reached up and pushed a strand of hair back from his face, which was stoic. Hers was etched with concern. He was once more wearing the two different colored contacts and was in character. One I knew in my heart Cameron would fear.
“You okay, angel?”
Andrew stepped in front of me, and I collapsed into his embrace. A part of me wanted nothing more than to have hatred coursing through my veins for Cameron, and I did, just not rage, at least not right at that moment in time.
“I am now. I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Then you don’t have to. This is your choice, not Kinsley’s, not Isabella’s, not mine. Yours.”
“I know, but I want to try.”
“We’re taking two cars, so as soon as you girls are done, you’ll be going with Marcus to wait while we finish up,” Andrew said.
I nodded, feeling a tiny bit of relief at his words.
“Where the fuck is Bash?” Alek barked.
The sound of heavy boots approached, and Sebastian stood there.
His anger had burned out, leaving behind something quieter, something heavier.
His eyes landed on Isabella first. Andy sighed.
The look he gave her was like he was still struggling to reconcile the sister he’d always known with the truth he hadn’t.
He exhaled, dragging a hand through his hair.
“He’s managing, angel.”
Andrew sensed my worry and soothed the unspoken. “When Kinsley came to live here, she was still struggling with nightmares. He’s dealt with a few of the worst, so now knowing Bella was there…”
“If it makes it any better, she was never beaten. They always used those as lessons. Not that she wasn’t terrorized well, you know the details…” My voice trailed off.
“Ladies, I need you to listen closely.” Alek’s commanding presence settled the soft chatter.
“I understand that on very deep and intricate levels, this is personal for you, but there are rules I’m going to insist be followed.
We have something specific in mind for the coward.
I’m in no way minimizing the need you have for revenge, but I must insist you don’t take matters into your own hands. Understood, Kinsley Anya?”
Her brow furrowed momentarily and then relaxed as Ivan massaged her shoulders. “Fine, but I think it’s only fair we’re allowed to watch?”
All the men, save Ivan, bellowed the word, “No.”
Kinsley pushed Ivan’s hands off her shoulders and stalked over to me.
“We have every right. He locked her in a cage, a coffin cage. My season sister slept that way for years. I want to suffocate him. I want him to be put in the same box he put her in. He branded her with his fucking initial. Damn prick.”
An intense anger burned through her, but she was nowhere near done.
“While Victoria reads her statement, we’re going to dip this…” she pulled the intricate wired letter V from her strap, “into the fire until it’s red hot and jab him over and over in his ugly—”
“Dostatochno,” Alek bellowed. “I swear, young lady, you will listen, or I’ll lock your ass in the playroom, and you can await my punishment, Ivan’s night or not. I’m still the boss of the damned Death Squad. With a flick of my wrist, Marcus will drag your ass to the car before you can even blink.”
“But that’s not…”
I looped my pinkie through hers and squeezed, silently telling her to let it go. Isabella pushed through the group and stood proudly next to Kinsley.
“It’s for me. The branding mark. It’s mine to give. No, I didn’t ask her, but she knows me well enough to know that it dances in the outer corners of my mind. I reserve the right to inflict it, should I choose to.”
Isabella squared her shoulders and glared at Alek. Something in her stance and her eyes conveyed the seriousness of the request, and he could do nothing but acknowledge it. He gave a jerk of his head.
The dark-haired girl’s chest rose and fell. “But outside of that, we will defer to you.”
Alek’s gaze shifted to me, and with a solemn expression, he said, “You don’t enter until he’s properly secured. If at any point you feel unsafe—”
“I’ll signal. Andy and I worked on it last night. I can’t thank you all enough, honestly, for everything. I never imagined my life could be this full. The way you’ve opened your home, lives and hearts to not only me but to Declan is…is…I can’t explain it.”
“You don’t have to, buttercup. You’re one of us,” Ivan said.
He was the first one over. Before I could even wipe the tears that had fallen, all three of us were surrounded by them and given the biggest group hug ever.