Chapter Seventeen — Trinity
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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TRINITY
The apartment wasn’t livable.
Not if I didn’t want to sleep on the floor.
The looks on the officer’s faces told me enough.
It was more than just a break-in. Whoever had been in my apartment had been looking for something.
There was no other reason to cut holes in every pillow I owned, along with my mattress, in multiple places, unless I had something they wanted or hated me that much.
Dishes had been broken, the mirror in the bathroom was cracked, along with the sink, and even the slats beneath the bed no longer supported the mattress. Even the vent covers had been removed, and the thermostat had been ripped out of the wall so it was hot as fuck inside.
I wasn’t always the nicest person, but I didn’t have enemies. Not like this.
“Do you have somewhere you can stay?” The officer asked. They’d already gathered all the evidence they could find, but it had taken hours.
“I do. Am I allowed to pack some clothes?”
“Yeah, do what you need to. We have what we need for now from the apartment. We do need you to come to the station for an official report and fingerprinting for elimination prints. But pack first.”
I wilted inside a bit. I’d slept late at Ocean’s house, and it was already afternoon. The last thing I wanted was to spend more time on this. “Thanks.”
She glanced around the apartment. “Go and do that. I’ll wait for you.”
Relief I hadn’t known I needed poured over my head and into my lungs. “Really?”
“Yes. I’m glad you weren’t here when they broke in.”
“That makes two of us.”
Edgar had immediately told me to take the day and do what I needed to when he found out about the break-in. So I had nothing to do but this and think about the case and my new potential living and sex situation.
Two suitcases later, I had almost all my clothes and important items. I could come back for the rest. The door still locked, I just had to force it closed. The officer waited until I was in my car before pulling away, and I met her at the station.
I answered all the questions I could, and I did tell the truth.
I didn’t have any idea who had done this or why, but I wasn’t going to share my speculation about the story and the flash drive with the police.
Not only would that endanger my source, but having the police investigate could make the story dry up entirely.
And of course, I didn’t know for sure if it was related. Not until I met with Aiden, the DuPont Pack’s hacker. I sent him an email this morning and just needed to hear back.
By the time I was walking out of the police station, it was after dark and I was exhausted.
Sweaty from spending hours in a hot apartment, packing most of my life, and then sitting in a humid room being asked questions.
That, and I didn’t sleep well thanks to my overactive brain thinking about all the things on the list. All I wanted was to curl up and do nothing.
The same female officer walked me out. “Thank you again. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime.”
Sinking into the front seat of my car, I locked the door.
The Breaker Pack had all texted me good morning, and I said it back, and checked in with them when I came to the station, but I hadn’t told them whether I was coming over to stay. Now I had to choose.
The same thoughts had been circling in my head all day. That I shouldn’t dive in with them so quickly. That I should prepare for the worst and simply stay with Ocean or Isolde. That it wouldn’t work out and that I shouldn’t try.
And I fucking hated that voice in my head.
I couldn’t seem to shut it up.
Was it reckless and fast? Maybe.
Did I want to?
Yes.
Yes, I did.
When was the last time I’d done something that was only for myself, regardless of what anyone thought? It had been a while.
Beyond all of that, they made me feel safe. We had our instincts for a reason. Mine told me that I would regret it forever if I didn’t try.
I made myself move so I couldn’t second guess anymore.
Trinity
Hi. You guys around?
Logan
We are. What’s up?
Trinity
The apartment’s going to need a lot of repairs before I can stay there again.
So if that room is still free?
Bastian
Are you on your way?
Trinity
Leaving the police station now.
The list is done.
Brooks
Drive safely, but also as quickly as possible.
Theo
Seconded.
Logan
Thirded?
Bastian
We’ll be waiting.
It felt faster because they lived in the tallest building in Clarity, and I could see it getting closer, even in the dark. Excitement and nerves tingled everywhere and made me bounce. Who knew what was going to happen, but I wanted it.
And fuck it felt good to own that.
The twins waited at the entrance to the parking garage, with Brooks holding a sticker. “So you can get in and out of the garage,” he said, placing it on my windshield. “You remember where you parked yesterday?”
“Yeah.”
“Meet you there.”
Bastian pulled open my door when I parked and helped me out of the car. He wrapped me in a hug so tight I felt myself shake, followed by a purr that had my knees going weak. “Glad you’re here.”
“Me too. Even though I’m exhausted.”
He hummed a low sound against my neck. An acknowledgment and not an action. Which was what I needed. Sometimes I didn’t need anyone to fix it. Just to listen and validate what I felt.
Brooks slid a hand on the back of my neck and tugged me away from his brother. “The faster we get upstairs, the faster you can rest. And eat. Have you eaten today?”
Had I?
I honestly couldn’t remember.
They took all my bags, even my purse from my shoulder, giving me a look when I tried to help.
No asking, no feeling like a burden because they didn’t really want to help.
Just action and comfortable silence. I didn’t have to think about it—they simply did it, and I basked in the peace and quiet.
If this was even a fraction of what it could be like?
To surrender and be taken care of? Yes. This was what I wanted.
“What’s your favorite food?” Brooks asked, pushing through the apartment door.
“Good foods or bad foods?”
Bastian looked surprised. “There are bad foods?”
“For diabetics, yes, but as long as I keep an eye on things, I can eat anything in moderation.”
I closely controlled my diabetes. But it was also the truth that you needed variety for any quality of life. As long as I wasn’t overdoing it, nothing was off-limits.
“Anything particular you want today?”
“I would kill for a grilled cheese sandwich and some tomato soup.”
“No killing necessary,” Theo called from the kitchen. “We’ll make that happen.”
“Are you cooking it?”
He leaned on the counter, his sleeves pushed up and showing off forearms I hadn’t seen yet. Distracting in the best way. “Are you asking if I can cook?”
“Yes.” I settled on a stool near the very large island.
“I can cook,” he said. “But we don’t have all the things for tomato soup. Also, I can’t promise I won’t be so distracted looking at your list that I’ll burn the sandwich and set the building on fire. So this time, we’ll order.”
I laughed. “Good to know my secondary living situation isn’t also going to become uninhabitable.”
He grew serious immediately. “It’s that bad?”
“It’s not good. They’re going to call me if they find something.”
Logan stepped into the kitchen. “Do they have any idea why it happened?”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. “No, not really.”
“Not really?”
“Other than it being a random happenstance, there’s one idea I have, but I don’t want to be wrong, so I’m not saying it out loud yet.”
An amused smile. “You don’t have to be right every time you say something out loud,” Logan said. “But keep your secrets. I’ll get them out of you later.”
“You can try.”
Fingers sank into my hair and tugged my head straight back so I was looking up at Brooks. “You are a brat, aren’t you?”
“A little.”
“Little my ass.”
I gasped, giving him a look. “You named your ass Little? You should be nicer. At least name it Juicy.”
He spun my stool so I was trapped between his legs, and he gave me plenty of time to stop him. I didn’t.
Brooks kissed me slowly, drawing it out until I was gasping for breath and wishing I didn’t need it so I could keep kissing him. “I am going to enjoy fucking that brattiness out of you, baby. So you can start all over again.”
I sucked in a breath, nerves rising.
He noticed immediately. “What’s wrong?”
Words evaporated, and I shook my head. But I wrapped my arms around him, trying to show that I wasn’t pulling away. “Words,” I managed, and shook my head once more.
Slowly, he wrapped himself around me. “You have trouble with words sometimes?”
I nodded into his shirt.
“Take your time,” he whispered. “None of us mind.”
Right. With Bastian having trouble with his voice, issues with speaking weren’t unfamiliar to them. And if we were really going to try this, I needed to tell them the truth.
“I—” I breathed slowly. “I don’t usually do things like this. I want it. So much that it scares me, because what if it doesn’t work? What if it all falls apart?”
Brooks stroked his hand up and down my spine. “That’s not going to happen.”
“How do you know?”
He kissed my neck, my cheek, and then my temple as he straightened to look at me.
“I don’t. But I’m choosing to believe that it won’t.
” Then he leaned in and whispered. “We’ll talk about everything you need to.
Every fear and hesitation. Go get your list, baby, so we can finally tell you everything we want. ”
“Now?”
“You want to wait?”
No. No, I didn’t. “Be right back.”
My suitcases sat neatly in the corner of the room, which now had a very large bed, made up with emerald green bedding. No other furniture, but at least I wouldn’t be sleeping on the floor.
My own brain rolled her eyes because I knew I would have ended up in one of their beds regardless of whether I had my own. But it was nice to have the option.
My phone chimed as I returned to the living room. The kitchen branched away from the living room. Not completely open like so many modern apartments, but it was still spacious and airy. They were all scattered on various seats, Theo still in the kitchen.
“That text is all our lists,” Logan said, reaching out for my papers.
I gave them to him with a flip of my stomach. “Some of the things—”
Logan caught my wrist and pulled me closer, like it was completely natural, and I loved that. “This is the fun part, wildfire. A list of things everyone enjoys, so we can find out what works for us. It’s not a list to judge or measure you by.”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
His smile made the whole room brighter. “It’s okay to be nervous. It’s a weird thing.”
I blew out a breath. “Fucking right?”
“Not every day we reveal things so personal.” A wink that made everything flutter inside. “Go digging, and we’re going to look at this, okay?”
“Kay.”
But he didn’t let me go. He tugged me close enough to kiss me before squeezing my hand and releasing me.
I curled up into an armchair across from them and opened the text while they spread my list out on the coffee table.
Here we go.