Chapter 5
DEX
“Make sure to triple lock the door,” I hear Siege say from behind me while I was turning the manual lock in the place where Cosette and I spent many days looking for Siege when he got kidnapped.
We swung by after dropping Cosette off at her place to stash some weapons that we brought from the mansion.
Cosette was very clear that she will not have more than two guns in her house, and those, we have to take with us here once his dad gets back.
If they stay unused until we complete Exodus, then great, but we needed a little armory accessible to us that’s nearer than the mansion in Beaufort—just in case.
“You know, once we’re completely out of the organization, you’re going to have to stop bossing me around, right?” I asked Siege, continuing to provoke him with my smirk. “I’m older than you. Show some respect.”
“Respect? I’ll show you respect,” he said as he flipped me the bird, walking to the passenger seat.
Following Mr. Bossman, I got into the driver’s side of the car.
Since I hadn’t switched the ignition off previously, I didn’t need to turn it on again.
I knew we still needed to be careful around this neighborhood, bearing in mind the possibility that Eli’s men could still be on the hunt.
We had no idea just how much his family knows about his death, if we’re even on their radar.
“But seriously. We’d be equal in every sense of the word when we get out.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. I’ll start toning it down,” Siege grumbled, and I rolled my eyes.
This diva.
I pulled out of the driveway and started heading back to Cosette’s place, knowing she would treat us to a nice dinner once we got there because it was her turn tonight. Siege cooked yesterday, and I cooked the night before.
The three of us had felt oddly comfortable over the past couple of weeks, and I was not thrilled that we had reached the halfway point of this arrangement because her dad would finally end his business trip in two weeks.
While I suggested for us to tell her dad together, she wants to find the perfect time for that talk, and there’s no way she can just tell him she’s dating two guys at the same time right away.
After making turns, knowing these streets like the back of my hand now, we parked in front of Cosette’s place.
I shut off the engine, then checked on Siege, wondering why he hadn’t gotten out, and noticed he was looking out the driver’s side’s window.
I followed his gaze, and I realized he was looking towards Nero’s place.
“What?” I asked, wondering what kind of thoughts were brewing in his head, knowing for sure he’s thinking about something so serious if he was stuck to his seat like this.
He mumbled, as if in a trance, “I think we should help them fix things,” his voice barely audible, lost in thought.
I made a weird face at him that I’m not sure he can even see. “The fuck do you mean?”
Siege turns his deadpan look to me at last. “Use your computer skills and find a way to show Nero the truth. Maybe, I don’t know, try to see if you can hack into Andy’s phone and show him the things that Cosette talked about earlier.”
“And why the fuck would we do that?”
“Because our girlfriend’s hurting? Because you know their friendship runs deep, and she doesn’t enjoy being enemies with anyone?” He told me in a tone that sounded like his words were common sense.
I hated to admit it, but I knew what he’s talking about.
Cosette would sometimes sit on the edge of the bed after showering, drying her hair with her towel while staring at the curtain on her window that was directly in front of Nero’s as if she had x-ray vision and wanted to see through the fabrics to see him.
I knew she was yearning for her guy best friend. But, I also knew that there’s something more than friendship with those two. I wasn’t sure about Nero, but our girl definitely still has feelings for him.
“You do know that she’s in love with that fucker, right?” I said, wanting to take back my words and re-tell them in another way because even I could tell that I sounded bitter.
“No shit. I think he is developing feelings for her, too, but that doesn’t mean we should just sit back and let her go through this when we can make it better for her,” Siege argued, and I couldn’t help but have the strongest urge to punch him straight in the face.
How could he be so accepting that his girl—our girl—can love someone other than him?
I mean, I know he did the same for me, and for that, I was fucking grateful. But he trusted me not to try and take Cosette for myself, and I trusted him that this is really something that he’s okay with. That’s why this thing with the three of us works.
“Look. Just because we help them fix their friendship doesn’t mean Cosette will suddenly have three men as her boyfriends,” Siege said, looking at me like I was overthinking this.
Was I?
We both have guesses about how this will end.
“And if it does end up like that? Cosette’s known him for so long. She’s loved him for so long. What if we get kicked to the side—”
“Shut the fuck up. You should have more trust in her than that.”
Fuck. I guess he’s right.
I do know Cosette better than that.
I mean, shit. She and I, we’re fairly new. But not once did she make me feel she loved Siege more than she loved me.
“If this all goes south, I’m fucking blaming you,” I mumbled, already grabbing my iPad from the back seat.
Andy wasn’t really hard to hack. She has so much digital footprint, and very little security that I had her message archive downloaded on my iPad not even thirty minutes into digging.
I scrolled, finding the kind of evidence that Cosette talked about in her angry monologue earlier, and I finally found it.
Her telling Eli about Siege being the mole.
Her picture of the faux black eye that she did on her face with makeup.
“Fucking hell. This girl is vile.”
I handed Siege the tablet for him to see, and he shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh as he did.
“I remember how little vixen was in so much distress when she found out that Eli was hurting Andy. This girl does not deserve Cosette one bit,” he said with so much danger in his tone that I hoped for Andy’s sake that she wasn’t at Nero’s right now.
Not that we’ll ever hurt the girl.
We enjoy seeing her squirm, though.
With a click, I pulled on the door handle, and Siege followed close behind as we got out of the car and went across the street toward the Combs’ residence.
Siege knocked on the door, and to our shock, instead of Nero, his mother opened it with a warm smile.
What’s even more surprising was that she didn’t even question us, immediately calling for her son.
“Honey! Two of your teammates are here!”
I exchanged glances with Siege, and I could see that we both scanned each other’s torsos. Fair assumption. We really did look like football players.
Nero came to the door with a confused expression, probably not expecting a visit from his teammates, but as soon as he saw us, his face hardened. I swear his eyes looked slightly darker.
“I got it, mom. Thanks,” he said to the nice-looking lady, and she patted Nero’s bicep before going back further into the house.
“Hey,” Siege started so casually, just as Nero cut him off rudely with his, “What the fuck are you doing here? You are not to touch my mom.”
Boy, this guy is really pissing me the fuck off.
To assume we would threaten his mom’s life or something?
“Man, fuck this guy. Let’s go,” I told Siege, already turning back towards Cosette’s house. I really need to hold her or fuck her or something because I was getting into a bad fucking mood really fast.
Siege stopped me with an arm around my shoulder, though, effectively stopping me from leaving. “Bro. Seriously. Let’s all just talk, okay? We have proof that will prove that Cosette is telling the truth,” he said, reasoning with the jock-ass.
Wait til I tell Cosette that pun. I’m sure she’s going to laugh one of those cute laughs that she has.
Nero looked at Siege with a firm gaze, not backing down, but I knew that if he wasn’t continuing to close the door on our faces, it intrigued him.
Siege handed him the iPad, the screen already conveniently showing the part of Andy and Eli’s messaging thread about ratting Siege out, and the damndest evidence, her selfie of her darkened eye, posing with a makeup brush.
Nero’s nostrils flared as he continued reading, and his shoulders slackened as he dropped the hand where he held the iPad beside him. “Son of a bitch,” he cursed to himself, and I just knew a bunch of emotions were swirling in him.
That’s right, dumbass. You hurt our girl for no reason.
“Is Cosette home? I want to apologize,” he said, sounding so defeated as he handed Siege back the tablet.
I couldn’t stop a scoff from escaping me, shaking my head.
“That’s it? You hurt her, and you just get to saunter in there and say sorry? We all know she would just take it and all will be dandy again,” I said, and even the newly-nice Siege nodded, puckering his lips like he agreed to what I said.
“So? What the fuck are you suggesting?” Nero asked, the darkness in his eyes back again in a challenge. He may have a soft spot for the sweetheart across the street, but not for us, apparently.
I looked at Siege, pushing him off so he’d drop his arm around me since I wasn’t planning to make a move to leave anymore. “What do you think, brother?” I asked, wondering what we could do to make this a little harder for Nero.
We’re doing it for the sake of inconveniencing him, of course, but the jock-ass deserved it.
If Cosette is too nice, too forgiving, we’ll be the ones to put the extra hurdle between him and her forgiveness.
“I don’t know. I can smell beef brisket, though,” Siege suddenly said, and I don’t even know how he identified that scent that I could smell too, but I just went along with it.
Nero sighed, regarding him before he nodded, then he left to head back inside without another word.
As Siege and I were finally alone, I leaned in close and asked, “Why do you know the smell of their beef brisket?”
“It’s a long story. The short version is that he uses it as a peace offering. And it’s heavenly,” Siege answered, closing his eyes, and I saw how his nostrils widened like he was taking in the brisket’s smell.
Well, damn. Now, I want to taste it, too.