Chapter 34
COSETTE
Exams went by so smoothly with me and the guys all getting significant marks that dad didn’t hesitate to grant me permission for another sleepover afterwards to celebrate.
I said I wanted to swim in Siege’s pool, and I wasn’t lying.
Now that there’s no restrained tension between Nero and me, it was time to finally just relax with all three of them after a job well done.
Except for Dex, that is.
“Can I help in any way?” I asked while he was still on his laptop, clearly working overtime to complete their mission for a clean exit after graduation. Nero and Siege were playing pool volleyball, and I was just lounging by the edge, trying to hide in the shade offered by the mansion’s shadow.
“With this? No, you can enjoy your time in the pool, sweetheart,” he answered, glancing at me with too serious of a face that I almost forgot he was Dex for a moment before he had to break the illusion by following with, “Tonight though? I need another kind of help from you.”
I laughed at his little wink, playfully flicking some water his way, though not enough to damage his laptop.
Pushing my weight up with my hands on the pool’s edge, I got out of the water and sat on the space beside Dex, wrapping the oversized pool towel around me to not get him wet.
“But seriously, I really want to help. I’ve proven myself to be an excellent assistant to you, haven’t I?” I asked, wiping my face with the fabric of the towel, and squeezing the water out of my hair with it.
I almost felt bad for asking because Dex’s playful demeanor changed to one of annoyance. Not at me, but at the situation, and I already knew what he was going to say would be bad news.
“I would ask for your help if I had a lead, Cosette. I hate to admit it, but I’m at a dead end right now. I have no leads as to where this Nest could be. If only I had the manpower of the Azuls at my complete disposal, I would’ve found it already. But alone?”
I looked at the bags getting darker under Dex’s eyes, and I couldn’t stop my finger from gently tracing them.
“Please don’t give yourself such a hard time, Dex. Yeah, you’re freaking amazing at this. But you’re also only one person. You’re close to your 20s, but right now, you’re still a teenager. Do you even get enough sleep?” I asked, the worry in my voice impossible to hide.
“I try. And I hear you. I’ll guide you through everything later with all the information I have right now.
Maybe you can see something we don’t,” he said, eyes closing and head leaning against my touch like he craved so much of it.
“After all, you’ve seen something in Siege and me that not many do. ”
He opened his eyes, and it’s been a while since they held such softness that I looked forward to having my guys out of this damn family business to see if I can get more of that look from them when they’re finally free.
“Yeah? Like what?” I asked, lost in the browns of his eyes.
“Like our heads between your thighs.” Then he was laughing as he caught me off guard, breaking the solemnity of the moment with his dirty jokes yet again. “What? It’s true. Siege and I talked about it. We don’t really give women head until you.”
“You’re always so disgusting, I don’t even know why I fell in love with you.”
It was supposed to be just for me to tease him. But as soon as I realized what I said, the world stopped.
“What did you just say?”
It’s the widest I’ve seen Dex smile.
My eyes widened, my throat feeling like it’s closing up, and my cheeks were warm, and I know it’s not because of the sun that was bathing me with its light earlier.
“You’re disgusting?” I asked in a playful voice, with my own grin coming out.
Dex was quick to wipe it off my lips with his lips pressed to mine, making me turn into a puddle of goo against him.
It wasn’t a hurried, lustful kiss like the ones he usually give me. This time it was innocent, full of youthful love that you’d probably see being shared by older couples than rowdy, hormonal ones like us. Yet at this moment, it was perfectly us.
“I love you too,” he said, making me feel each whispered word with his lips a breath away from mine, his gaze alternating between my eyes and mouth like he was deciding between kissing me and just looking at me.
“Good. Though I’m disappointed, you had to wait for me to say it.”
“I was finding the right moment, sweetheart. You beat me to it.”
I closed my eyes again, waiting to feel his kiss once again, but it never came.
What did, however, was a sound that rang around the mansion that meant the sensor at the gate detected an unidentified face.
Dex was up in an instant, with Siege and Nero stopping their game and immediately going over the pool’s edge, almost breaking out in a run to build a two-person wall in front of me.
“Who is it?” I asked while Dex touched buttons on his iPad, zooming in on the figure that we could see through the gate’s camera.
“I don’t know,” Dex replied, and I figured as much when I saw the puzzled look written all over his face.
“Well, she looks… homeless,” Nero said.
If there had been any hint of elitism in the way Nero said those words, I would’ve told him off. But he wasn’t wrong. The little girl looked malnourished, and even though she was tan, the high quality of the camera could pick up the dirt and what looked like mud on her skin and clothes.
I reached over and touched the button with the microphone symbol on Dex’s iPad, hoping to get some answers.
“Hey there. How can we help you?”
The girl looked up at the camera, probably following the direction from where she heard the voice, and instead of speaking up, she only pursed her lips, looking angry.
A frown found its way to my lips, curiosity and concern taking over me as I said, “She doesn’t look dangerous, you guys. Let’s go out there and talk to her.”
“No,” Dex said at the same time Siege did, but Nero was already nodding, leading the way.
“Funny. I don’t recall asking for permission,” I said to the two Azuls, leaving them behind as I jogged to catch up to Nero, hooking my arm with his in solidarity as we made our way through the mansion and out the front to the end of the driveway.
The girl looked like she needed help, and I would rather risk it than turn a blind eye when it’s obvious that she’s in a terrible state.
Even despite Siege and Dex’s refusal of my idea, I heard their footsteps behind me, and they reached the gate even before I did. To scope out whether she’s alone, no doubt.
When I got there—silently cursing the long-ass driveway along the way—I had to push between the two of them because they were blocking the girl from my view.
I managed to glare at them both before I leveled with the girl’s eyes, squatting.
“Hello,” I said in a gentle greeting, in hopes that I could make her feel comfortable enough to talk.
Yet she stayed silent, only staring at me.
“Do you need help? Are you looking for someone?”
Still no answer.
“Are you hungry? Do you want some food?”
The girl’s eyes widened a tiny fraction at that, and I took it as a silent yes.
Standing up straight, I looked at Siege, nodding my head sideways towards the gate. “Open it.”
“Little vixen, we don’t know a thing about her or where she came from—“
“Open it, Siege. I’m trying to be polite because this isn’t my house, and I won’t force you. But if you don’t, I’m driving Nero’s truck home, and I’m bringing her with me.”
Siege let out a deep breath, running his fingers up his hair before he nodded, clicking on the panel that manually unlocked the gate.
“Dex, make sure she’s not bugged. No weapons,” he said, and I was about to protest, but he stopped me with a look. “I’m meeting you halfway, Cosette. Don’t push it. I am doing this for your safety.”
The look in his eyes would be scary to any other person, but I knew better than to take it as it is, because I knew he was being truthful. He didn’t want to put me in danger, and out of the four of us, I was at the greatest disadvantage if things were to go south.
The girl didn’t look dangerous, but neither did Andy.
I should know better than to trust easily.
The girl finally crossed over the line where the steel gate used to be, and Dex knelt on the rock path, reaching towards her to frisk her when she suddenly moved to attack Dex.
She was fierce, but she had nothing on Dex, not just in size, but also in strength, as he immediately twisted her arms behind her back so she couldn’t scratch at him.
“Holy fuck, what the hell is wrong with this kid?” He asked as she continued writhing in his hold, wanting to get set free, and I gently grabbed her by the arm, telling Dex to let go of her.
Once he did, the girl calmed down a bit, though she was still panting from the effort she had exerted.
After observing that my touch didn’t seem to make her go on the offensive, I figured it was the fact that Dex is a man who reached for her.
“I’ll do it. No one touches her but me.”
I showed the girl my hands, my eyes trained on her as I said, “I have to check you, okay? Just for weapons or wires. It’ll be quick, I promise.”
Dreading of having to go through the process, I only felt more sick to my stomach that when I frisked her, I could feel her bones protruding from her skin because of how thin she was.
“She’s clear,” I mumbled, sighing in relief that now, we could focus on helping her.
I stood up, urging her to follow me as I walked back towards the mansion, my guys behind us.
I watched her from the corner of my eye, worry in my gaze, but I made sure there was a space for discernment.
Because as much as I am itching to help her first and foremost, I’m also going to find out exactly why she’s here.