Chapter 33
River
As we exit the parking garage, I pull Dove close with an arm around her waist. Until we have the dude after her, I’m not taking any risks, even if she’s pissed with us and it’s obvious she doesn’t want my hands on her.
We follow Bodhi and K toward Alejandro’s where we are having a family dinner tonight, Kasen chose this spot because the security is run by our men, and no one gets in or out of the place without our say so.
The car ride over here was thick with unspoken tension.
The boys are still furious with Dove for keeping shit from us, and she’s been giving us the ice-queen act since yesterday morning.
I had hoped she and K finally fucking would have changed the dynamic and got her on our good side.
But nope, our local journalist had to go sticking her nose where it didn’t belong, filling Dove’s head with lies about her not being able to trust Kasen, when she doesn’t have any clue what she’s really on about.
The truth is so much bigger and more dangerous.
But one thing is for sure, she can trust us, we all only want what’s best for her.
Even though Dove stiffens under my hold, she doesn’t shove me off.
If anything, she seems defeated tonight.
She’s lost that fight she’s had since she came home and is just unhappily accepting her place in our family.
But that’s the last thing we want. She’s one of us, and the sooner she realizes, the sooner she can relax in her new role.
Tonight she’s dressed up all pretty in a badass kind of way, in skinny black jeans torn at the knees and a skintight black silk top, her leather jacket covering her shoulders and her hair out.
Seems she won the wardrobe standoff between her and K.
He would like to see her dressed the part of his girl, mostly to keep up his image for this town.
And to him, that means expensive dresses that leave way too much to the imagination, safe heels, and neat hair.
Think First Lady vibes and you will be close.
But Dove is never going to conform to that shit, and it makes me love her just a little harder for it.
Even after her upbringing, she is unapologetically herself.
“Try and act like you want to be here, babe. It’s not all bad. I know you like a good feed, and this place has the best Latin you can put in your mouth,” I say, trying to placate her.
“Is that my life now, acting to keep you assholes happy? Dressing up in restrictive-as-fuck outfits that Kasen chooses, with an overgrown babysitter or three at my side at all times.” She hisses the words out, but her eyes are sad in a way that crushes me.
If we thought she hated us before, Bodhi’s threat has left her even more hostile than normal.
What she fails to see is he didn’t do it to hurt her, but to keep his family safe, and that includes her now.
If our secrets got out, no one would survive, and like it or not, she’s a part of this world.
“I happen to think I’m not overgrown but the perfect size.
” I grin cheekily, hoping to pull some sort of smile from her.
She stares at me deadpan, icicles radiating off her that send a chill over my arms. Well, fuck, all the progress I made with her, and we are back to square one.
“Being miserable is a choice, Dove. You could embrace the life we’re offering you.
Once upon a time, you enjoyed hanging with us. ”
A text vibrates in her pocket, but she ignores it. “Yeah, and I could step in front of the next car to drive past as well. Would probably hurt less.”
“Morbid, babe, and not funny.” I lean in closer to her, her summery scent wafting all around me.
I’m addicted to her, the way her skin feels under mine, the way she smells, even her sassy mouth and the venom she spits toward us.
The idea that she hates this life so terribly she would even joke about harming herself to escape us makes me feel sick.
“We don’t want to hurt you. This arrangement could be all sorts of fun if you let it.
” I hold her closer as we cross the street just to make sure she doesn’t make good on her joke, if you can call it that.
“You have spent years with money problems, working your ass off to take care of your dad while he was sick, looking over your shoulder and having to protect yourself from those thugs. You don’t have to worry about any of that now you’re with us. We will look after you in every way.”
When I stop her from walking any further, both K and Bodhi turn back to glance our way, but this shit can’t wait.
I take her shoulders and gaze down at her.
“Just tell us what you want, Dove, and it’s yours.
You want a new car, I’ll buy it for you.
You want a different room in the house, I’ll set it up for you.
Even get you all the pillows and decorative stuff you like to make it feel like home.
Shit, we can even get rid of all the clothes K got for you and I will let you pick whatever you want to wear, shopping spree on me.
Whatever will make you happy and feel at home, baby, it’s yours. ”
She glares up at me, her eye make-up dark making her features look even more severe when she’s angry.
“You can’t buy me, River.” She shakes her head as if disappointed in me.
“I liked you all better when you were broke.” She shrugs out of my grip, and I let her, her words digging under my skin uncomfortably.
I could never go back to being that kid with nothing, wondering how I take care of my mother, how we eat.
She now spends her days playing cards with her new friends at the over fifties village I got her a place in.
Happy for the first time in her life. Nope.
We might have changed to achieve the kind of wealth we have now, but we are all better off for it, and in time, she will see that as well.
K and Bodhi walk through the front door to Alejandro’s, a modern Latin-inspired restaurant and bar known for the fanciest dinner and cocktails in town and who you might run into while dining here.
The Throne family owns the place, but basically leaves it to Alejandro, an old family friend, to run.
Dove follows the boys with me close behind.
Her shoulders are slumped, her head down.
I wish I knew what to do to bring her out of this somber mood. She just won’t listen to me.
K is waiting for her at the door, his face cold as he takes her hand in his, the illusion for the family. Even though they are in the middle of a massive fight, he’s going to act like all is rosy. That’s what he does best.
Though her shoulders tense, she doesn’t release his grip or shove him aside.
Yeah, she’s different tonight, and even I’m not sure how to snap her out of it.
These family dinners are painful at the best of times, worse when Keller was around watching our every move with his hawk eyes.
I had hoped she might be the ray of sunshine to get me through, but I underestimated how stubborn she is.
We walk through the general part of the establishment and take the stairs off to the back; they head up to a mezzanine level that has a bird’s-eye view of the place. This spot is normally reserved for private functions, but tonight, it’s empty just for us.
Rochelle, Kasen’s sister, is already at the table permanently reserved for the Thrones, waiting for us with her husband Ethen, a man hand-selected for her by Keller.
He works in the security side of the business directly under Bodhi.
A beast of a man who most cross to the other side of the street to avoid, but she genuinely seems to like him.
Hand in hand, they stand and approach us.
Ethen giving Bodhi a nod as the two of them move off to the side of the room to talk alone.
Rochelle’s face lights up as she approaches us. “Big brother.” She kisses K’s cheek, then she turns to me with a sassy brow raised. “River.” She throws her arms around me. “It’s been too long.”
When she pulls back from me, her gaze is fixed on Dove. “You going to introduce me to your friend, boys?” she asks, smiling at her, a kindness in her eyes she didn’t get from her family.
“You remember Dove,” K says, pushing her forward toward his sister.
Rochelle chuckles. “I can hardly believe it’s you, Dove. We did always say you two would end up together. Now look at you, all grown up and in love.” She throws her arms around Dove, hugging her tightly as Dove pats her back awkwardly.
“We’re not together,” she snips when they pull back. She forces a smile for Rochelle, but it’s uncomfortable.
Rochelle raises a brow toward her brother. “You look pretty together to me.” She laughs again, thinking Dove was joking. “I read the article, Brother, it was so romantic. Love this cute little arrangement for you,” she chirps happily, oblivious to the tension in the air.
Kasen wraps his arm around Dove’s shoulders and pulls her back into him, leaning in to whisper something in her ear. My guess is behave or some shit like that, by the scowl on her pretty face.
Dove’s phone starts ringing, and she slips it out of her pocket and glances quickly at the screen before tucking it away again. Whose call is she screening? I can see K is thinking the same by the deep scowl now etched in his features.
Rochelle takes Dove’s hand and pulls her into her like they are old best friends. “You look like you could do with a cocktail, and you’re in luck because this place excels at mixed drinks.” Rochelle drags her toward the bar, chatting Dove’s ear off.
Kasen leans in closer. “I thought you and Bodhi paid her psychiatrist a visit,” he snips, unimpressed.
I look him over, wondering where he’s going with this. “We did. Dude in his early forties, glasses, and an office full of mental patients.”