Page 9 of Possessive

Reuben snorted.

"Fucking knit," Damon muttered. "I don't know how to knit and neither do you."

Gianni chuckled. "It's so easy to get him going." He lowered his hands to his thighs.

"And that's why you'll get killed first," Damon said. "You'll piss off the wrong person and they'll shoot you."

"Are you threatening me?" Gianni looked completely unworried.

"Yes," Damon said. "Yes, I am. Can I shoot him, boss?"

"No," Reuben said simply. "Not today. Focus on what Lasalle is up to. Damon, have you spoken to his sister?"

"Ohhh, I wouldn't want to be Kurt when Daze finds out what he did to Mina," Gianni said. "We'll be lucky if she leaves his big toe behind for us to find."

When I looked questioningly again, he said, "Daisy Lasalle also works for Reuben, she's a bit of a badass, and she hates when men do bad things to women. When she learns about you, she's going to tear him a new one, brother or not. You're going to love her."

His description made me curious to meet her. Whether or not I'd love her remained to be seen. Was I capable of loving anyone? I wasn't sure but I was certain of one thing—it was impossible for anyone to love me. How could they after what I did?

Did they know about that? I supposed not, unless they left me alive so I could keep eating myself up with guilt.

"Not yet," Damon said, as if Gianni hadn't spoken. "You want me to go and see her, boss?"

"No," Reuben said. "Have her come to us. If she's working with her brother, I want to see it on her face. If she's complicit, she's dead."

"You think Daisy Lasalle is working behind your back?" Gianni asked.

"No, but blind trust gets people killed," Reuben said. He turned back to look at me. The message was clear. They'd been speaking very openly in front of me, but he wasn't sure if he could trust me to keep my mouth shut.

I looked back at him. Who would I tell? If he thought for a moment I was working with Kurt, he was out of his fucking mind. There was no one left for me to confide in.

Kurt had thoroughly enjoyed telling me when my parents and siblings died. He'd laughed while I sank further into despair. For a while, I thought one of them might come for me. When the last of them was gone, my hope went with it. I never expected to be found and freed by a Brantley. Especially not Reuben.

No, they could speak as openly as they wanted to. I wouldn't say a word to anyone.

CHAPTER 4

MINA

Damon pulled the car into the garage of a large, but otherwise unassuming, brick house. A high, stone fence and a patch of land surrounded it, keeping the suburb around it at bay.

Reuben climbed out of the car and over to the interior door. "Gianni, take care of Mina." He disappeared inside, followed by Damon.

"You heard the boss," Gianni said. He waited until the garage door closed behind us, leaving us in dim light.

I undid my seatbelt and pushed open the door. Swallowed hard. I pulled the sunglasses off my face and held them in trembling fingers.

This isn't the basement, I told myself. It's just a garage. But I wanted to shrink back into the car and curl up on the seat. Let it be my cardboard box.

"It's okay," Gianni said softly. "I've got you. I'm going to snip off Lasalle's toes, one by one, when I catch up to him, but I've got you. Come on, step away from the car."

"I don't know if I can," I said. The walk to the door felt too far, too long. Too exposed.

"I can carry you," Gianni offered.

"No," I said quickly. I recoiled from the idea, and from him.

"It's okay if you want to stay here for a while," he said. "But there's a bath inside. Or a shower, if you prefer. And food. Terry made pizza last night, I bet there's some left over."