Page 50 of Chaos & Carnage
It drove me fucking mad all day, and every time one of us tried to make a move on her, she’d swat our hands away and insist that we allwatchwhatever movie was playing at the time. I’ve never been so goddamn uncomfortable in my life, even in sweats. I was sporting a boner all damn day, and at the end of it all, she didn’t even climb into bed with me to help relieve the ache. Talk about rude!
Next time she insists on aNetflix and chillday, I’m going to show her the true meaning—the one Cain insinuated that she brushed off. Cain was one hundred percent correct. Netflix and chill is absolutely code forlet’s stay in bed and fuck.How Sawyer doesn’t know that is beyond me, but I’m more than happy to be the one to teach her.
Unfortunately, that lesson will have to wait for a bit. Antonio confirmed what Dante had already gathered from the feelers he’d put out—that anyone who worked with either of us was effectively being iced out. Seemingly, Giovanni is keeping all of them at arm’s length. Smart move on his end, but annoying for us.
However, Antonio was confident that he’d be able to get his hands on someone who would know more about Giovanni’s whereabouts and plans. Dante relayed all of this to Cain, who mulled it over before telling Dante to get his contact to bring the guy to Toxic.
When Sawyer raised an eyebrow in question at the location—I had to agree that a busy club hardly seemed like the ideal place to hide and torture someone—Cain simply murmured, “You’ll see.” So I guess we’ll find out later.
Antonio asked for twenty-four hours to get the job done and informed us that he’d be in touch once he had the guy and was on his way to the meeting point. With some time to kill and something I needed to do, I find myself knocking on Luc’s bedroom door.
He frowns when he sees me, glancing over my shoulder—probably looking for Sawyer—before shifting his focus back to me. “What are you doing here?”
Okay, his suspicious tone is a less-than-ideal start to this conversation.
“Cain and Oliver are busy, and with Marcus in the hospital and the kids doing rotations there, I thought I’d come to see if you wanted some company.”
His frown only deepens. “Why?”
“You’re Sawyer’s brother, and given the way you’re looking at me right now, like I’m about to stab you in the gut, I thought perhaps we could get to know one another a little better.”
Quirking a brow, the little shit flicks his gaze to my hands before lifting it. “Are you going to stab me?”
“Since I quite like having my balls attached, no.” He snorts, and before he can decide to close the door in my face, I gesture down the hall. “Come on. I’ll even buy you lunch.”
Huffing under his breath, he grabs a jacket before closing the door behind him and following me through the house. He doesn’t speak as we head outside and onto the street, and neither do I. Honestly, now that I’m here, I’m not sure what to say. I’d offered to talk to him, but I don’t know what I can say that would make things better for him. The kid doesn’t even trust me. I’m sure the last thing he wants to hear is that he’ll get over it with time.
Actually… that would be complete bullshit, anyway. He won’t get over it, becauseInever got over it. Dante never got over it. You can’t just move on from something like that. All you can do is learn to live with what happened, with the choices you made in an impossible situation.
Instead, I stay silent and let him lead me to a diner several streets over. The place is mostly empty, with only a couple of tables occupied. An older waitress who looks like she’d rather bathe in acetone than be here shows us to a table at the back of the room, handing us each a menu as we slide into the booths on either side of the chrome table.
I glance over the menu, quickly deciding on coffee and pancakes before setting it down. I briefly cast my gaze over Luc while he continues to peruse—or perhaps he’s only pretending to avoid having to talk to me—before turning to take in the rest of the diner. It’s small and shabby and needs updating, but it has a homey vibe about it.
“So, I’m guessing Sawyer asked you to talk to me?” Upon hearing Luc’s voice, I swivel my gaze in his direction, finding him watching me with narrowed eyes. “Although, I don’t know why she’d askyou.I thought for sure she’d send Oliver.”
“I volunteered, actually.”
His brow furrows, an expression I’m beginning to gather my presence is going to elicit quite frequently.
“Well, you can tell Sawyer we talked and cement yourself in her good favor, or whatever. I won’t tell her that we didn’t actually talk.”
“...Or, we couldactually talk.” Leaning forward, I brace my elbows on the table. “Do you want to knowwhyI offered to talk to you?”
Luc spears me with anI really don’t give a shitlook. “So you’d get a blow job?” he drawls.
His words leave me momentarily stunned. I mean, yes, I’d joked about getting a blowjob if I talked to him, but he can’t know that, right?! “Ehh…” Words momentarily fail me, and I decide it’s best not to answer him directly. “I thought it would be a good opportunity to get to know you.”
He purses his lips in such a way that clearly says,yeah, right.I huff out a breath, leaning back in my seat and getting comfortable. The waitress chooses that moment to return, and we both rattle off our orders before she disappears.
“I’m serious,” I say when we’re alone again. “I knew it the second you basically told me to fuck off at that dinner in Giovanni’s penthouse.”
Luc’s expression shifts at the mention of Giovanni. His features harden, shadows billowing in his eyes. I catch his hand shaking on the table before he quickly hides it, placing it on his leg. His voice is strained when he asks, “You knew what?”
“That you and I were going to be great friends.”
I’m not sure that Luc has any idea what to make of me. As the waitress returns with my coffee and his milkshake, he simply stares at me like I might be insane and doesn’t know how to escape without putting his life at risk.
Once she leaves, I lean across the table, keeping my voice low as if I’m sharing a secret I don’t want anyone else to hear. “Dante is such a bore. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was born with a metal rod shoved up his ass.” Luc chokes on what I think was meant to be a laugh. “Oliver seems nice, but also the serious type. Cain… now there’s someone who screams anger management problems, am I right? Definitely not up for a laugh, although I’d love to put a laxative in his morning coffee and watch him go absolutely batshit when he finds out.” A strangled laugh escapes Luc and I smirk at him. “But you, as soon as I saw you, I knew you’d be the one to help me loosen those three assholes up.”