Page 65 of Chaos & Carnage
Dante hasn’t said anything in a while. I’m not even sure if he’s still listening or if he’s withdrawn into his thoughts, and Enzo just looks pissed. Oliver pulled me into his lap as soon as we all sat down, and I can feel his body tense beneath mine, even as his fingers haven’t stopped stroking soothing circles along my stomach.
Leaning in, his voice low, he whispers, “No more crossing lines that you pretend you’re comfortable crossing because you are trying to protect the people you love. I understand that you needed to do certain… things for Luc, but I don’t want you sacrificing any part of yourself for me.” His fingers grip my chin, turning my head until our noses brush, and all I can see are his ice-blue eyes, staring at me with so much hurt and sorrow that it churns my stomach. “We aren’t your responsibility. We’re meant to be partners. Equals. We’re supposed to face challenges together, as a team. You can’t go running off, trying to solve all of our problems on your own.”
“Okay,” I say hoarsely.
“Promise me, Trouble.”
Reaching out, I brush my fingers through his hair before trailing my hand down to cup his cheek. “I promise.” I mean it, too. From here on out, I want us to tackle everything life has to throw at us together—the five of us.
“Why didn’t Giovanni’s guards kill you the second they realized you’d killed him?” Enzo asks, interrupting my moment with Oliver.
Glancing around the room, I settle back in Oliver’s arms. “They definitely considered it. When the fire alarm went off, they came storming into the room, but they froze when they discovered what I’d done. I could see them debating whether or not they should kill me. In their moment of indecision, I volleyed that their loyalty to a dead man wouldn’t serve them any good. I reiterated that I was Dante’s wife and that sparing my life would earn them leniency since he was now officially the head of the family.”
“And they just agreed to that?”
“Ehh, no, not at first, but after they watched me cut off Giovanni’s head, they seemed to realize it was in their best interests to go along with what I said.”
Enzo releases a low scoff while Cain continues to pace the floor and Dante remains lost in his thoughts. With a furrow of his brow, his gaze snaps to mine. “Wait, you didn’t set off the fire alarm?”
“Ehh, no.” I frown at each of them. “I thought you guys did.”
They all shake their heads, and after a second, a small smile pulls at my lips. “Blue,” I murmur quietly.
“Blue?” Oliver questions, his voice taking on a sharp edge.
Stopping mid-stride, Cain spins to glower at me. “Is that the asshole who called to tell us you were in trouble?”
“Umm, what?”
Oliver coughs, clearing his throat. “Yeah, I gotta call from an unknown number, some guy saying you were in trouble and that we needed to get to the casino.”
“Huh.” I don’t quite know what to say to that. However, I have to squash the smile threatening to show.I guess he does care about me.See, I knew we were friends!
“Well, Red?” It’s clear by the impatient bark in Cain’s tone that he’s barely holding it together, the events of today catching up to him.
“Yeah, that was probably him.” I cringe, knowing the fury that’s about to burst out of Cain—and probably the others—at what I’m about to say. “He’s some sort of computer genius or something”—I shrug— “I asked for his help with disabling the cameras so I had one less thing to worry about.”
“This is the guy who found you that day, after you were thrown from your bike?” Enzo asks, his voice guarded.
“He is. He’s someone who helped me out a time or two when I was living on the streets. We’re barely friends. I don’t even know his real name, but he’s a good guy.”
Cain scoffs. “Babe, there’s no such thing as a good guy. If a guy does something nice, it’s because he wants in your pants.”
“That is not what Blue is doing!” I insist. “I had to practically beg him to help me in the first place, and every time he has, he’s basically told me to fuck off afterward.” Glancing at each of their critical and pissed-off faces, I soften my tone. “I promise, it’s really not like that with him. And now that Giovanni is dead, I probably won’t see him again.”
Cain huffs out a sigh, the others remaining silent. “Fine, but I don’t like him, and I don’t trust him around you.”
“Neither do I,” Dante grumbles.
Restraining my eye roll, I paste on a sugary sweet smile. “At least that’s something you both agree on.”
Enzo snorts, and I feel Oliver’s chest rumble with silent laughter behind me before he changes the subject. “So, what happens now?”
It’s a good question. We’ve never discussed what happens once Giovanni is out of the picture. On the one hand, I feel relieved that he is no longer a threat, but on the other, there goes the common thread linking us all together. Now, it’s up to Dante and Cain to find a way for both the Rejects and Antonellis to get along. To find a way for the four of them to get along. I can no longer use Giovanni as an excuse to get them to spend time together, and that terrifies me because if we’re all going to fall apart then now is when it will happen, and I’m not ready yet to say goodbye to any of them. It brings back the age-old question, is loving me enough?
AmIenough?
God, I hope so, because these four terrifying men are more than enough for me, and they always will be.