Page 58 of Their Starlight
“I’m so confused,” I whisper against his lips.
“I know.” He strokes my cheek with the back of his knuckle. “Get dressed, sweetheart. We’ll be waiting for you in the living room so we can talk.”
My own sweats and Lance’s old St La Salle hoodie that had been safely stowed in my wardrobe are now laid out on the bed. How the hell did they get here? I notice a duffle bag at the foot of the bed that hadn’t been there before and peek inside. All my things are packed carefully. Several changes of clothes, underwear, bras, hairbrush and even some makeup. I stare at it for several seconds trying to understand why it’s here before just accepting it and pulling out my body lotion. I carefully massage the cream into my skin, brush my hair as best as I could, and put on the clothes that have been laid out for me.
The three of them are stood in the kitchen when I venture out of the bedroom. Brent is leaning against the counter, wearing the same clothes he’d been in last night and his eyes are tired, heavy with dark circles. He watches me intensely as I enter the room, taking in the way I hug myself around the bruise on my side and the black eye I know I am sporting. Lance hands me another mug of tea and guides me to the living room with a hand at the small of my back.
“Here.” Hayden puts a bowl under my nose and despite it smelling delicious, I recoil. “You need to eat, baby. The pain meds you’re on won’t like an empty stomach.”
I pull the bowl to me smelling an intense savouriness despite looking like porridge. “What is this?”
“Congee, it’s a Chinese rice porridge,” he says simply as though that was a completely normal breakfast.
I can’t help the slight smile I give him, looking back down at my breakfast with a halved soft-boiled egg on top and cubed roasted pork belly peeking through too.Oh, how far you’ve come Hayden Pullman.I rest the bowl on my lap and concentrate on the tea Lance made me, sipping its syrupy sweetness, I am surprised that he’s remembered exactly how I like it. I raise my brow at him and he smiles in that smug way of his. I roll my eyes but my smile grows involuntarily.
Shortly, I’m surrounded; Hayden sits next to me, Lance sits on the coffee table opposite me, and Brent stands to the other side. A sense of foreboding washes over me, none of them smile, none of them speak for a minute or two. We sit in a thick silence as my apprehension grows into a painful knot in my stomach.
“Have you heard of The Daos?” Lance asks, his elbows on his knees and his palms pressed together as if in prayer.
I shake my head, darting my gaze to Hayden and Brent in confusion. They keep their faces neutral as they take in my answer.
“The Talons? Tantos? Kukris?
“No, no, no. Should I?”
“These are the four…syndicates that run the city.” Lance stares at me intently with a heavy brow.
I snort, utterly confused as to where this conversation is going. “I thought the government ran the city?”
“That’s what most people believe,” Lance does not share my humour. “But it’s simply not true.” He reaches behind him and pulls out a printed map of the city and a pen. Drawing a line through the centre one way and then the other, he splits the city in four. “Tantos are here.” He points to the bottom left corner. “The Kukris, they run this area.” He indicates the bottom right. “And The Talons run this sector here.” He points to the top left.
“And this one?” I put a finger on the Northeast quadrant.
“That’s Dao territory.”
“Why are you telling me all this? What’s this got to do with the guy who was waiting for me in my apartment last night?” Without thinking I take a spoonful of the breakfast bowl and immediately forgot the conversation, temporarily. “Oh my God, this is incredible!” I look at the bowl in wonder. “Seriously, Hayden, how did you make that so good? You know what, don’t tell me, it would ruin the magic.” I take another mouthful and groan.
Hayden laughs and strokes my cheek gently. “You’re a pleasure to cook for, baby.”
“Until recently,” Lance continues, his stern expression unaffected by my tangent. “The Tantos were led by Declan O’Reilly, but he was incarcerated a couple years ago.” My eyes dart to Brent, wondering if the surname was any relation. “His only daughter, Ruby, has refused to take the reins so they are in a bit of a mess at the moment.” Lance clears his throat uncomfortably. “Grigoriy Volkov runs The Kukris, Annika Wolfe heads up The Talons, and The Daos are led by Sydney Preston.” He looks down avoiding eye contact.
“Preston?”
“My father,” he confirms, finally meeting my gaze.
My mouth drops open as I stare at him in disbelief. I lived with this man for three years, I slept with him. Spent nights held close to his chest when I needed comfort and company. And now he tells me he has criminality in his genes.
“Your dad’s a crime boss? A criminal?” I stutter.
“Not just my dad, sweetheart,” he answers gently.
I take a moment to let that sink in. They’re all staring at me like I’m a caged animal and the lock has just been cut open. I swallow, hoping to bring some moisture back to my throat but itdoesn’t work. My breathing is too shallow. I can feel my little panting breaths and as much as I try to control it, oxygen is not entering my body in enough volume.
“Elle?” Hayden sits forward, looking at me with great concern and lays a hand on my shoulder.
“All of you?” I ask, not looking at any of them.
“It’s not as simple as—”