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I stared at Rich, trying to find words to respond, but I couldn't make anything come out of my mouth. He'd never been that type of person, and I didn't want to believe something about that had changed.

"If you chucklefucks will think with the head between your shoulders instead of the one in your pants for just a minute, you'd realize I'm not saying we'downher. Marino isn't going to just walk away from her without a return on whatheconsiders an investment. The only way we avoid war and ensure the Princess goes free is to make sure he gets that return." Rich replied, his tone laced with anger.

My shoulders sagged in relief. The tension that had set in at his suggestion to buy Victoria melted away.

"This is a bad idea, Rich." Craig seethed. "Especially without discussing it with her first. When she gets wind of this plan, I hope you're ready for the hell she's gonna rain down. I, for one, won't let this go through without making sure she knows. And when she hits you with whatever storm is coming, if you've got any dignity left after this move, you'll take it with a smile."

Rich looked oddly resigned as he stared at the phone and the threats she'd received. "If it keeps her safe, then it will be the easiest price I've ever paid."

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Victoria

I padded my way to the kitchen in search of something to eat. I'd spent the last twenty-four hours or so holed up in my bedroom, alternating between grief and numbness. All the guys had been in and out to check on me periodically, but I hadn't been up for talking other than a few murmured words. Watching my childhood friend be brutally murdered had torn me apart in ways I didn't know were possible.

Between the sleeping pill Joey had given me in the aftermath and the grief, I'd barely nibbled on the meals the guys had brought me throughout the day. The sandwich Craig had brought around lunchtime sat on my nightstand, completely untouched. Joey had come to check in again sometime after Craig had dropped it off and told me everyone except Rich would be gone for most of the evening.

My growling stomach had finally pulled me from my stupor around seven, so I decided to find myself dinner since I doubted Rich would provide delivery service the way Craig and Joey had. The smell of pasta sauce and garlic bread hit me before I made it through the entryway, and my jaw fell open at the sight of Rich by the stove wearing an apron.

"It'll be ready in a minute if you wanna go on and sit." He said, glancing at me over his shoulder.

"I didn't know you cooked." I replied, moving to sit on a stool at the island.

"I'm no Craig, but my Ma made sure Joey, and I knew how to take care of ourselves. I'm pretty sure she'd still tan our hides if either of us were in a position to feed you and didn't do the cooking." He chuckled.

"Your mom's still alive?" I don't know why the fact shocked me, but it did.

"Pop too. Joey and me put them up in a little place in Midtown with our very first big score."

I arched a brow at him. "Your folks know about your business?"

"Enough." He shrugged, returning his attention to the stove as he began to plate spaghetti. "They don't care to know the details, but they're legacy Southside. General consensus is so long as we stick to the morals they raised us with, that's as much as they care to know. They know that sometimes the only way to make it out alive is to be the biggest bad."

I tried to stop the little laugh that erupted out of me and ended up covering it with a cough. "And you thinkyou guysare the biggest bad?"

Rich slid the plates onto the kitchen island and pinned me to the spot with a wicked grin that had butterflies raising hell in my stomach.

"You have no idea, Princess."

I cleared my throat and pulled the plate of spaghetti closer. Rich sat opposite me, and we ate in silence for a few moments.

"There's something we need to discuss, Princess." He said, breaking the silence.

"Did you find something to help with whatever you guys were planning after Noah?" I asked, a sense of dread settling into my stomach.

"No," He frowned. "It's about the text messages you've been getting. Az found them yesterday."

"Az went through my phone?" I bit out, angry at the intrusion.

"Not intentionally, no. As far as I'm aware, he was silencing your phone so you could rest when one of the threats you've been getting came through. We're pretty sure we know who's been sending them, but what we don't know is why you didn't tell us about them."

"You guys haven't exactly had the greatest track record of treating me like an adult." I scoffed. "If I told you I was getting creepy texts from my ex, you'd have tried to lock me down again."

"I can understand why you might think that, but we'd agreed some time ago to start workingtogetherto keep you safe. We can't do that if you're hiding things from us, Princess."

"I can handle fuckingBensonwithout your help."

"You really think that twit is behind them? He's an entitled, narcissistic prick, sure. Butthisis more than that."