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But the what ifs aren’t what I want to focus on. My best friend of twenty-two years is the queen of grudges. I just hope she can see I did what I had to do, did the only thing I could to not only keep Kato, Brix, and Madd safe, but keep my own heart beating.

Flora chews on her bottom lip as her eyes well with tears. She’s fighting her emotions, but my girl has always been fairly sensitive. A total badass and more than willing to go toe to toe with any asshole, but still sensitive.

Especially when it comes to me.

“Fuck,” she grits out.

When she opens her arms and reaches for me, I instantly lean into her, hugging her tightly. This is something else I never thought I would feel again, my best friend hugging me, her sweet perfume she’s worn since high school filling my nostrils, her skin that always seems so much warmer than normal like a balm to my soul.

Her sniffle makes tears well in my own eyes, but I blink them away. We have a few more things to discuss before we allow ourselves to devolve into blubbering messes.

Pulling away from her, I wipe the tears from her cheeks and smile as my vision blurs.

“Now that we got that out of the way … I’m getting married. In a month. Actually, I think it’s more like twenty-seven or twenty-eight days. I haven’t checked the calendar. I want to put on a huge show, like asurprise I’m still alivekind of engagement party.”

She turns her attention toward where all three are now watching us. “Let me guess – you’re marrying Kato.”

With a roll of my eyes, I nod. “I’d marry all three of them if that was legal, but it’s not. So taking his name is the safest route in case something ever happens to him or all three of them.”

Looking back at me, she leans closer as if the guys can hear us and whispers, “I will say Brix has gotten even hotter. All three ofthem are very…fuckable. But damn. Brix looks like the best bad decision ever.”

I huff a laugh. She’s not wrong. With his hair grown long, the tattoos, and the rings through his ears and nose, he definitely looks like the sexiest kind of bad boy.

But I would never consider him a bad decision.

“Have you guys been fucking like rabbits?” she asks, still leaning close and stealing another glance at my men.

If anyone else were to look at them the way she is, I might find myself feeling a little possessive but she’s never been a fan of theirs, and they always thought she was a bad influence on me. She’s always been extremely sexually liberated; I think they always feared I might decide I wanted to try someone else.

Being as I have three men who fuck me and love me, what else could I possibly need? Pretty sure I don’t have the emotional, mental, or physical energy to entertain any more men than these three.

I’m still glowing from my…timewith Kato. But if I give Flora an inch, she’ll demand a fucking mile. This girl will always want all the gory details of my sex life. And everyone else’s, too.

Pretty sure she’s always been a little jealous that I was able to find and fall in love with three men who are willing to share me with each other, instead of forcing me to choose one of them over the other.

“You realize how dangerous this whole thing will be, right? I mean, I’ll help. And you know damn well I’ll be there and packing to watch your back, but there’s a good chance your engagement party will end up on the six o’clock news. Or in the least, all over social media.”

“We haven’t ironed out all the details, but Kato has enough resources to make sure the partygoers are safe, and I’m pretty sure no one will be allowed to carry in the party. Sorry, sister.”

She wrinkles her nose but shrugs. “At least tell me it’s black tie. I need a reason to buy a new dress.”

I haven’t even told her about the ridiculous amount of clothing currently hanging in my closet. I would offer to let her borrow – or take – whatever she wants, but Flora is a couple inches shorter than me and curvy. Curvy, beautiful, strong as fuck – she has never had a problem garnering attention from men or women since I’ve known her.

“It’s black tie.” I lean back against my lounge chair. It’s chilly out here, but we both have blankets draped over our legs and we’re both wearing sweaters. “Does that mean you’re in?”

“I’m still pissed. But of course, I’m in. I’m always up for a little chaos and a chance to get laid.”

“Oh, there will be plenty of fresh meat to choose from.”

Because I plan on making sure Kato and the other two invite as many local players as possible, as many celebrities – localandwell known – and any and every ally they have for the day I rise from the dead and look my father directly in the eye and tell him to go fuck himself.

Chapter 21

Everest

“Absolutely not,” Kato says, crossing his arms over his chest.

I mimic his position, pushing from his office door and glaring at him as he sits behind his big ass desk. It isn’t the same one I saw in here when we were kids and the families still had meetings periodically without bloodshed.