Page 33 of All Your Lies (All or Nothing #2)

twenty-seven

Alexa

“ Y ou didn’t have to come with me,” I say as I glance over at Gage in the driver’s seat.

Rosie and Vic cut their honeymoon short and came home since Rosie wasn’t feeling well, so I wanted to go see her and make sure she’s okay.

Gage decided he was coming before I even extended the invite. Not that I really mind.

“Already trying to get rid of me?” Gage asks with a grin.

“I didn’t say that,” I say as I give him a good up and down.

He’s in dark denim jeans and a black Henley, which shows off the extensive gray and black ink on his upper chest and neck.

I like this look on him. He looks relaxed and almost approachable compared to his usual imposing demeanor in three-piece suits.

“Vic, Trey, and I have business, and I’d like to see my sister. Make sure he’s still treating her well.”

“You know he is,” I say as I smile and shake my head. His endearing big brother protectiveness makes me long for a sibling of my own. I wonder how different my life would have been if I had someone to protect me like he’s done for Rosie.

“Yeah, well, I’m still pissed at him for keeping everything from me.”

“Doesn’t feel good, does it?” I joke, but his face immediately changes to a frown as he turns to me and places his hand on my thigh. I instantly regret my words.

“I’ll forever be sorry for lying to you.”

“I know,” I say, gazing out the window. I want to get past this.

Past the hurt, past the uncertainty. All of us need to heal from one thing or another, but we can’t if it keeps getting brought up.

I know I need to make a conscious decision to move past this, just as Gage needs to get past the way Marco hurt him.

I place my hand over his as I redirect my gaze back to him. “You know, what you did earlier probably made Marco’s whole year. You can tell your acceptance meant a lot to him.”

“I wish it would have come out a little differently. I feel like an asshole for pulling a gun on him and putting him in that position. Now, knowing what I know, that’s not the brother or person I’d like to be.”

“Is it at all surprising to you?”

“A little...” Gage says as he seems thoughtful for a second with a scrunch of his brow.

“I never understood why Vinny sought me out the moment I got out. He was always so loyal to my father, but when I saw him, he practically begged me to let him come on and take him down. In the beginning, it was suspicious, but I gave him a chance, and he never faltered. Never did anything to make me question his motives.”

I nod, understanding. “His love for Marco made him seek you out. I’m positive he knew you’d be open-minded about Marco’s choice of love, just like I was sure you’d accept him.”

“Like I said, I don’t care who he loves. He’s my twin, and at one point, we were close. We all were,” Gage mutters, then shakes his head. “As long as he’s happy and treated well, that’s all that matters. Everyone deserves happiness. Even the worst of us.”

“Agreed,” I say with a smile.

“After we leave my sister’s, I want to take you to the club.”

My eyes widen at his quick change of thought. The club and his intentions for me at said club make my nerves run wild. “I don’t know—”

“Do you trust me?” he asks as he glances at me.

I gaze out the window as I contemplate life recently.

I do trust he won’t hurt me, but I don’t know if I trust his full honesty yet.

Last night felt so right. It was the closest I’ve seen him act like the boy I once knew.

And I promised myself I’d let the hurt go, but still.

“Yes and no,” I say honestly, because every time I think about it, I still find a “but” in my thought process.

“What can I do to make you trust me?”

“Time.”

His upper lip picks up a fraction as he looks over at me and grabs my thigh roughly, causing butterflies to invade my belly. “Time is something we have a lot of. I can deal with that.”

When we arrive at Vic and Rosie’s house, I rush to the room Vic gestures to, paying no attention to the guys.

“Okay, spill, there’s no way you’re too sick to be in the Maldives with a bikini on, toes in the sand, and a pina colada in hand,” I say as soon as I walk into the room. She smiles as she looks at me, and I study her messy bun and pale face as she sits in bed, clutching a bowl in her lap.

Her hand goes into her front hoodie pocket. “Close your eyes and open your hand.”

I place my left hand over my eyes and outstretch my right hand. A featherlight plastic object lands on my palm, causing me to uncover my eyes and glance downward, where I find a positive pregnancy test.

“Surprise, Auntie Alexa.”

“No fucking way!” I say as I jump on the bed next to Rosie and pull her in for a hug. She’s going to be a mom. Gage is going to be an uncle, and I’m going to be an aunt. I’m so excited.

“I said the same thing as I threw up in the toilet earlier.”

“How does Vic feel about it?”

“He’s ecstatic. I think he was trying to get me pregnant from day one,” she says with a silly smile. I love that my best friend is in love.

“It happened so quick.”

“We didn’t use protection. Don’t remind him, though, his head is already big enough as it is,” she mutters as she rolls her eyes, making us both laugh.

We sit around discussing what the gender could be and possible baby names until the door slams against the wall, making us both jump. Jenna comes into the room with a limp. She’s disheveled from head to toe, no shoes on her feet, with dirt and blood caked everywhere.

“Jenna, are you okay?” I ask as I walk over to her.

“I’m sorry. I really tried,” she says with a grimace as she pulls her palm away from her right thigh, which is covered in blood. She grabs the edge of her long-sleeved black shirt and rips the whole sleeve off, then wraps it around her wound before pulling it tight with a grimace.

“What are you talking about? What happened?”

“There isn’t enough time,” she says, shaking her head.

“You aren’t making any sense. You need to see a doctor for your leg. It’s bleeding bad.” I point at her blood-soaked thigh, which needs stitches, and quick from the way the makeshift tourniquet is already soaked in blood.

“Shit, get on the bed. Now!” she hisses as she pushes me away. I slip in my socks and fall back onto the hardwood floor with a thud while I regard her as if she’s lost her fucking mind.

In a split second, Jenna takes her place quietly by the wall.

As Rosie gasps, my gaze follows hers, and I spot a figure entering the room.

Their black tactical boots announce their presence with a menacing squeak.

My eyes gradually travel upward, taking in the sight of someone dressed in black cargo pants, a black shirt, and a mask that obscures their face.

As I scramble to grab my knife, my fingers close around.

.. nothing… Panic sets in when I remember not bringing it along, relying on Gage to keep me safe.

When am I going to learn my damn lesson?

The guy takes two steps in our direction, causing Rosie to release a bloodcurdling scream.

That gives Jenna enough time to creep up behind him, jump on his back, pull up his mask, and slice him across his throat from ear to ear.

I watch the blood trickle down his neck as he drops to his knees, prompting Jenna to gracefully jump off him before he falls face-first onto the floor.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Jenna!”

“I’m sorry,” she mutters, out of breath as she takes her knife and cleans it against her black pants before placing it into her back pocket. What in the hell is going on?

I clamber to the side of the bed and use it to help myself up, then I glance over at Rosie, whose ragged breath was almost to the point of hyperventilating. I crawl on the bed and grab her arm, which is quaking with the rest of her body. “Ro, it’s okay. You’re safe.”

She looks right through me as if I’m not in front of her, which scares the hell out of me. The memories of her recent attack and abduction must be flooding back, causing her to relive the trauma all over again. I know little about being pregnant, but I’m sure this isn’t good for her or the baby.

“Rosie. Look at me,” I murmur as I grab her hands in mine. They’re clammy and cold, but once I have a good grip on them, she looks at me and not through me. “That’s good,” I say in a soothing tone. “We’re going to breathe together. Let’s breathe in for three seconds and then out for three. Okay?”

She blinks, but not much else. We do three sets of the breathing exercises together, which usually helps me. She calms down slightly, but I’m still worried. “You’re doing great. Let’s keep taking those breaths, okay?”

I’m still aware of Jenna’s presence and the dead guy in the room, but my focus is solely on making sure Rosie gets through this.

It’s odd how this doesn’t faze me, yet the mere thought of someone trailing me in my car turns me into a complete wreck.

Each of us carries our own traumas, but they manifest in unique ways.

I just hope I’m able to get Rosie through hers so I can focus on what’s happening behind me.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Rosie says right before she throws up into the bowl between us while I’m still holding her hands.

The distinct sound of shuffling catches my attention, and I glance around. Jenna flips the guy onto his back, then rips his mask off his face.

“Ah, Paul. I have to hand it to you. You got me good this time,” she says as she pats his bloody cheek.

“What the fuck is going on, Jenna?” I ask as I watch her fish her phone out of her bra and take a picture of the dead guy.

Rosie gasps.

Jenna says nothing as she roots around in the guy’s pockets. I grab Rosie a tissue from her nightstand, then walk over to Jenna and grab her arm. “What is going on, and how the hell did you jump on that guy’s back and slit his throat like it was nothing?”

She looks at me with regret in her eyes. “I have to go.”

“What do you mean?”