Page 68 of Endure the Pain

That’s handy.“Are we done here? I have plans to go check on Brenna.”

He nodded. “How’s she doing?”

Better than expected,I wanted to answer, but then I’d have to explain why. It was Brenna’s pain to share only if she wanted. “I enrolled her in a new online school. She didn’t want to return to the stuffy all-girls school she was attending and I feel online is a safer option.”

“How long do you plan on keeping her hidden away at Vincent’s? We have plenty of room here.”

Originally, I’d sent Brenna to Vincent’s because it was the only place I knew to hide her from Dylan in case he fought to get her back. “Even though things have…calmed, I still don’t think her coming to live here is what’s best for her. Right now, she needs space.”

At my request, Jeana kindly made food for me to take over to Vincent’s. After loading up a larger amount of food than expected, my goons—including Will—and I headed out.

During the drive, I watched as we passed fast food place after fast food place, longing for onion rings. I was so tired of broth and toast—the only thing I seemed to be able to keep down.

“I want onion rings,” I said.

Asher peered at me through the rearview mirror. “Right now?”

“Yes.”

Asher pulled up to the next fast food place we saw.

“Do you want anything else? Maybe something a little more substantial?” Dean asked from the front seat. He and Asher knew how bad myall daysickness was and how I could barely keep anything down.

“Nope,” I replied and requested two large orders of onion rings.

As soon as I was handed the brown paper bag of my greasy cravings, I ripped that sucker open and shoved a whole ring into my mouth. I moaned loud and long, not giving a damn because I was quite literally a woman starved and my tongue was having a foodgasm.

Asher’s shoulders shook from silent laughter as he pulled back on the highway. Dean shook his head. “They’re that good, huh?”

“Mhm,” I hummed as I chewed.

Sitting next to me, Will gaped as I quickly shoved another one into my mouth and moaned again.

I had never been to Vincent’s home before. It was a cookie-cutter house in the center of a little suburban neighborhood, not to mention that it was in De Luca territory. I noticed Finn’s blue Camaro in the drive and assumed the new G-TR I'd bought for Vincent was in the garage.

I knocked on the front door and tugged the strap of my purse up further on my shoulder. All three of my goons were holding the food Jeana had made. She had made enough to cater a small party.

The front door ripped open to reveal Brenna and she greeted us with a smile.

“What did I say about you answering the front door?” Finn snapped from somewhere inside the house.

Brenna rolled her eyes. “I looked through the peephole first,” she shot back over her shoulder.

“I don’t care.” Finn appeared behind her. “You’re still not allowed to answer the door.”

Brenna sighed and I could swear she looked as if she were bartering with herself for patience.

Seeing her stand up to Finn instead of cowering, despite what she had been through…her resilience left me in awe.

She caught me staring. “What?”

“I brought food,” I said, deflecting.

She opened the door wider, and she and Finn stepped out of the way so we could enter. Finn led the guys into the kitchen, while Brenna and I took a seat in the living room. My eyes were immediately drawn to a disassembled handgun spread apart on the coffee table.

“Finn was teaching me how to take it apart and how to put it back together,” Brenna explained.

It was good to know that he had started with her lessons. Dean had said that they had come up with a schedule to start teaching her the skills to protect herself.