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Chapter Twenty-Nine

Vivian

For two days Nova and I have stayed holed up in this house. The constant fear and the worry that at any moment Thomas will show his face has us on edge. I heard from Alex that he has the guys. Nova was pissed when I told her about that but she understands and knows it's safer for them to be away from this. We have no idea who Thomas is working with or how many men he has on his side. Alex has been helping us and keeping track of the men we know are aiding Thomas. So far the man himself hasn’t shown his face or even sent a letter, but I can feel it in my gut that he knows exactly where I am.

Why is he waiting?

“Answer me this.” I turn away from the window to look at Nova who is laying on the couch.

“What?”

“The deal you made, why not just give them all up now?”

“Because they want Thomas. He is the ring leader and without him the deals I made mean nothing.” Those fuckers are slimy and the fact they can’t just be happy that I handed them myself and a secret society filled with smugglers, dirty feds, crooked politicians, embezzlers and murderers is fucking bullshit. They want the head of the snake. I get that, I do, but they also think they are going to get the assets that the Saints have amassed over the years. They are in for a rude surprise when it comes time for that. David knows when to funnel the final amounts out of the accounts and there is no way they will be able to trace it back to us or anyone else. They will be searching for that pot of gold for years without finding it.

“Fucking greedy assholes.” I hum my agreement. “What if it isn’t Thomas doing this?” That question has been plaguing me daily.

“I can’t explain it but I just have this feeling in my gut that it's him. I know it sounds crazy?—”

“No, it doesn’t.” She sits up and faces me with a somber look. “I get it because I feel the same way. I just hate not being a hundred percent sure, ya know?” I nod. I know she has compartmentalized her grief and is clinging onto her anger and the need for vengeance against Thomas, but she will have to deal with that grief sooner rather than later or it will eat her alive.

“Tatum has arrived,” David calls out. He’s been here every day with us and honestly I am grateful as fuck for him. He doesn’t need to be here but he doesn’t want to leave us alone too much.

“Bring her in,” I call out. I haven’t been able to catch up with Tate since the guys barged into Lividica and put my two doormen in the hospital. They will fucking pay for that. Tate saunters into the room looking angry at the world. Nova looks to me in question, I shrug my shoulders unsure why Tate is in such a terrible mood. Tate flops down onto the sofa unceremoniously and sighs. “Make yourself at home,” I tease.

She rolls her head to the side and looks at me, fuck she looks so much younger in the light of day. What lotion does she use? “I never should have tried to find my family. If I’m here because you are going to fire me then please don’t, I swear I won’t get distracted at work again. I need this job, Vivian?—”

“Stop!” She clamps her mouth closed and slouches into her seat further. “No one is getting fired.” Her face perks up.

“Really?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“Then why am I here?” she asks, looking around the room as if she is only just realizing we aren’t at my house. “Did you move?”

“Temporarily,” I answer curtly.

“Okay…” She drags out that one word.

“You’re here because I wanted an update on the club.” She seems to switch from moody to excited at the mention of the club. She gives me a rundown on everything that’s happened and tells me that my masquerade night was a success. She has hired five more guys and three more girls to fill the demand.

“If you haven’t thought about expanding, you really should because we can’t keep up with the demand of both sides of Lividica,” she says in a dreamy tone.

“I do have plans to expand but not in Hollow Hills. I have other locations but they will take time. Until then we need to make this club work because everything is riding on the success of Lividica.”

“Well, you will need to find a manager for each of those places,” she says but I can see the cogs in her mind working overtime as she tries to think of the perfect person for the jobs, but I put an end to her pondering.

“Tatum, I asked you here because I will have to go away for a while soon and you are the only person who knows how to run both sides of the business.”

She frowns up at me. “I don’t understand, Vivian.”

Nova smiles and leans forward. “What my friend is trying to say is that she has already found a person to take over running all the clubs.” Tatum’s face falls, she drops her gaze to her lap.

“I hope they do a good job,” she mutters.

“Oh, I know they will because if they don’t, I won’t be as welcoming when they march into my house and flop all over my sofa.” Her brows pinch for a second until my words sink in.

“Wait!” she screams, then jumps to her feet. “Are you offering me the job?”

I smile and nod. “Yes I am.” Tate screams and starts jumping on the spot clapping her hands like a kid in a candy store.

“Oh my God! This is fucking amazing, holy shit I can’t wait to tell my brother.”

“You have a brother?” I ask.

She nods excitedly. “Yes! He was abandoned by my dad as well. He found me and has been staying at my place.” She waves her hand. “Never mind about him, he’s a hermit and never leaves the house.” I pinch my lips to the side. It worries me that since Tate has started working for me and gets paid really well, then suddenly she has a long lost father and brother reaching out to her. I fucking hope they don’t use her for her money.

“The new job comes with a pay raise.” Tate’s eyes widen.

“Vivian, you pay me a shit load of money now, I don’t need more?—”

I raise my hand, halting her spiel. “You will be flying between locations and holidays will be few and far between so take the money, it’s the least I can do.”

“How much money are we talking?” she asks shyly.

“An extra 100k a year.” Her jaw unhinges and her eyes widen to the point it looks like they might actually pop out of their sockets. Nova laughs at Tate’s reaction and I can’t help but smile as well. The reason she is getting paid so much is because she is a hard worker and I know how deeply she cares for all the girls and guys. She keeps them safe and keeps tabs on all of them. I've even heard from David that she paid Montana’s rent because she was short a couple of weeks back. She doesn’t do that stuff for recognition she does it because she is a good fucking person and I couldn’t think of a better person to run my empire while I’m away. I know she will be fine and if she needs help, David will be there to guide her.

Sadness thrums inside me. I know I’m doing the right thing but it doesn’t make it any easier knowing that life will go on without me. I just have to keep reminding myself who I am doing this for. At the start it was for my family’s freedom but now, I just want to make sure my guys will be okay. I want them to be safe, happy and able to live a life without worry of having to be called into the Saints when they turn twenty-five. The fact they chose to attend CHU and not some Ivy league school like they were told they would have makes me smile. They were already starting to take control of their own lives and live freely.

“I swear I won’t let you down,” Tate promises, pulling me from my thoughts.

“I know you won’t. I have faith in you, Tate. Just promise me you will take your time with getting to know your dad and brother.”

Her features pinch. “My dad has been blowing me off, he was so interested and everything to do with my life and wanted to know everything about me and my friends. Then when he didn’t show, he went silent until yesterday. He wanted to meet me today but I blew him off.” Pride swells inside me.

“Good. Make him earn your forgiveness,” I say proudly.

“Amen to that,” Nova adds. We spend an hour chatting with Tate before she leaves to get ready for work. David takes his leave with her and promises to check in a couple of days. Nova and I wave him off. Nova and I spend the rest of the night hanging out and watching rom coms to keep our minds off the men who took hold of our hearts. She tells me stories about what she and Vox have been up to while we were separated but I’ll be honest, I’m more interested in the stories she tells me about her and Ez.

Nova and I have the day to ourselves since David isn’t coming over. He wants to keep changing his routine so no one can track him here. During the day we only have two guards while the others head home to rest up for the evening shift. I feel bad for them having to stand outside all night. With it being too cold out we rule out swimming, I don’t care if it's heated or not it's too cold today. It's overcast and windy as hell. I can hear the wind howling and that shit scares me. I would much rather be tucked up in bed cuddling Hayze while Ez plays with my hair and Archer runs his hands over me?—

“You have that faraway look in your eyes.” I shake my head to clear away my thoughts as I face Nova.

“I was just thinking about the guys,” I admit.

She smiles and winks. “Finally ready to admit you're in love with my brother, Hayze and Archer?”

My lungs deflate but a smile spreads across my face. “Yeah. I am so fucking head over heels for them and it scares the hell out of me.”

Nova stares at me with a knowing look. “Someone once told me, sometimes you have to fall in order to know where you stand . I kind of think that person might know what he is talking about because when I fell, I was terrified but at the same time so excited at the prospect of what we could become.”

“My brother said that, didn't he?” She chuckles and nods.

“Yeah. Yeah he did but it doesn’t make it any less true.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m scared of them hurting me again,” I blurt out. Her eyes soften as she makes her way toward me, then grabs both my hands and holds them.

“Love hurts but it is the greatest pain we will ever feel in our lives, because having the power to love and be loved is what makes life so special. We only get one chance at living, so embrace that bitch and dive head first into whatever this is you have with them. Life is too short and I don’t want you to waste a minute of it.”

“How the hell am I going to handle three of them?”

Nova laughs and this one is a full belly laugh that has me smiling wide. “Girl, I can barely handle your brother and there is only one of him. Good luck to you and RIP to your pussy because if those guys are anything like Vox, you won’t be getting any more sleep.” I cringe at the mention of my brother.

“You suck at pep talks, you know that, right?”

She just shrugs. “This isn’t a pep talk, this is me telling you to let go of your past and embrace your future. Live in the moment, Vivian. I don’t know about you, but this past year has shown me that loving your brother has made my world so much brighter. On my down days he is my strength, when I need to be held he is always there. Fuck what people say or think about you four, they are only jealous because you have the three of those boys eating out of your palm and ready to jump when you tell them.”

“God, I miss them,” I admit.

Sadness clouds her green eyes. “Ditto. But I miss Vox the most, it's so hard not having him with me every second of every day.”

“You really do love my brother, don’t you?”

Her eyes turn misty. “More than he will ever know. He isn’t just the boy who stole my heart, he is my… person. With him by my side I know I can get through anything. Not having him with me right now kills me because he is my go to, he is the person I turn to for everything and it feels strange to be without him again after so long.”

“I’m so sorry you are back in this shit because of me.”

“I’m not. That motherfucker took my world from me and his cunt of a kid stole my best friend and robbed him of life, so I want them to pay. I need to put the past to bed as much as you do. I have been living half a life since we left here, always terrified they would show up and blow my life apart.”

“We end this,” I promise.

“I swear on my life I will look after them.”

“I know you will just please… don’t let them hate me,” I plead.

She pulls me in for a hug. “They can’t hate what makes them breathe. You are the air they need to survive. Without you, they have nothing.”