Page 9 of He Is Ours (Lovers in Crossfire #2)

Chapter nine

Alex

I

glance

over

at

the Cadillac, my stomach tightening when I see Olivia sitting there, her blue-green eyes burning with fury as she glares at the casino. I don’t know what’s going through her beautifully dangerous mind, but one thing is clear—she’s pissed, the kind of pissed that leads to bad decisions.

“You gonna stare at her all night, or are you gonna grow a pair and fix this?” Rachel says, irritation dripping from her words as she sits in the driver’s seat, fingers tapping impatiently on the steering wheel.

She’s barely holding it together, just like me.

We both want our girl back, but apparently, this is only my fault, thanks to my fucking grandfather.

“Yes, Rachel, I’ll fix it!” I snap, dragging a hand through my hair.

I want to be mad at her, but I know why she's angry, and I know that I'm the only one who can fix this. I take a deep breath before anything, trying to calm my words; she doesn’t deserve my harsh words. “I just don’t know how to yet.” I steal another glance at Olivia through the tinted windows, the weight of unspoken words pressing down on me like a thousand-pound brick. ..

I have to switch this conversation before my guilt eats me alive, and I am no use to them with this Starr brothers situation.

“Any word on the Starr brothers? Have they left the casino?” I ask.

“No, they should all still be in there.” Rachel’s voice tightens, her frustration bubbling over.

“And now it all makes sense. Andrew was deep in with the Italians, always at the casino, drinking and gambling. Hell, he was in so much debt they showed up at our damn apartment demanding payment more times than I can count.” Her face twists with anger, and she clenches the steering wheel so tight her knuckles start turning white.

I place a hand on her shoulder, trying to ground her.

“Rach, Andrew’s dead. No one’s coming after you.

And if they try, I will make them regret every choice they have made in life, especially going for my girls.

” My voice is steel, final, and unwavering.

My hand moves up to her face, cupping her cheek.

“No one will take what’s mine ever again. ”

I feel Rachel move out of my grip. “Looks like Oliver’s guys are here. I guess it's time to get out and face the music,” she groans, pushing the door open to step out of the car.

We both get out and walk in front of the 4Runner. Oliver and Olivia join us, and then I see Oliver nod his head at the four Chevrolet Suburbans. The men file out and come to stand in a semicircle around us.

Oliver clears his throat. “So, what's the plan, Alex? Where are the Starr brothers? Are they all involved with the Italians fully or just in debt to them because of Andrew?” Alright, I guess we're getting straight to the point. But it’s not me who replies.

“As far as we know, the Starr brothers are still in there. I am not sure they are fully involved. We need to get more info before we figure out what to do next.” Rachel lays it all out for them.

I turn my head and see Olivia watching her every move, longing, and sorrow in her eyes.

“Ok, well, since they don’t know me, I will walk in and scope out the area, you two,” Oliver points with split fingers at Rachel and me.

“They know, so it's a liability for you to go in. We need to determine where we need to go, who is involved, and how to target only the Starr brothers. We don’t want further problems with the Italians if we can avoid it.” Oliver is entirely at ease, putting plans into action and assigning tasks to his team.

Olivia stands by her brother, arms crossed, a scowl on her face.

They look so much alike when they stand by each other; the only difference right now is that you can see Oliver is in full boss-man mode, and Olivia is ready to murder anyone who looks at any of us the wrong way.

I have never seen this level of anger from her before, and it's both terrifying and incredibly sexy.

Before I even realize what I'm doing, I walk up to Olivia and hold out my hand, silently pleading that she take it and let me explain, but she doesn’t.

Instead, she steps back just a fraction.

She doesn’t say a word. Not even a glare.

Just that fraction of a space that suddenly feels like I’m miles away from her again.

My stomach caves in like she knocked the wind out of me.

One singular step. Not even a full one. Just a twitch of her heel was enough to make my whole world tilt.

She looks at me like I’m another problem she has to deal with, another weight pressing down on her already burdened shoulders. To my right, I see Rachel step around me, offering her hand, and Olivia takes it without hesitation. No second-guessing.

It feels worse than a punch to the gut. I want to be happy that she trusts one of us, but I'm not; I feel every other negative emotion imaginable. I’m furious with my grandfather, pissed at myself, frustrated with everything, and most of all, desperate. Just fucking desperate.

I tell myself I shouldn’t be surprised. Olivia’s been keeping me at arm’s length ever since the night at the auction.

Since she started questioning whether I was just another man trying to take advantage of her, or if I was still her Alex.

But knowing why she’s pulling away doesn’t make it any easier to handle.

My fingers curl into a fist at my side as I force myself to breathe through it. This isn’t about me. It never was.

But damn, it still cuts deep.

Rachel glances at me, something unreadable flickering in her eyes like she knows exactly how much that moment wrecked me. Maybe she does. She’s always been better at understanding Olivia than I am.

I shift my weight, trying to shake the feeling creeping into my chest. Now isn’t the time to dwell on this. We have a job to do. People to deal with. The Starr brothers, the Italians—everything else is more important than my wounded pride.

But as Oliver continues forming the plan, my eyes keep finding Olivia, drawn to the way her jaw tightens, her fingers twitching at her side like she’s barely holding herself back. She’s still furious, still walking that razor-thin line between control and chaos.

And I should be worried about what happens when she finally snaps.

But all I can think about is whether she’ll ever reach for me again.

And God, I don’t know what will destroy me first… Her rage, or her silence.