Page 48 of Queen Crow

It’s been cut into a heart.

“When I saw you wearing that little locket, I was furious. Enraged that once again, the Wolf was able to just have you on her side without repercussions, with only the Jackal giving a shit about it, and yet she handled him with ease. Everything I’d had to do to get you out of your father’s house alive... all of it cost me you. I was jealous and couldn’t stand that she had given you a favor as protection so easily.“

I climb back into the bed to open the little cage up and add the diamond heart in with the others. All three of the members of the Twelve that I love, all of them hanging over my heart together.

He looks at it, running a finger down my collarbone gently until my body erupts in goosebumps. “If I would’ve befriended her… I would’ve gotten you and Ash out faster. I could’ve gotten you out of your father’s house years before we did.”

I hug one of my knees, resting my cheek on it in a very Lips sort of pose. “I don’t blame you. I should’ve never put her through the hell I did in freshman year… I feel guilty about some of it now, even though I know we were testing each other. We wouldn’t have been this close if we didn’t, I’m sure of it, but there’s still the guilt.”

He leans back to look at the ceiling again, the mottled color of his chest stark in the low lighting. “I failed you. I failed your brother too. All I ever wanted to do was get you out and it took a little girl from the slums to get it done.”

I reach out to trace one edge of the scar. I think I’m going to be obsessed with it for the rest of my life. “You can’t be angry about not seeing through that. It’s part of her superpower, no one ever expects her to be the most dangerous person in the room, and yet she is. Instead of being furious about it, just accept the past is done with. The Wolf is your ally, you’re a part of the Family now and… I love you. We make our own choices from now on, together, and fuck everyone else. Stop playing other people’s games and force them to play yours, Atticus.”

Chapter Sixteen

Atticus moves back out of the ranch the next day.

I’m fully prepared to have a mental breakdown over it, but I’m surprisingly calm as I help carry his things down to where Luca is waiting in the foyer, staring down the three idiots as they all glare daggers at him and make snide comments.

Lips is slightly more friendly about it, but she’s still happily three feet away from him and draped in Harley’s arms. I can’t help but look between them after seeing the way he’d looked at her when she’d named him in the Game.

The guys all look like they want him bleeding out at her feet.

Atticus stops me at the steps and takes the laptop case from me, the only bag he’d allowed me to carry because his ego wouldn’t let me touch anything else in his very manly presence. It’s that old world gentleman in him, a complete departure from the man who was choking me with his cock only hours before.

I keep that to myself though, I’m sure our audience would have opinions on the matter if they heard about it.

“I’ll deal with Holden and Bingley. I have access to some alternate disposal methods. It’s best that Randy doesn’t catch wind of this for as long as we can stretch it out.”

I shrug and take his hand. “We already have him under control. I did have a question for you about him though… we’ve voted about how to deal with him, but Lips and I agree that you get a choice here. Do you want to kill him or are you open to the worst death possible for him? I vote worst death, and so did everyone else, but he’s still your father. You’re the one he hurt the most.”

His eyes narrow at me and then flick back to where Lips is watching us both. “What exactly is the worst death? What danger does it put you in?”

I smile at him, the brightest one I can muster in an attempt to distract him a little. “None at all. Ash is home now, I’m barely allowed to leave the house for fear of splinters, didn’t you know? I’m a damsel.”

If his eyes narrowed any further, they’d be shut. “Avery, what have you done?”

“Nothing. I’m not involved with it at all. Lips came home and took over entirely. I swear.”

He knows me too well and sighs at me, glancing over at Luca and directing him back to the car to give us some privacy. I’m not sure how their dynamic is going to change now that Luca has a seat at the table, but there’s none I can see so far.

“The worst death possible. I don’t need to be the one doing it, I just need proof of death to be sure. Cutting the Jackal’s head off was the smartest thing the Butcher has ever done because there’s never been a doubt that he’s really gone.”

I nod, and with Noah wandering around my house right as we speak, it’s not like we don’t have evidence that deaths can, and do, get faked all of the time.

“We’ll get the proof, don’t worry about it. I’ll see you at the meeting, we can have dinner afterward. We should just about be done with this mess by then.”

He frowns at me again but then, with another sigh, he leans down to kiss me, one hand on my neck as he runs a finger down my pulse in his own little tic. A proof of life moment, a check that I am real and I’m here with him.

We’re all a little damaged.

The moment his car disappears, Lips sidles up to me and jerks her head to the garage. “You ready to end this bitch? I thought he’d never fucking leave us to it.”

I smirk at her and tuck our arms together as we walk. There’s footsteps behind us but I always knew that the guys would be involved, so I don’t bother to glance back at them.

The charred remains of the Mustang are littered around on the ground everywhere as we first step into the garage, but it only takes up two of the parking bays. There are dozens more, all of them containing Ash’s collection. The custom Ferraris, the McLarens, the Porsche that he’s trying out just for fun over some silly little comment Poe had made back in the hospital room when we’d met her—every part of this space is his pride and joy.

I was surprised when he’d offered to let Blaise build a soundproof room in the back for recording purposes, and I was even more shocked when Lips had told me that Morrison had helped her stash Amanda Donnelley in there after they’d hunted her down, killed all of her security, and dragged her back here.