Page 128 of Restitution

“Yikes. I should say I’m shocked, but it’s been a wild week. You didn’t even tell us about him. I only knew about Kyle.”

“You met him once. He was the guy at the studio you thought was my Tinder date.”

“Oh, Jesus. I should have hit him in the nuts.”

“Did I ever meet him?” Lu asks, her brow furrowing.

My eyes widen as I remember what Chris said to Tobias in the basement. “Oh, I think you actually had sex with him.”

She pales, her eyes wide as Ty gasps. “What?”

I pull out my phone and click on his social-media page, zooming into the picture of him and Kyle and showing her it. “He said he slept with you. Or was he lying?”

She grimaces. “He was terrible in bed. He started crying when he came.”

We all wince. “Ew.”

Then we burst out in more laughter, and it only causes a chain reaction of leg slapping, snorting and us holding on to each other as tears roll down our cheeks.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Ty says, and we all catch our breaths. “Were you fucking Base while telling us to stay away from your brother and his friends? That’s so hypocritical!”

“No, no, no. I swear. We didn’t sleep together until he came to Russia to get me. We… did do something before that. Two somethings.”

We wait for her to elaborate.

She sighs. “They were in the moment, and even I’m mortified with myself.” Luciella looks around then lowers her voice. “I had a threesome with Base, but we didn’t touch, because I said it was off limits. He was inside the guy while the guy was inside me.”

Well, that’s…

Ty raises her hand. “Hold up. You had a threesome and didn’t tell us? When?”

She hums. “A few years ago.”

“What was the other thing?”

“We touched each other in my dorm room, and then he stormed out because I said it was a mistake.”

“Shit,” Tylar blurts. “I’m a little mad at you for pushing me away from Dez. But I forgive you. Can we all go watch a movie and wait on… What is Base now? I honestly feel like I’ve come home to a fairy tale.”

Luciella wipes away her tears of laughter. “A billionaire crime lord basically. He made a deal to marry a mafia princess and take over from his grandfather. I think he was the Don or something. I can’t be mad at him, because it was to save me. I just… miss him.”

“And Kade runs his own organisation…”

“Yep,” I reply.

Tylar shakes her head. “And Dez lives with his grandma. Howcome I landed the normal one?”

We all break into laughter again.

After we finish up breakfast, I text Kade to ask where he is, but the bodyguard by my side tells me he’s in room four on the east wing.

The manor is a lot busier now that everyone is awake, and I smile at multiple staff as I make my way to the other side of the building. I go to open the door of room four and freeze when I see the plaque hanging from it.

It’s Jason’s room from when he was a kid. There’s a superhero flying above his name and a “Keep Out” sign just below it.

I bite my lip and push the door open to see Kade sitting on the small sofa in front of the TV, his game paused. He doesn’t look at me as I close the door or make my way towards him. He’s staring at the screen, catatonic, not blinking – emotionless.

I sit down beside him, placing my hand over his, and let out a breath as his fingers curl into mine, his throat working on a deep swallow.