Page 102 of Retribution

‘Maybe she should be upset,’ he mutters. ‘Maybe then she’ll have an idea of how we’ve been feeling while she’s been MIA!’

Blake pushes Shade backward a step. ‘That’s enough!’

‘Yeah,’ Mav interjects. ‘This isn’t helping anything.’

‘What? It’s true! She promised she’d tell us if things went sideways and instead she didn’t even give us the chance to help her. She just ran straight to the worst criminal in the area and made a deal with him. I mean, what the fuck, Daisy? I thought a promise meant something to you.’ He scoffs. ‘What a crock.’

‘We said enough!’ Mav snarls. ‘Fuck, Shade. Shut your mouth!’

I sink down to the bed slowly, my wide eyes filling with tears. This is what they think? I’m met with the realization that I should have told them everything that was happening.Hindsight is always 20/20, I read once. Now I understand. They don’t know what I’ve been going through. I haven’t told them anything. I didn’t even give them a chance to help me, I just assumed they couldn’t and dealt with everything alone.

Like I always do.

But I’m not alone anymore. I have them.

I open my mouth to tell them that I’m sorry, but I can’t make the words come out.

Tears spill down my cheeks.

Blake sits next to me and folds me into his arms. ‘Shhh. It’s ok, gorgeous. Ignore him. He’s being an asshole. We’ve been so worried about you, and we didn’t know what was happening. And then you ran. We thought you had left Richmond. We were scared.’

‘We were afraid we’d never see you again, Tulip.’ Mav chimes in from his spot next to Shade, who’s sitting back in the chair. ‘When we saw the footage of you being taken by Sauvage’s guys, we sort of lost it a little.’

He gives Shade a look. ‘Some of us haven’tfound itagain yet.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Shade says, rubbing his hands over his face. ‘Daisy, I’m sorry. I’m upset with you for going behind our backs, but mostly I’m still freaking out that we almost lost you. I don’t think any of us know what we’d do if that happened.’

‘I’m sorry, too,’ I’m able to choke out. ‘I…’

I can’t bring myself to tell them every sordid detail right now.

Instead, I hold onto Blake tightly, letting the smell of him calm me. They’re here. They’re safe and so am I, for now.

‘You smell different,’ I murmur against his neck.

‘Quit smoking,’ he says gruffly.

I smile a little, and take a long breath in. He seems to sink against me as I do.

‘I like it,’ I say as I pull back and he leanshis forehead against mine for a second before he lets me go. ‘You smell like peppermint.’

I focus on Shade and, though I don't want to go into everything, I need him to know that I'm contrite.

‘I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you my plan,’ I say. ‘I knew you wouldn’t like it, but, truly, it was the only one I could think of. There’s nowhere else I can be so well hidden. The Bandervilles and John would never think to look here. Could you really have come up with something better so quickly?’

‘She’s right about that,’ Mav says. ‘C’mon, let’s all relax. Who’s hungry? Sauvage said we can ask for anything we want. I’ll get someone to order us a pizza. Sound good?’

‘God, yes!’ I moan, my stomach growling audibly at the thought. ‘Joe had Nasty Nurse put me on a diet to slim down for the wedding.’

When I was fed at all.

But I don’t tell them that part. Not today.

I get up and go into the palatial bathroom, complete with marbleeverythingand the fluffiest white towels I’ve ever seen.

I haven’t showered since Joe and Nasty Nurse touched me and, as I stand alone in the bathroom looking at my wan face in the huge mirror over the sink, I’m overcome with the need to scrub my body clean.

‘I’m just going to take a shower,’ I call out the door to the guys before locking it and stripping.