Page 29

Max

Maybe I should have said no to Hailey when she asked for the vape.

It didn't help that Bianca dragged her to the bar right after to order some god-awful concoction.

But it's too late now; she's just as fucked as Bianca.

We're at a booth, no longer dancing, and Sofia and I are watching Hailey and Bianca like they're circus animals.

They've developed their own language, or more like Bianca speaking gibberish and Hailey laughing her ass off at it.

I'm glad she's having fun, at least. Hopefully, Hailey remembers some of it tomorrow.

I take another pull from my vape, wondering if I should consider a tolerance break since it's barely affecting me tonight.

Sofia takes a sip of her drink. "It's like every other inhale you take is through that damn pen. It's not fair. Remember those edibles we took? I was worried about accidentally swallowing my tongue for four hours and absolutely nothing happened to you."

"Believe me Sof, I remember." I sigh. I can never seem to avoid taking care of my sisters anytime alcohol or weed is involved. Sofia has better self-control than Bianca, at least.

Hailey and Bianca slide out of the booth.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" I ask. If they want more drinks, I'm dragging them both home.

"Bathroom," Hailey says, her eyes red slits.

"Godspeed."

I watch as they cling to one another across the club.

Hailey seems to have better motor skills than Bianca, but I could see Bianca unintentionally knocking them both down.

I'm glad she's getting along with my sisters so well, not that I was worried.

Sofia can have a mean streak, but you have to really piss her off.

Otherwise, my sisters are easy-going enough.

"So," Sofia says once they're out of range. "How are things going with you two?"

"Good."

She rolls her eyes. "Thanks for the details. But seriously, is it weird with the whole marriage proposal looming over you?"

I shrug, taking a sip of my pop. "I try not to think of it. We're just having fun."

I keep telling myself this to cope with the situation. I don't think it's working well.

She raises her eyebrows. "I've seen the way you look at her Max, this is more than fun to you. "

I groan. "I know."

"Have you talked to Dad about it? Does he know it's serious?"

I chuckle. "I think he's pieced that together, and he's not happy. Hell, don't even tell him about this night out with her, alright? I'm sure he and Grandpa wouldn't approve. They want her gone so I can focus on marrying Elena Ferrara."

I was willing to risk pissing them off by taking Hailey out with my sisters. How lonely she seemed was breaking my heart, and I had to do something about it.

She nods. "Fuck, this whole marriage thing seems so outdated."

It is archaic, but it logically makes sense; the more connected people we can call family, the more resources we have.

It would also get weird if someone married an outsider.

Imagine all the fucking questions from the father-in-law about what I do for a living.

I guess with Hailey that second point doesn't matter since she's essentially cut ties with all her family.

Or at least, she's trying to while they attempt to kidnap her back.

"You're almost twenty-five. It's just a matter of time for you too," I say. I kind of assumed Sofia would get married off before me. I'm older but the women get matched younger.

"I know. I wouldn't mind moving out and getting on with my life as long as I marry someone I actually like and not some asshole."

"In this business? We're all assholes."

She nods and shrugs, sipping more of her drink. "Yeah, but like, a nice asshole. You know? "

Bianca and Hailey emerge from the restroom hallway and head straight to the bar.

I groan. "Bianca can barely walk."

Sofia rolls her eyes. "I know."

"Does she usually get this bad when you go out?"

These two go out more than I do. They always try to rope me in as designated driver, but I usually refuse because I end up babysitting Bianca.

"It's getting worse. She used to be fun and spontaneous, and now it's a guaranteed blackout."

"Christ, I thought Jack was bad as a teenager, but he could always handle himself, even after drinking all day."

"I remember the fights he'd have with Mom and Dad when he'd get in trouble."

I nod. Sofia was only fifteen or sixteen when Jack went to prison. Bianca, a few years younger.

The girls make it back to our booth, half their drinks emptied, mostly on the floor. Hailey slides in next to me, resting her head on my shoulder. I check my watch—nearly two in the morning.

"Tired?"

"Yeah," she says.

"We should get going," I announce to the table.

"I'm staying here," Bianca slurs.

Sofia rolls her eyes. "No, you're not."

She downs her drink and Hailey leaves hers unfinished as we push through the crowd.

It's near closing time, so everyone we pass is far gone, and it takes forever to reach the crisp night air.

I nod at the doorman and we head to the parking garage.

Hailey's looped around my arm while Sofia guides Bianca, but I worry I'll have to carry her too.

I wait at the crosswalk near a record store.

There's no traffic, but I won't risk jaywalking with half our group nearly passed out.

I survey the war zone around us; we're not the only ones with party casualties.

Two men, likely a couple from their body language, stumble near us and wait.

Their eyes are dead as they support each other.

One wears a black leather jacket and gives me a lazy smile.

I lift my chin, hoping they live nearby or have an Uber coming.

Beyond them, a bachelorette party aftermath—one woman vomiting into an ice cream shop's alcove.

Past the crowds, two men stick out just as Sofia signals the walk sign is on.

Looking back, I pull Hailey closer. Two men—one tall and lanky, the other average build. Both stone-cold sober. They wear plain black coats and pants. I grind my teeth, wondering if I'm paranoid, and try to ignore the weird feeling for a block. But at the next light, they've caught up.

And they're staring right at Hailey.

"Let's go this way." I guide the group left, testing them. I'm not threatened—I could take them both if they attack—but I don't want a scene if they're just normal people.

Sofia catches my look. She's sober enough to notice they're tailing us. I stop mid-sidewalk, waiting to see if they'll pass, but they keep staring at Hailey. I'm glad she's essentially unconscious and unaware.

"You lost?" I bark at them.

"No." The lanky one smirks. "Just worried about your friend here. She looks tired."

I hold Hailey closer. "She's fine. I'm taking her home. Now get the fuck out of our faces."

"Home?" The other guy raises his eyebrows at his partner.

"Yes, home. House. Abode. Where people live and sleep? I suggest you two go home before you end up in a hospital bed."

Sofia takes a few steps back with Bianca. I'm close to drawing my gun, but I really don't want to. The girls don't need to see that, and it'd be hard to cover up two murders on a public sidewalk. They could be cult members, but maybe they're just on acid or whatever flavor of midnight weirdos.

I glare until they finally move on, their eyes lingering on Hailey.

"Who were those people?" Sofia asks, eyes wide, gripping Bianca's arm.

"I don't know. Let's get out of here," I mumble.

I take Bianca from her to speed things up. We're just blocks from the garage, unfortunately the closest one was full. Sofia hurries beside me. "They acted like they knew us."

"They were looking at Hailey. I think they're from her cult."

"Really? Why would they follow her?"

"They want her back. Dad didn't mention anything?"

She shakes her head .

I keep my voice low, hoping Hailey's too out of it to hear. "They already tried kidnapping her. We handled it, but they might send more followers."

"Holy shit."

"I don't know. Hopefully, they're just serial killers or something easier to deal with, but I got a bad feeling. Don't tell Dad, alright? He wasn't exactly helpful the first time they showed up."

"Why?"

"Look, I don't want to get into details now. Let's just get to the car and out of here."

I stay alert until we reach the car, watching for them in the dark garage. But we load up and speed away without incident.

I check the mirror after a few minutes. Hailey's peaceful against the window, beautiful in a messy way. The drive's quiet, but I grip the wheel, stressed. I hoped the cult would leave her alone, but what if they've been watching us?

I consider hunting those two down for information, but that would leave Hailey alone and drunk. Too risky.

I pull into my parents' driveway and look at Sofia. "Need help getting her inside?" I nod toward passed-out Bianca.

"I got it," she opens the door and drags Bianca out. "I had fun tonight." She smiles at Hailey—also passed out.

"Me too," I say. "But let's do something tamer next time. A movie? Scrabble? Something that doesn't kill these two."

She rolls her eyes. "We'll find a quieter bar." She says goodnight and slams the back door, literally dragging Bianca by her armpits inside .

Jesus. I should have helped.

It takes three seconds to reach my place. I open Hailey's door.

"You awake?"

"Hmm, no."

"You can't answer if you're sleeping," I tease, trying to lighten my mood and forget those men.

She doesn't respond. Maybe she really is sleeping. I carry her in bridal style, ready to sleep next to her all night.