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Page 34 of The Love Fix (The Sunrise Cove #8)

Lexi stood on the sidewalk staring at the door to a seedy pool hall in the middle of nowhere, Nevada. Ashley stood at her

right, Heath at her left.

It’d been a week since she’d let down the only two people who cared about her. A week of both of them steering clear, obviously

trying to give her space and time—which she hadn’t used all that wisely. Mostly, she’d twisted in the wind like a tumbleweed,

landing wherever the breeze took her.

She’d spent the first day drowning in uncertainty, wanting to talk to her sister, to Heath, badly wanting that, but also knowing

she had to get her head screwed on straight first. So she’d worked instead, finishing up both the Sunrise Cove and South Shore

jobs, while also clearing out Daisy’s garage.

She’d even been hired by a third client in Homewood, only a twenty-minute drive away, all while quietly realizing that this,

running her own business, being her own boss, just might be the first thing she could really succeed at.

Wherever she landed.

After this.

But first, she needed to find... She pulled out the envelope and stared at the name.

Vinny Ricci Sr., owner of said seedy pool hall.

Heath was studying the building, and just looking at him reminded her what they’d been together, for that one amazing night.

And the next morning...

She heard the revving thumping of Harleys before she saw them. A minute later, three massive guys in biker vests and jeans

pulled up, parked, and took a moment to give Lexi and Ashley a slow once-over—completely ignoring Heath—before entering the

pool hall.

Intensity rolled off Heath in waves. “Lexi, the envelope? I’m doing this one. Alone.”

“No one goes alone,” she said.

“So now you listen to me?” Heath asked.

“I always listen. I don’t always agree. Let’s just get this over with.”

Heath shook his head. “Please, let me do this.”

Lexi appreciated the wording. Though there hadn’t been a question mark at the end of the sentence, it was clear he was trying

to give them a choice. So she was shocked when Ashley shook her head. “We’ll be okay.” She looked at Lexi. “Right?”

After the week they’d had, Lexi found herself surprised by her sister’s almost smile. Had she been forgiven, then? Or, more

likely, Ashley had no idea how to hold a grudge. “Have you by any chance learned any self-defense maneuvers in your aerial

aerobics adventures?” she asked Ash.

“Me? No. But remember when you took karate? You texted me that pic of you in the getup.”

“I won a month’s worth of classes, and took them. Ten years ago,” she added.

Ashley lifted a shoulder. “Better than nothing.”

Lexi had to laugh. “You’re right, it’s better than nothing.” Plus, she wanted, needed, to get this over with. They all did.

They’d given this thing a real try, all of them. That it hadn’t worked out wasn’t anyone’s fault.

Well, okay, it was someone’s fault—hers.

But not theirs. “We’ve got this,” she said.

Drawing a deep breath, Heath tried appealing to her sister. “Ash—”

“My mom loved this Vinny dude,” Ashley said. “She’d never have sent us here if it was too dangerous.”

My mom... Lexi closed her eyes. It’d taken her over a month, but the pronoun “my” in front of “mom” coming from Ashley’s mouth no longer

felt strange or wrong. It felt... right. What Daisy and Ashley had had together for a whole bunch of years had been...

well, beautiful.

Lexi didn’t begrudge them that. She’d come to understand and accept it over the past week, the past week when both Heath and

Ashley had made themselves scarce.

Because she was an idiot.

An idiot who pushed people away.

“I promised your mom that I’d look after you,” Heath said to Ashley. “And this is me looking out for you. Come on, we’re out

of here.”

“No,” Lexi said.

The both of them turned to look at her. “We’re here.” She gave them a small smile. “We’re doing this.”

Ashley studied her for a beat, then nodded. “Yeah, we are.”

And Lexi nearly burst into tears. Such easy forgiveness.

Heath didn’t object, didn’t look mad or annoyed or hateful either. He never had, she realized. Not even when they’d been kids. But he did look unhappy. “Do you have any idea what the logo on the back of those guys’ motorcycle vests means?” he asked in a low voice.

“That they love their mama?”

He took a deep breath, but before he could speak, Lexi did. “We’ll be quick. We’ll be smart. Besides, as Ashley pointed out,

Daisy was friends with this guy.”

Heath, a muscle bunching in his jaw, took in the building, the entrance, the parking lot. “Fine. But I’m coming with.”

“If you insist,” Lexi said, ignoring the little quiver of relief. “Let’s just get this over with.” She wanted to sound confident.

Like a girl boss. But her stomach chose that moment to rumble louder than the motorcycles had coming down the street.

“You’re hangry, right?” Ashley pawed through her bag and came up with a granola bar. “I knew this would happen. Here.”

Lexi eyed the thing in a plastic baggie. Homemade, then. “Tell me those are chocolate chips and that you used a lot of sugar.”

“They’re raisins, and no sugar. Eat it, or I’ll shove it down your throat.”

Heath’s mouth curved in his first smile of the day. “The puppy grew claws.”

Ashley growled at him. Lexi bit back a rough laugh, broke the granola bar in half, and handed a piece to her sister. “Hangry

must run in the family.”

Ashley snatched it and stuffed it into her mouth all in one piece. “If either of you ever refers to me as a puppy again,”

she said around that full bite, “I’m going to lock you in a closet. Together. And throw away the key.”

That wiped the smile off both of their faces as they looked at each other. Heath seemed annoyed. Lexi wouldn’t say the same. She just hoped he couldn’t see the way her pulse leapt at the idea of being locked together in a closet.

Lexi and Ashley turned to the door, but Heath pulled them back, meeting their gaze, his own serious. Intense. “We stay together.

But if we’re separated and you get into trouble,” he said, “scream. Loudly. I’ll find you.”

Lexi walked in first, Ashley right on her heels, with Heath at their backs, all of them momentarily blinded by the dark room.

It was lit only by tiny lamps over the pool tables and the flickering neon sign that read fuck you .

Okay, then.

Two security guards immediately approached without a word, blocking them from moving farther into the room.

“Hello, gentlemen,” Ashley said with a sweet smile. “We’re looking for Vinny.”

The oversize goons closed ranks, beefy arms folded over even beefier chests, just staring at them.

Ashley had to tip her head way back to see up into their faces, that smile still on her face. “Daisy Fontaine sent us. We’re

her daughters.”

“I don’t know who the fuck Daisy is,” one of them finally said. “But unless you have an appointment, you’re not getting in

to see Vinny.”

“Then we have an appointment,” Lexi said, and lifted the envelope that said quite clearly: Vinny Ricci Sr.

One of the guys shook his head. Quite the feat, as he didn’t seem to have a neck. “Vinny Sr. retired to a beach in the Keys

eight months ago. Vinny Jr. is in charge now.”

“Then we’ll see Vinny Jr.,” Heath said.

The guys sized him up. “You packing?”

Were they in a bad gangster/mob movie?

“Of course we’re not armed,” Ashley said.

“We don’t take anyone’s word for it,” No Neck said, then stepped forward with the clear intention of searching them. And,

joy, Lexi was the closest.

“No,” Heath said, his voice steely authority. “You don’t touch either of them.”

“To see Vinny Jr., you get searched.”

Heath stepped in front of Lexi and lifted his arms, giving them access. No Neck searched him. Roughly.

Lexi sucked in a breath to say something, but Heath shook his head at her to not interfere, his eyes warning that if they

wanted to do this, she needed to stay calm.

Not her strong suit.

When No Neck was done searching Heath, he shoulder checked him hard. Heath, his gaze still locked on Lexi, didn’t react.

Goon Two turned to Ashley, and Lexi’s heart leapt into her throat, but she managed to give a sarcastic snort. “The puppy?

You’re going to search the cute, little, harmless puppy? She’s barely five feet tall and maybe ninety pounds soaking wet.

She’s wearing leggings and a tank top. Where do you think she’s packing a gun?”

The guy didn’t crack a smile.

“Okay, first of all, I’m five foot two ,” Ashley said, eyes narrowed at Lexi as she lifted her arms the way Heath had. “And I’ll have you know, I’m a hundred and

ten pounds. Well, maybe a hundred and eleven, thanks to that pizza you ordered last night.”

“You ate my leftovers?” Lexi asked, an eagle eye on the guy searching Ash.

“Every last bite.”

The guy finished with Ashley and turned to Lexi, a gleam in his eyes. She forced herself to look bored. “When we’re done here,

I would like to talk to your HR department to lodge a complaint.”

No Neck almost smiled, she could tell. She very purposely didn’t look at Heath as the guy ran his hands over her. She’d been

very secretly dreaming of having hands on her, but the guard’s big sweaty meat-cleaver hands were the wrong ones.

Then those hands went to her backside, where she had envelope number four stuffed in the back pocket of her jeans.

“Hey,” Heath said, voice cold and commanding. “Easy.”

The guard grinned at him, but took his hands off Lexi. “You’re all clean.”

“Duh,” Ashley said.

Lexi was done with this. “Vinny Jr. Now.”

No Neck disappeared inside the back office. Just as Lexi was sure they were about to be kicked out on their asses, he reappeared.

“He’ll see you.”

Lexi stepped forward, her hand in Ashley’s, Heath at her other side.

The guard put a hand on Heath’s chest. “Just the chicks.”

“Not happening,” Heath said, face blank, expression hard. “Come on, ladies, we’re out.”

Lexi turned to him and spoke softly. “We’re already here.”

He opened his mouth, but she knew what he would say, so she gently set a finger on his lips and kept her face even for anyone