Page 137 of Unspoken Lies

CHAPTER 31

IGNACIO

Kissing my sleeping girls as they curl around each other, I slide out of bed. Rachelle has her head on Lili’s chest and her leg thrown over her, while Liliana has her arms wrapped around Rachelle. I know they’ll be alright while I’m downstairs talking to the guys. I heard the door open and close, which is my cue to get moving.

Lili, Rachelle, and I had a really good dinner and then spent time catching up. The two of them are exhausted and naked, happily sated from the sex we had after we came upstairs. Hopefully this will keep the nightmares away as well.

Finding a pair of jeans, I pull them on and leave the button open before locking the girls inside the room. I'm still feeling twitchy and paranoid about their safety. It doesn’t matter where we are, if it’s not a safe room, I’ll continue to feel this way.

Bare chested and barefoot, I pad down to where the guys are in the kitchen pulling out containers from the fridge. The three of them glance briefly at me before continuing to heat up food.I’ve noticed that Calvin meal preps for them for when they get home late from work.

“Hey,” Jared says, sitting down with a bowl of rice, chicken, and vegetables. Theo and Elijah soon follow, and it almost feels nostalgic. “Everything quiet here for the most part?”

My lips curl up without meaning to. If Liliana and Rachelle are quiet during sex, then none of us are doing it right.

Before I can respond, Elijah leans forward on the counter. “I doubt they were quiet, Jared. He and Liliana have been gone for two weeks.”

“I didn’t mean that kind of quiet,” Jared says with a chuckle. “Dude, are you allergic to wearing shirts now?”

Glancing down at myself, I shrug. I know exactly what I’m doing to them. Theo looks at me as if he wants to fucking eat me, while Elijah will sigh and look away. Jared likes to pretend it doesn’t bother him at all, but that’s a damn lie. I don’t have to make this easy for them.

“I barely pulled on pants to see you,” I say with a smirk. “Why would I bother with a shirt?”

“Moving on,” Theo says, rolling his eyes. It doesn’t stop him from glaring at the button I left undone though. “You’re a fucking cock tease, Nacio.”

“Only to you,” I say evenly. “What did you want to talk about, and where’s my drink?”

Elijah gets up to walk to a glass cabinet, and I feel slightly bad for making him get up. However, I really want to be done with this so I can go back to Rachelle and Liliana. She has weapons in arms reach, but I’ll feel better if I’m there.

We were gone too long.

“We need to fix this between us,” Jared sighs. “We’re never going to go away. I’m married to Rachelle, and I will refuse her a divorce. I obviously don’t need monogamy, detest theconventional form of it actually. I hate that we fucked up our friendship.”

“Me too,” Elijah says, coming back with a bottle of scotch and glasses. I would have been fine with a beer, but this works too.

Pouring out about an inch of liquor, I gaze back at my childhood friends.

“I’m willing to help you fix things with Rachelle,” I say finally, taking a sip of my drink.

The flavor coats my tongue, and is very smooth. This may be my first drink out of prison, cheers for it to be one of the best scotches that there is.

“I’m not part of that deal though. I lost two years of my life, I’m good. I don’t care if you weren’t directly responsible,” I grunt.

“Then why not?” Elijah asks. “I feel as if we’re being punished from all sides. If anything, I’m the reason that this whole situation escalated to a fucking coffin.”

“While that’s very noble of you, I started this entire shit show,” I say, raising my glass. “I’m in love with Liliana and Rachelle. Lili would be happy to give you some one on one time with her knives, but she understands that Rachelle is implicitly pulled to each of you.”

“So you’re willing to smooth things over for us, but the four of us aren’t worth fighting for?” Theo asks shrewdly. He’s always been the smartest of us all.

“It’s more so that she needs you more,” I say honestly. “I had way too much to think about while in prison. Her happiness comes first. You’ve been fumbling around trying to figure out what she needs.”

Jared growls without words, while I flick him off. He can huff and puff all he wants, I’ll remain standing.

“Jared told you she’s extremely private, yes?” Theo asks calmly. At my nod, he continues, “Outside of reading her mindor her journal, we can’t figure out what she needs. Rachelle curls in on herself and practically goes mute.”

“She’s been living alone for two years essentially,” I remind them. “She’s had only her own thoughts to fill her time. That’s what she’s used to. The only reason I’m not more taciturn is… I used to get myself purposely thrown into solitary confinement so I could daydream about them. All I’ve wanted to do is spend more time with them.”

“Rachelle was in a lot of pain when she started her period, and she teared up thinking about how much she missed you,” Jared sighs. “Maybe we’re pushing too much. Should we just bow out? Does my wife actually need us?”