Page 60

RACHELLE

F or three days, Theo, Elijah, and Jared rearrange their schedules for me.

It didn’t matter how often I told them I was fine, they refused to listen.

To be fair, my cramps are the worst this period than they’ve ever been.

All I wanted to do was curl up and cry, but they took turns keeping me occupied.

At night, they massaged my stomach over the heating blanket so I could sleep, and they said that they have a healthy respect for what women go through. There have been moments during those past three days where I can forget how awful they were to me.

That freaks me the fuck out. I can’t be this easily swayed, can I? Am I that starved for touch?

My period is almost over, and I can’t handle being inside with them anymore. That’s laughable since going outside fucks with my ability to function, but since I have been spending so much time in the pool, I’m finding that my brain thinks of the backyard as a safe space.

Laying in a lounge chair with my eyes closed is how Elijah finds me after they get back from their classes. I begged them to go since they’ve basically missed the entire week at this point. I’m wearing cut off shorts and a tank top since it’s warm out.

California is the kind of state where the weather changes at will. I’m going to enjoy the warmth while I can.

“Hey, baby,” he says, crouching by me.

I’ve stopped telling him not to call me that, though I give him some impressive side eye that makes him smirk at me.

“Hey yourself,” I murmur, closing my eyes again.

“You look very comfortable,” he observes. “How long have you been in the sun? You look a little pink.”

“I lost track of time,” I groan. “I should probably go inside.”

“Yes,” he says, picking me up as I gasp and throw my arms around his neck, “you should.”

“Don’t drop me,” I say sleepily, laying my head on his shoulder.

“I wouldn't dream of it,” he says. “Have you eaten today?”

This would be an annoying question, except people rarely asked me this while I was living alone.

“Breakfast and then a smoothie for lunch,” I reply. “I’m still not super hungry.”

“As long as you’re eating, I’m good with it,” he says, opening the back door to walk inside with me. “I looked up your medications, and one of the side effects is a lower appetite. Calvin has been worried because you were eating really well.”

“Oh,” I say. “I haven’t been on this combination so I didn’t think about it. I know you’ve noticed I’ve been having really vivid dreams. Well, less so the last few days, but I saw it could also be because of my meds.”

“Side effects are sneaky assholes,” he grunts. “The lack of nightmares means you should keep sleeping with us.”

“I knew you’d say that,” I say with a huff.

“How are you feeling otherwise? Stir crazy yet?” he asks.

“I’m getting there. The idea of leaving the house still isn’t my idea of a good time,” I mutter.

“What if I told you that Brea has a list of clients that are begging you to read tarot for them?” he asks, carefully placing me on my feet. “That’s all you’d have to do for a couple of hours.”

“Really?” I ask with a smile. I kind of thought they’d fired me and just decided not to tell me.

“Did you think Brea or we would let you go so easily?” Elijah asks. He must see something in my eyes because he shakes his head. “So little trust still. Ugh, you’re killing me. I saw that Calvin was making cookies. Go grab one and I won’t tell your husband about this.”

“Tell me what?” Jared asks, making me squeak.

“Nothing. Fuck, you all need bells,” I breathe, my hand on my chest as I twist my body to face him.

“You didn’t have your phone on you today, huh?” he asks, amused.

“No, I went outside and pretty much forgot it.”

Catching me around the waist, he gives me a panty melting kiss before pushing me in the direction of the kitchen. Fuck, I bet he heard Elijah and my conversation.

Gooey chocolate chip cookie in hand from Calvin, I am happily eating it when Theo finds me.

“Calvin makes a mean cookie,” he says, bending down to steal a bite. “Did you really think we’d fire you?”

“The three of you are impossible,” I grumble as I finish my cookie. “I missed almost a month and a half of work. Yes, I thought you’d find someone to replace me.”

“Brea doesn’t want anyone else,” Theo says, tugging me into his arms. “You tend to have that effect on people.”

“Doubtful,” I retort. “Maybe just you. I blame it on something in the water. What time are we leaving?”

“A couple of hours. I proofread and added your resources to the back of your paper for your English class. Is there anything else that needs to be done for it?” he asks.

“The one on how Shakespeare has impacted angst and tragedy in romance novels?” I ask, shocked.

“Yes. It was really good. You were napping, so I took a look at what you’ve been working on since you’ve been going hard on things to catch up,” he says nonchalantly, as if that’s not an invasion of privacy.

“You’re pretty much done after that paper and effectively working ahead. So is it done? Can I submit it?”

“Ah, yeah it’s done. It just needed the resources added,” I say. “Do you know where to submit it?”

“I went into your school portal thing and found it,” Theo says with a nod. “Go relax, hang out, and I’ll do it now.”

He disappears down the hallway as I gaze after him. I don’t know what to do with him.

“Those three have it bad,” Calvin murmurs, coming over to stand beside me. “It’s always been the four of them and then they fell out with Ignacio. It’s going to make them, ah…”

“Overbearing?” I ask, pushing my hair behind my ear.

“Pretty much,” he says. “You have more power over them than you think. I don’t often say this, because I am fiercely loyal to them.

However, give them hell when necessary. It’ll keep them humble.

In high school, your ability to work hard scared them because they had to be the best. None of that matters anymore. ”

I suppose he’s right. Finding my ebook reader, I curl up on the couch to read until it’s time to leave. I end up having the best night at work with six back to back clients for tarot card readings.

I need to find what makes me happy. The Kings aren’t a threat to anything but my heart at this point.

IGNACIO

As Calvin opens the door to the house, I give him a tense smile. El Tigre is lost in the wind. There was a very ominous note waiting for us at the empty building that they were using as a laboratory.

Jefe , I don’t think you know what you’ve done. You’re lucky your wife is nowhere to be found. I’ll have to find something precious of yours to take instead.

Fuck you and your need for control. Those cunts had it coming to them. I’m providing a service, Emil.

Vayase al carajo ,

El Tigre.

After that, I told my father we needed to go home right then.

The only person that El Tigre could hurt to get to my father other than me is Rachelle.

The fact that he called my father his boss is also fairly suspicious.

While his wife told us a lot, she refused to tell us anything about his motivations.

We’re in a fucking mess, and I know my father is pissed off that we were so damn close too. Grace is dead, as is Carlos and a long mess of underlings. Their boss is on the run. I know we’re making this personal for him, but since Liliana was affected by his damn drug, it is personal.

“Welcome back,” Calvin says, opening the door wide for Lili and I to walk in. Mr. Cruz and my father have a meeting they couldn’t miss.

“Thank you. Is anyone home?” I ask.

“The guys are at work and she is with them,” he says cryptically until the door is closed. I appreciate that he’s so careful about saying Rachelle’s name. “It’s been a pretty calm two weeks here though.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I say.

“Wait, Rachelle is at the club?” Liliana asks.

“No, she’s doing tarot card readings at the shop,” Calvin explains. “There’s only so much you can do cooped up in a house. I’ll take your bags and get everything washed.”

“Ah,” I wince. “I think it would be better if we did it. We threw a lot of our things out, but I’m hoping to save my boots.”

“I can get blood out of clothing,” Calvin says, miffed. “Give me your boots, both of you.”

Liliana glances at me as if to tell me that I’m the drama, while I smirk and do as I’m told. Calvin has a job to do, and I don’t want to get between him and his newfound need to get bloodstains out. Lili also gives him her combat boots, and with our things in hand, he marches out.

“He’s a little scary,” she murmurs.

“Ha. He’s a man on a mission, that’s for damn sure. What do you think? Should we surprise Rachelle and go see her?” I ask.

“Yes, we should,” she says, already hurrying to the room with me on her heels. “I feel really gross though and need a shower.”

“I’ll join you because I am pretty sure I smell,” I tease her.

Pulling off our clothes as we get into the room, Lili freezes as she walks into the bathroom.

“She got her period,” she murmurs, looking over at the box of tampons on the counter.

“It’s unopened,” I mention as I follow her in. There are also bottles of medication, which sets me at ease as I check them.

“She wouldn’t have bought any of this stuff if she didn’t have it,” she insists. “Rachelle gets the worst cramps. She is just as bad as I am. I hope those idiots were good to her.”

“I have a feeling they took their responsibility seriously,” I say.

“I mean, look at her meds. They obviously got her a follow up appointment. I swear I almost don’t recognize them sometimes.

They’ll still give Rachelle shit about things, but if she didn’t feel well, they’d bend over backward for her. ”

“They’d better have,” she growls. “Oh shit, I left weapons in my bag.”

“I don’t think that Calvin will shoot himself while doing our laundry,” I tease, guiding her to the shower and turning it on. “Take a breath, baby. We’ll collect what you need to leave the house and go see our girl, okay?”