Page 13 of Veiled Vengeance (The Devils of New York #3)

SPENCER

W e lay in a sated heap on the mess of blankets and pillows.

My head rests on Asher’s stomach while Rio and Zane cuddle each other behind me.

They strolled in with our bags and smug, knowing looks on their faces after Asher finished cleaning me up from our few bouts of lovemaking.

The comments Rio made about us finally being done were followed by umphs from Asher punching him in the gut.

That’s right — bouts. Plural. As in, more than once!

But they said nothing and just helped Asher clean up the mess we made, replacing the ruined blankets and pillows with fresh ones.

Yes, I know I have an abnormal number of blankets. It is what it is.

Asher dressed in the bare minimum, while Zane and Rio stripped down to make themselves comfortable. Rio, Zane, and I all but held Asher down and made him put his sling back on after Zane fixed Asher’s stitches. I’m not sure where he got the suture kit, but they won’t catch me complaining.

I slipped on the only shirt within reach and the glee that took over Rio’s face told me all I needed to know.

It’s his.

Now we’re all here, together, in this perfect moment. A moment untouched by the sad, tragic ugliness of the world.

An uncontrollable, satisfied smile graces my swollen lips, and Rio traces the curve with his finger. “ Esa es una hermosa vista. La podría ver todos los días. ”

Now, that’s a beautiful sight. I could look at it all day.

A blush crawls up my cheeks, and I cover my face. Another hand grabs mine, and a beautiful face with a sharp jaw and emerald eyes swims into view.

“Don’t hide from us, Angel.”

My blush doubles and spreads across my chest.

Is it possible to die from swooning too much? I might be the first case and become a medical marvel.

Asher’s hand runs through my hair, lulling me into a restful state, but the tension in his body causes me to look up. His brows are drawn together, and his lips are pursed in concentration as he stares up at the ceiling.

“Hey,” I whisper, breaking his focus. “What’s going on? I thought orgasms were supposed to relieve stress, not cause it.” My teasing doesn’t have the intended effect.

Without relaxing, he gives me a small, placating smile. “And I thought orgasms were supposed to get rid of your sass.”

Rolling onto my stomach, I rest my hands and chin on his taut abs. “Guess we’re both wrong.”

He snorts out a laugh, but the clouds remain in his eyes.

“Talk to me,” I implore as his gaze wanders to the side. I raise my hand and tousle his hair.

His half-hearted smile is like a dense weight on my chest. He reads the stress on my face. “It was something Anthony said.”

Situation, meet a large bucket of ice.

Sweat breaks out across my back, and every muscle in my body strains. This is not where I thought this was going to go.

Zane sits up. “I think it’s time we talk.”

Never the words a girl wants to hear.

We all sit up, feeling the seriousness of Zane’s statement. Asher narrows his eyes and pulls me onto his lap as he catches Rio’s gleeful expression return. Rio retaliates by placing my feet in his lap.

“Sharing is caring, amgio, ” Rio jests with a wink.

“Enough, you two,” Zane asserts. “We have to talk about what happened.”

My heart pounds as the box I stored in the back of my mind jumps off the shelf. “I’m good. Thanks for the kumbaya.”

I get my feet under me, ready to stand, but a set of colorful, tattooed arms and multiple hands keep me in place. The menacing glare I shoot each of them does zero favors for me.

Zane speaks first. “After our ex-girlfriend?—”

“Rachel? You all dated her?” I interrupt.

Rio’s head rears back. “How do you know about Rachel?”

“Anthony. While we were . . . there . . . he brought her up and rubbed her death in Asher’s face.” I mentally stomp on my box of nightmares, keeping the horrors inside.

“I see.” Rio nods his head.

They don’t owe me anything, but my curiosity gets the best of me. “What happened with Rachel?”

Asher rubs his hand over his mouth. “We met her when we were all at NYU. She was a sorority girl —the life of the party. When she set her sights on us, we fell under her spell instantly. But she was still seeing other people. One guy in particular was on the football team and didn’t like that we caught him trying to roofie half the cheerleading team. ”

There’s a special place in hell for men like that.

I grab Asher’s hand as he struggles with the rest of his story.

“He wanted to get payback because we informed the school of what he was doing, and he was kicked off the team. So, he seduced Rachel into his bed. But instead of having a one-night stand with her, he tied her to a chair and recorded himself raping her. He posted the video on the internet with the title ‘BDSM sorority whore.’”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to hide myself from the tragic story. No matter what kind of lifestyle Rachel lived, she didn’t deserve that.

“She couldn’t handle the bullying and ridicule that followed.

We did our best to shield her from it, but I’m sure there was more we could have done.

When I got back to my room after class one day, I found her in my closet.

She had hung herself with my belt. After that, we found the football player and did what we do best.”

“You killed him?” I ask for clarification.

“Yes, we did,” Zane answers.

“Good.”

Zane’s features soften. I didn’t realize he was nervous, anticipating my judgement.

“After Rachel died, Paloma made us all see a therapist. She told us we need to talk to each other, especially considering we wouldn’t confide in her.

Now, when anything happens, we talk about it as soon as possible. ”

So, this is part of what keeps them together. This is part of their foundation. They’re not those guys that stick together out of familiarity or proximity. Their bond is cemented into their souls because they’ve seen each other in the bad times. They’ve walked through the trenches together.

This isn’t just friendship. It’s family.

And they want me to be a part of it.

Water leaks from the corner of my eyes as the feeling of rightness takes hold of my heart. This is where I belong. This is where I want to be.

With them.

They let me have my moment as everything sinks in. Asher keeps his arms wrapped around my middle while Zane and Rio hold my hands.

“We need to talk about your mom,” Asher states.

I freeze. “I don’t think that’s necessary. She said all she had to say.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t.” Zane gestures to me.

Of course, Asher already told them about my mother’s role in everything. Shaking my head in denial, I push the betrayal down into a dark abyss.

“Don’t let it eat you alive. Don’t let her win, Mama.”

My body trembles as I hold in a scream of frustration. It doesn’t last long, though.

I jump to my feet. “She didn’t win! There’s nothing to win! This isn’t a game! This is my life! She fucked with my life !”

Asher, Rio, and Zane stand as well, monitoring my outburst.

“How could she do that to me? What kind of mother sells her child?” I pace back and forth over the bed of pillows and blankets.

Zane’s tone is sincere. “No mother should ever do that. I’m so sorry she made that choice.”

I throw my hands in the air. “You shouldn’t be sorry! You didn’t do anything wrong! She needs to be sorry. She sold me. She sold my virginity to the highest bidder, and she didn’t care. All she saw when she looked at me were dollar signs.”

“I know, Princess.” Asher is calm.

They’re all fucking calm . . .

How are they all so calm?

Whirling on them, I direct my frustration at them. “Why aren’t you angrier about this? Any of you!”

None of them react.

“Oh, we’re fuming, Angel. But we don’t have the right to scream here, you do. She hurt you . She sold you . Not us.”

Betrayal spreads through my heart. It’s accompanied by grief, then fury.

“She has to pay—I have to make her pay for what she did.” My voice cracks.

“We can help with that,” Rio assures me.

With their support, I recount the rest of the details I can remember about the last few days, and the box with the perfectly fitted lid bursts open.

I share every moment I thought I was about to watch Asher die, what it felt like when all those men took turns with Dahlia, and every minute I waited for the worst.

When I’m done, my hollow body bends, and I finally sit back down, surrounded by unconditional love. My eyes are swollen from expelled tears, but I feel lighter at the same time. Not once did they judge me. Not once did my men tell me to get over it.

My exhausted mind is ready for sleep, but I can’t just give in just yet.

Then Asher takes his turn. My chest aches as he recounts watching Pierce coming close to assaulting me. I’m ripped apart when he admits to the fear he felt each second we were in Anthony’s hands.

By the time Asher’s done talking, the sun is coming up, my eyelids are heavy, and I’m sagging against Asher’s chest. Rio is lying on his side with his head in Zane’s lap, and Zane’s face is calculating.

“Where’s the list?”

I groan in Zane’s direction. “How are you still so awake?”

Rio grumbles with his eyes closed. “Zane and Asher are like robots. They can stay awake by literally commanding their bodies to do so. It’s like some freaky law enforcement gift.”

A small chuckle slips out. “Were you not blessed with the same gift?”

“I think it’s about time to put the children to bed,” Asher teases.

Zane ignores us. “It wouldn’t be a physical list. Something like that would degrade over time, so it’s probably on a jump drive or something like that. We know he still hasn’t found it, and he needs it back—he tore this place apart looking for it.” He stands, causing Rio’s head to jostle.

“ Ay dios mio ,” Rio complains.

Zane paces the room. “I bet they’ve already torn apart the brownstone, but everything you brought there is in your . . .”

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. He better not have . . .

Jumping out of Asher’s arms, I sprint across the room to my duffle bag, which is currently resting by the front door. My men surround me as I dig through the bag until I find what I’m looking for. The cold of the ceramic freezes me.

“You son of a bitch. I swear if you—” Before I finish the thought, I remove the lid and reverently set it aside.

Zane shines a light from his phone inside Abuela’s urn. A reflection from a small piece of silver metal shines in my eye. I reach my hand into the ashes of the person I miss the most and fish out a flash drive.

My body shakes involuntarily. Holding back an enraged scream, I push out through gritted teeth, “That motherfucker.”