Page 22

Chapter 22

Eden

Another month is almost up. Five months since Aiken was murdered, and I became Gilly's owner-operator. Two months of something that was supposed to be one-and-done.

Instead of fucking and screwing Vito Santoro out of my system, I've woven him through every cell and fiber of myself.

Like an idiot, I fell in love with him.

I was well on my way that first month. My subconscious whispered warnings because being with Vito was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Even that first night, my subconscious knew I was a goner.

Then, after finding the tablet in my office, Vito made the most exquisite love to me on a soft, plush blanket. That was when I fell completely over the edge.

Free falling with him…

Where we landed or the state we'd be in at the end…

Well, I can't think about it. Because then I'll have to admit I can only see it ending with blood and pain.

"Ed, could you come over?"

My head snaps up at the question.

I'm behind the bar, doing inventory to order the hard liquor. Lixin waves me over, being the one to have asked the question. He's sitting with the rest of the Chamber leaders.

It's rare to have them all in one place at the same time. When they meet, they usually do so at the Tower.

I stoically consider them, wondering what they want. Ever since Cutt and Jax were taken care of , I've been extra on edge, especially with Ash. However, being the Golden Globe-deserving actress I am, I never show it.

Of course, Ash knows Cutt is missing. He also knows about my previous run-in with Cutt, where I dressed him down in front of a bar full of criminals.

Ash approached me after Cutt's disappearance, but not with suspicion. He only asked if any of the staff or I might have heard anything about where he went. Cutt is in deep debt with multiple coke dealers in town, which helped point the finger that he ran.

Lixin is watching me, waiting for me to drop what I'm doing.

With my impassive mask in place, I shut the cabinet door, put down my pad of paper, and stalk over there. "What do you need?"

He pulls out the chair beside him. Amazu and Dom looked bored. Massimo eyes me closely, just as he has ever since that day at the house after Tommaso's funeral and Vito's odd behavior. Ash is unreadable, as always, but he watches me.

"Have a seat," Lixin says.

I frown. "Is there something wrong?"

The Chamber leaders never invite me to sit with them—neither individually nor collectively. None of the patrons do. We aren't chummy or friends. I stay on my side of the line while they stay on theirs to maintain the neutrality purpose of Gilly's.

I do meet with the Chamber, like when I debriefed them about the two FBI agents laying in wait for me on my way to Tommaso's funeral. However, that's done in meetings, not casually sitting in the bar.

Lixin smiles at me. "It's been months, and we don't really know you, Ed."

Tingles run up my spine. The paranoid alertness I've come to rely on lifts its head, sniffing the air for threats.

Dom looks at me with a small, lazy smile that I can't get a good read on.

Why the hell do they want to get to know me?

"I've got five minutes." I sit down in the empty chair. "I appreciate you wanting to shoot the shit over a beer; however, I have a bar to run."

Vito is in my periphery where he sits at his usual table in the far corner, with his back to the wall and a view of the full bar. His scanning eyes move over our table but don't stop or linger as he talks with Hugo and Pix.

"How is everything going here?" Amazu asks.

"Good."

Lixin laughs. "A woman of few words."

I stiffen imperceptibly at his drawing attention to my being a woman. I mean, I am, but I do what I can to play up the let's forget she's a chick .

"Aiken was the same," Lixin continues. "Must be a family trait."

"Or a characteristic of being Gilly's owner-operator," I remind them of our roles and the line drawn between us.

Lixin drums his fingers on his thigh. Massimo looks tense, and I suspect he either isn't on board or wasn't aware of the Let's Get to Know Ed session.

"You seem to be settling well." Amazu leans back in his chair and takes a swig of his beer. "Gilly's is thriving; your changes have been good."

"It was well-run prior, and the staff is good."

Lixin runs his finger along the condensation on his glass. "With paying the staff more and adding the sick leave pay, you have to be paying yourself next to nothing. How are you living?"

One of the staff could've mentioned the increased compensation; however, my hackles are raised that he's asking about my personal situation.

"Neither Gilly's operation, nor my personal life, is your concern, Lixin, or the Chamber's."

He presses his lips together, then smiles. "Just making sure you're not having to starve yourself in order to give others extra."

Both Ash and Massimo are frowning but they stay quiet.

"It seems you had some independent wealth before coming to Gilly's." Amazu steeples his fingers under his chin.

My jaw clenches, but I remain impassive. "You're forgetting I inherited my brother's personal assets."

I'm not going to tell them about the monthly deposits Ohith has made in an offshore account ever since he rescued me from the streets. I only use what I need and could comfortably live off that for a long time without any source of income.

I cock my head to the side. "I didn't realize Gilly's owner-operator had to supply financial statements before taking over or during proprietorship."

Massimo flashes a warning look at Lixin and Amazu. "They don't."

Dom clears his throat, looking at them with a slightly questioning look, before he turns to me. "Aiken poured his life into this place; you're following suit. Did you two talk a lot about the operation and his vision?"

"You know he wouldn't have talked to me or anyone else about Gilly's." I lean back in the chair. When I realize Lixin's arm is on the back of it, I quickly sit forward.

"Did you talk a lot?" Lixin ask.

Massimo's brow furrows slightly, but his face is unreadable, as is Ash's.

"Aiken and I rarely spoke. If you want to unpack sibling dynamics, I suggest you do that for your own relationships; I have shit to do."

Lixin laughs, and I visibly stiffen when his hand splays on the top of my back. I catch Vito out of the corner of my eye, and his face turns cold with rage as he stares at Lixin.

Lixin is being bold and inappropriate. He, as the head of the Triads and a Chamber leader, absolutely knows the boundary. He'd be one of the enforcers of that boundary.

Massimo and Ash both sit forward, looking about to call Lixin out on whatever he's trying to accomplish here.

Lixin removes his hand. "We're just merely getting a sense of you as Aiken's choice of successor. Have you done much in our beautiful city since returning, Ed?"

"I have Gilly's," I say tightly, making him tut. "And I lived here before. The sites aren't exactly new to me."

"Yes, you left home at fifteen." Amazu looks smug, like he wants me to be uncomfortable that he knows some of my past. "I understand you almost had a stint as a Havoc Guardians girl."

My leaving home young isn't a secret. But Amazu mentioning Jax and a connection to the MC increases my paranoia about someone finding out what happened with Cutt and Jax.

Does Amazu know what happened? Is he taunting me?

Or is he trying to paint me as biased toward the MC?

Is this a power-play of some kind?

"Jax never prospected, so I'm nothing close to having been a Havoc Guardians girl." I stand. "Can I get my servers to bring you guys anything else? I need to get back to running this place."

"Another round?" Lixin asks around the table. Only Ash and Massimo decline.

"I'll get Andre to bring you the drinks."

On my way back to the bar, the door opens. Creed hurries in, aiming directly for Massimo.

Massimo rises from his chair and moves away from the table of Chamber leaders to meet him. Creed never comes in here, and he isn't alone. He holds Sophie's hand, and her eyes dart around. Seeing me, she smiles as Creed talks quietly to Massimo, and Vito rises from his table to join them.

"Eden, so nice to see you again," Sophie says.

"Likewise." My friendly smile quickly vanishes. "You're pregnant." I stare at her slightly protruding belly in the leggings and fitted long sweater.

She smiles softly, placing her hand over her stomach. "Good eye. I'm about three and a half months along; we just told the family last night."

My mouth is dry, and my hands start to shake. As Vito approaches, his eyes flicker over my face, his brow slightly pinched.

"Triple S." He kisses Sophie's cheek. He glances at me again before turning to Massimo and Creed. "Is everything alright? You never come to Gilly's, baby brother."

I need to get away from them—not just Sophie and her joyous news, but because it isn't appropriate to join in on their conversation like I'm anything to the Santoros. Because I'm not… I'm just secretly screwing one brother.

"Congratulations." I smile at Sophie—it feels normal enough, even though I know it doesn't reach my eyes.

I walk back behind the bar, feeling Vito's eyes on me. Remembering the drinks for the three Chamber leaders, I get them ready and flag Andre over.

Gus comes out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a napkin, then tosses it into the wastebasket and joins me behind the bar. Seeing my paper for the liquor order, he picks it up and rubs his hand over his cheek.

"You've been busy?" he asks, seeing that I haven't finished the order yet. "I can finish checking the inventory and then submit it."

"I've finished the inventory check." I take the paper pad back from Gus, lowering it to hide the shake in my hands. "Could you watch the bar? I'm going to my office; I need to grab something for my headache, and I'll submit the order from there."

"Of course." He looks at me closely. "You okay, Ed?"

"I'm fine," I answer quickly as sweat trickles down my back. "Just a headache."

I remember feeling a slight bump in my stomach nine years ago. My hands are now shaking uncontrollably.

Having no idea how I manage it, I somehow keep my impassive mask firmly in place. I stalk across the barroom, ignoring everyone.

I need to get into my office and away from all these prying eyes before I completely lose my shit.