Then I dig even deeper into the console, unlatching a secret compartment at the bottom. The Polaroid is warped and coffee-stained, but I studied it so many times as a child that I know every single detail anyway.
A beach day with my mum and dad, behind the very house I’ve been staying in. The one that apparently still belongs to her. My father’s unsettled, having launched himself into the frame so he could make it before the self-timer went off, and my mum’s arms are wrapped around me.
The picture of innocence. Of love and warmth and happiness, even though it’s arguable that we were never close to that. How can you be, when your foundation is built on secrets and deceit?
Besides, the next day, she was gone. Shattering whatever illusion of normalcy I’d been able to concoct despite my father’s career and leaving me to deal with the consequences.
Scoffing, I toss the photograph to the side; it flutters to the floor of the passenger seat, face up so Mileena’s haunted eyes continue staring at me.
Yes, I lied to Lenny when I said I hadn’t kept anything.
But I also lied to her about my feelings. I’ve been lying, and I suppose that makes me no better than the rest of my family, except that there’s still a chance for her to escape.
After she finds out what I’ve done, she’ll likely be dying to.
No pun intended.
A presence at the back bumper of my vehicle snags my attention, and I put my hand on the pistol in the passenger seat, ready to once again shoot first and ask questions never.
My mood has only soured since leaving Alistair, with betrayal sawing my nerve endings into dust, leaving me a mass of agony and paranoia. Jaw clenched tight, I curl my fingers around the gun and roll my window down, aiming as soon as a pair of khakis appear.
“Jesus, man, watch it. You’re gonna shoot my dick off, and I happen to like that appendage.”
Agitation stabs at my chest. “Preston.”
His sudden intrusion is completely unwelcome, but he doesn’t seem to care as he rocks back on his heels, grinning. “What brings you around, Wolfe? Returning your merchandise?”
Lenny’s story about what he pulled with her resurfaces in my mind, and my rage from before reinvigorates. Temptation swims in my veins to get rid of the problem once and for all, but I ignore it.
Normally, I’m not into making a spectacle of things, but add in the fact that this man had unfettered access to my little puppet, and he abused it, and I’m willing to make an exception.
For now, I hold back.
“An hour ago, I shot and killed a man in a more public space than this. I suggest treading wisely, Covington, or I’ll be more than happy to introduce the two of you.”
“That what you came to do? Finish off your future father-in-law?” He pauses. “Offing my friends isn’t cutting it for you?”
My thumb swipes back, unlocking the safety.
So, he’s aware I’ve been picking people off but still approaches. Interesting.
“Look,” Preston says, running a hand over his blond hair. “What if I said I could help you?”
“I’d say I don’t need, or want, your help.”
“Your previous track record with Tom begs to differ.” He shifts and starts to lean into the window, but pauses, choosing instead to just hook his fingers over the door. “I know you’re not really dating Lenny, and I know the details of your contract.”
My eyes flicker to his face.
“She promised you money, right? On top of the publicity? A sizable donation to your brother’s senate campaign.”
Still, I stay quiet. I really hadn’t read the contract—at least, not past the parts I absolutely needed to. We hadn’t discussed the outcome beyond public image, and I had Alistair look over the document, because the only thing that interested me was getting close enough to Lenny’s father to kill him.
Revenge is the only thing I was supposed to want.
Preston gives an incredulous laugh. “Like father, like daughter, I guess.”
“Watch it, Covington.”
For a moment, he just stares at me. I can see the wheels turning in his mind, cogs falling into place to create a well-oiled machine. Eventually, he nods, like we’re in on some shared secret.
“Didn’t mean anything by it, really. Just that, you know. There is no money. None Lenny can give you, anyway.”
I scrub a hand over my beard, my irritation spiking. The kid apparently has no idea how close I am to offing him. “Get to the point, mate.”
“All Primrose assets are tied up with Tom. Even the stuff Lenny thinks belongs to her, like former endorsements or sponsorships, it’s all his. Don’t ask how he made that happen, because I still don’t understand, but it is what it is.”
“What’s that got to do with me?”
“Well, Tom doesn’t even have control of his own shit. It’s in his name, but it’s not his, if you catch my drift.” I blink, growing bored very quickly, and Preston rolls his eyes. “We’re talking the fucking Mafia, man. They own his ass, and he owes them a fuckton. We’re talking millions. He lent me money, and now I’m on the hook as well.”
“Okay…” Not surprising, given the man’s past affiliations, though this is the first I’ve heard of him being indebted rather than working alongside them. If the organization is anything like the ’Ndrangheta my father associated with, the entire Primrose empire is likely in danger.
“They’re coming after him. I have no clue how long he’s owed them shit, but I know last week someone turned over my apartment in Southie, and I only walked away because I’d happened to not be there.”
Sucking in a breath, he shakes his head, something akin to vulnerability flickering on his face. “If they don’t get their money, they’ll come for you too. And Lenny. Anyone they can shake change from.”
“I don’t think you need to worry about my safety. I’m perfectly capable of handling myself.”
“But Len?” His use of a nickname makes my blood boil, and I grind my teeth together. Nodding, he points a finger at me. “See, I can tell, dude. You like her. Your relationship may be fake, but the way you’re clenching your jaw at the thought of her getting hurt? Your feelings are real.”
Exhaling harshly, I yank the gun back, slide the safety back into place, and turn on the vehicle. “Thanks for the psychoanalysis, but you’ve greatly overextended your hand here, Covington.”
“Fine. But don’t come crying to me when she’s dead. You could’ve avoided all of this.”
A knot forms in my throat, hot and angry, at the thought of a single hair on Lenny’s head being out of place for any reason outside of me.
And even though I’m confident I could scrub our existences off the face of the planet, send us into hiding to avoid whatever fallout is bound to occur from this, I’m not confident that she’d agree.
Then what?
I’m alone, again.
Preston turns and begins walking away, and I clutch the steering wheel so tight that it feels like my knuckles could snap.
“Fine,” I grit out, hating myself for this. “What did you have in mind?”
38
“Jesus, love.” My eyes pinch shut as wave after wave of pleasure rocks through me. “You get any better at that, and I might be convinced you’re trying to kill me.”