Hauling my ass off the chair was a bit of a drop, but I was steadied by Angelo’s hold as his hand snaked around the back of my shirt. He leaned in very close, until I could almost taste him on my tongue, and I tried not to let him affect me. Tried and failed.
“Just remember, love,” he shot back, “that you belong to me now. I own you, since I’m the one person standing between you and the afterlife. I know it’s easy to forget, here, surrounded by past lovers, but there’s only so many warnings I can give before I need to remind you in another way. Don’t make me do that, Billie.”
Whatever he was implying here, it was dark, and I wasn’t sure if the spike in my pulse was from fear or something else.
This time he let me back away, and I hurried from the room, following the same path Rhett had taken. When I got down the hallway, I happened to glance out the window to see that Rhett had left the house and was striding out toward the barn. Watching him, because I couldn’t look away, I finally tasted his delicious dish, and a small groan escaped me as a rich, garlic-and-soy flavor hit my tongue.
He hadn’t been kidding about knowing how to cook.
The next bite was just as good, and I was about to take my third when Rhett paused his march toward the barn and, in the next second, hauled his arm back and threw the plate he’d been carrying so it smashed against the wall he was near. From the house, I never heard a sound, but it scared the horses as they took off in the field, galloping away.
It was the first unraveling he’d shown since I walked into the kitchen, and to see that slice of violence made me feel better.
Because I was fucked up like that. But at least his action showed one thing.
He was still bothered by my presence, and that meant I had a chance to fix the canyon sized rift between us.
Before it was too late.
eighteen
BILLIE
After I ate my food, I took another long shower. Brenda had been fairly certain that the bathrooms were clear of cameras, so the shower was one of the few places I could relax and breathe. Rhett’s weird pleasantness in the kitchen had thrown me for a loop. Followed by Angelo’s threat…
The hard thing with Angelo was that I couldn’t work out if he was full of shit or not. He regularly threatened me but had never followed through. The worst he’d ever hurt me was just how he’d gripped my wrist this morning, leaving slight bruises that Jace had only made worse. Other than that, he was all talk and no action.
Not that I was complaining. I really didn’t want to know what he’d do in order to remind me that I was little more than a prisoner with invisible bonds. Beat me? Rape me? I shuddered at the idea of either. The Angel I’d known—and loved—as a teenager would never even speak that threat, let alone follow through physically. I had to remind myself regularly that this version was not the same boy who’d whispered promises in my treehouse hideaway while I sobbed into his shirt.
I was pushing the boundaries, though, and I knew it. With Big Noise—and by extension, Giovanni himself—watching us around the clock, Angelo couldn’t be seen to let me off the leash. As far as they were concerned, I was his dutiful mistress. I had no doubt that our lack of sex was already raising flags, but I figured some women hated to be touched sexually while pregnant.
The health of the Ricci heir needed to come first, right?
Eventually, I forced myself to get out of the shower and dress in warm clothes. I’d go utterly insane if I were to just lurk around the house all day, so I decided to go back out and see the horses. Maybe they would want some carrots or apples?
Smiling to myself, I pulled on my boots and coat, then filled a bag from the fridge to take to my new friends. Maybe Bellerose wanted nothing to do with me, but I could entertain myself. I was resourceful.
I’d overheard some of the new music spilling from the basement earlier, and it’d stuck in my head. I hummed it to myself as I made my way across the grass toward the horses, who grazed in the next paddock over.
For some time, I chatted to the horses and fed them the treats I’d brought along to buy their friendship. They quite liked an ear scratch, so they seemed content to hang around for pats even after all the food was gone.
When the sun began to set, I bid farewell to the horses and started back to the house. Then stopped when I spotted a campfire further in the distance.
Like an idiot, I glanced around. What I expected to find, or see, I had no clue. We were in the wilderness with not even neighboring houses within sight. If someone had set up a campfire, it had to have been one of the band. Maybe Rhett? I needed to talk to him, and what better opportunity than out here away from the watching eyes?
Decided, I changed my path to approach the fire. My fingers were crossed inside my pockets, and my heart raced with nervousness as I approached, but I was soon reassured by the gentle sound of guitar music. That was Rhett, without a doubt.
Choking back my nerves, I approached faster and nearly stumbled when I saw he wasn’t alone.
Jace sat across the fire from Rhett, his head resting on a log and his eyes closed as he sang the lyrics of a song I’d never heard before. It was instantly apparent that this was a private moment of creativity between friends that I’d undoubtedly ruin simply by being here.
If I’d been quicker, quieter, I would have just backed away and left them to it. But when Rhett’s eyes met mine across the small campfire, it locked my knees and prevented me from leaving.
“…burn me once and that’s your shame. Burn me twice in your fucked up game. The trust is broken, the lies are wishes falling in ashy rain.” Jace’s crooning voice struck me right in the heart, and I gasped at the pain he elicited.
His eyes opened at my small sound, but no surprise crossed his face when he saw me standing there.
“Well, if it isn’t everyone’s favorite thorny rose,” he commented with a yawn. “Come and join us.”
I frowned, ready to leave. Then Rhett set his guitar down and held out a hand to me.
I was weak and so emotionally drained. Against my better judgment, I took his hand and let him pull me closer. He guided me into the space beside him, tucking me into his warm body as though we were right back where we’d been. Back before Flo set me up, before I suffered indescribable torture, before Angelo offered me a deal to save both our skins.
Back when I’d thought maybe I was falling in love with Rhett and Grayson both.
“Rhett’s high,” Jace informed me with a pointed glare. “Don’t read too much into his behavior. He’s an affectionate stoner. Always has been.”
I glanced up at Rhett’s face, noting the lazy smile touching his lips and the redness of his eyes. Jace was right, but I was okay with playing along. Just for now, where no one else could see us.
“Jace thinks there’re cameras or something in the house,” he said in a quiet, sleepy voice as his arm draped over my shoulders. “And that you know about it.”
I shifted my gaze across the fire to Jace and wet my lips. Sooner or later, I had to trust them. Didn’t I? Angelo wasn’t the only one I could lean on. Maybe Jace was a bastard who’d happily run me over with his car, but Rhett… he was my knight in shining armor. He’d understand, wouldn’t he?
“Jace is right,” I whispered after a heavy pause.