“Isn’t it?” She flashes me a smile. “Don’t worry, I’m on your side. I heard how faintly suspicious all that sounded once it was out of my mouth, but I would never do anything to hurt Rafe.”
That I can believe. I don’t know why, but her voice softens anytime she says his name. She was nice to me even when I was the one he was snuggling at dinner—while she served us—so whatever fondness she has for him, it has to be pretty pure. She’s even above jealousy, and God knows I never was.
“Well, I’m glad,” I tell her. “It looks like I’m going to be staying out here for good now, and I’m going to need a friend. I don’t even know how much my sister will be able to visit, because Rafe won’t let her husband come to town.”
Virginia nods. “Vince. He seemed volatile. Very touchy. Like the smallest thing could set him off. Your sister sure is a lucky gal,” she adds dryly.
I wave off her concerns. “He’s fine. He’s calmer at home; being around his family just gets him all riled up. He doesn’t like Rafe. I think Rafe slept with his ex-girlfriend or something.”
“Probably,” Virginia agrees with a nod. “That sounds like something Rafe would do.”
Spending the afternoon out with Virginia was nice. All day I’ve been fitting together pieces of my new life in my head, thinking about how lovely it can all be. I never found myself doing this with Rafe. Now that I’m in the right relationship with someone I actually want, I can see that I never really wanted it to work out with him. Rafe was never right for me, while Sin is so right for me. I know it’s new, and it won’t always be exciting, but I was moved into a literal mansion when I had to stay with Rafe and I couldn’t muster enthusiasm for anything. Today I am excited to do Sin’s laundry.
I’m grossly, disgustingly in love, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
I don’t hear from him much today, though. Since his job is obviously non-traditional, I have no idea what kind of hours to expect him to keep. I figure he’ll send me a text to let me know when he’s coming home for dinner.
What I don’t expect when the phone finally rings and it’s Sin, is for him to greet my pleasant “hello, handsome” with a short, to the point, “Get to Rafe’s. Now.”
“What?” I ask, my face falling. There’s urgency in his tone—maybe more than that. Maybe actual fear. “Sin, is everything okay?”
“Laurel, get the hell out of the house.”
I jump up off the couch and run to grab the purse I left on the counter, my heart hammering in my chest. “I don’t have a car,” I tell him, my voice shaking. “Where am I supposed to go?”
“I’m sending someone to pick you up, I just don’t want you in the house alone. Rafe’s at his house, he can keep you safe.”
“Are we positive we want to trust the guy who held a gun to my head last night?” I inquire.
“He’s not behind this. It wouldn’t benefit him. Listen, I know you’re nervous, but I need you to get out of the house now. Walk around back and keep walking until you’re on the next street over. I’m going to send Rex to pick you up there. He’ll be in a silver car. He’ll be looking for you, but stay out of sight, just in case, okay?”
“Is someone coming here?” I demand.
“I don’t know, okay? I just need you out of the house in case. Gio knows I turned on him, and he knows how to hurt me. I need to know you’re safe or I can’t concentrate.”
“Okay, I’ll be safe,” I assure him, setting the alarm and heading down the stairs, turning off the lights.
I feel paranoid the moment I step outside. I follow his directions, going around the house and walking until I get to the road behind ours. I keep stealing looks back toward Sin’s house as I walk, looking at the road to make sure no one pulls in. Sin stays on the phone, but he doesn’t talk. There are noises, voices in the background. Periodically he breaks away to say something to someone, but he comes right back.
After a few minutes, I hear a car and turn to see headlights. My heart drops clear out of my chest, because I don’t know if it’s a good guy or a bad guy. “Someone is coming up the road.”
“A silver car?” he snaps.
“I can’t tell.”
“I’m going to send you a picture,” he tells me. “This is the guy picking you up. Do not get in the car with anyone but him.”
I keep an eye on the car as it comes up the road. Sin’s picture comes through and it’s a dark-haired guy who looks to be around my age with dark hair, a strong jaw, and dark, bushy brows, slanting deviously so he looks like he’s up to no good. Not someone I would get into a car with, if I’m being honest. It occurs to me that given the side of society I’m on now, all my knights in shining armor from here on out will always be the bad guys. Good guys no longer have a place in my life.
“I texted him and told him to slow to a stop,” Sin tells me.
A few seconds later, the car slows to a stop. I breathe a little easier. “Okay. The car stopped. Should I approach it then?”
“Hang on.” There’s a pause, so Sin must be texting him. Then the car moves forward slowly. “Is he moving? I told him to move slow.”
“Yes. Okay, it’s him.”
“Stay on the phone until you’re in the car,” he tells me.