“Which you’ve now admitted to enjoying. You’re full of shit, Mrs. Cirillo.”
Her smile grows as Stella flips open a massive makeup case and Calli reaches for a hairdryer and curling tongs.
“Take a seat and relax. Emmie’s going to get you a drink to get the night started.”
With a roll of her eyes, Emmie heads toward the kitchen, and only a minute or two after a loud pop sounds out, she appears with a glass of bubbles for each of us.
“To the Cirillo princesses,” Stella says with a smile, holding her glass in the middle of our group.
“To being bad-arse bitches,” Emmie counters.
“Yeah, that too,” Stella laughs. “For bringing the bad boys to their motherfucking knees.”
“Even better.”
But as they laugh, my eyes catch Calli’s sad expression.
Sensing my attention, she glances up, quickly covering whatever hurt is lingering. She plasters a smile on her face before lifting her glass to clink against ours.
“Right, we’ve got an hour to make you look better than you’ve ever looked in your life.”
By the time they’re done with me, the bubbles have gone to my head and my need to finally see Toby and find out what he’s been planning is bordering on obsessive.
“Go get dressed, it’s almost time to go.”
“Go where, exactly?” I ask Stella, knowing that she’s fully aware of the plans.
“You’d have to kill me first.”
Rolling my eyes at her, I disappear down to the bedroom and pull on the dress, zipping myself into it and standing in front of the mirror.
“Whoa,” I breathe in shock at the woman staring back at me.
I stand taller than I think I ever have before and raise my head higher in confidence.
The past few weeks have been painful as hell, but I don’t think I’ve ever learned so much, not just about my life but also about myself. I’ve discovered that I’m stronger than I ever could have believed I was, and that I’m resilient, and powerful, and determined. I’ve found my flaws, my naivety, my ability to see good in everyone, and I’ve learned from it—or at least, I hope I have. But even if I haven’t, I know I’ve got people around me who would literally do anything for me. And that in itself is priceless.
I might have lost a lot recently, but I’ve also gained a lot. A whole new family and people who I know are going to be a part of my life for the rest of my days here.
Reaching up, I toy with the padlock hanging around my neck. I had to take it off for a few hours last weekend while Theo had a tracker installed into it.
I felt naked for the short time I was without it. It was my lifeline when I was locked in that basement. It was a part of Toby, a part of us, that I was able to cling onto and the words he said to me when he gave it to me.
I appreciate why he didn’t put a tracker in it to start with, and I love that he wanted me to have my freedom when both Seb and Theo did the exact opposite, but I also wish he’d just done it. He’d have got to me faster, rescued me before I was forced to do something as drastic as kill one of the Italian freaking mafia.
A shudder rips down my spine as I remember it. I’m pretty sure the sight of that knife slicing into his throat is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. But I stand by the decision I made. If I didn’t do that, we might not have made it out.
Toby, Theo, and even Damien have all assured me that there will be no repercussions to what I did, but that doesn’t reassure me in the way I’m sure it should. And I hate that they’re now dealing with the fallout. Toby has explained that the issues they have with the Italians have been going on for a while now, and this is just the latest in a whole heap of shit they’ve been landed with. I just have to take his word for it and let them do their thing.
The only people who know the truth about how one of their own lost his life is us. Everyone else believes he went up in the same explosion as Jonas. Something I’m more than happy for them to think.
Pushing my feet into the red-soled shoes, I grab the clutch from the bed, flipping it open to slide my phone inside.
A smile forms when I find another sticky note inside.
You look beautiful. I can’t wait to tell you in person.
A million butterflies take off in my belly as I tuck my phone safely inside and head out.