“If you have to ask, then no. I’m just not gonna entertain a drunk bitch tonight. Or, any night, for that matter. Not my cup of tea.”
She slumps, her head tilting back to rest against the seat, and within seconds, a light snore fills the air. Sighing, I reach into my pocket and pull my phone from my suit, scrolling through Juliet Harrison’s social media. I don’t have any accounts myself, but fuck if hers haven’t been entertaining me for months.
Pictures and videos of her floating in an in-ground pool, clad in a bikini so small it should be fucking illegal; of her and her sister and some blonde toddler; her and two other girls at a nightclub in Stonemore, shaking their asses and acting belligerent.
It’s a profile that likely looks a lot like something Melanie would have, and yet, I find it supremely less irritating. Something about the sad little brat intrigues me, calls to me like a beacon in the night.
I want to know more about her.Needto.
Harassing her in the bathroom hadn’t been part of my plan, but when the opportunity presented itself, I found her too tempting to turn away. To let go without harm—without the knowledge that I possess something she misses.
She’s lucky she got out of there in one piece, if the ideas pumping to my cock were any indication; when I do get her beneath me,fuck. It’ll be the most gloriously depraved act she’s ever committed.
The blood heats in my veins, pulsing and humming with intense desire.
Checking to make sure Mel’s limbs are safely inside the car, I slam the door shut and turn on my heel, scanning the area as people trickle out of the front of the building. The Montaltos haven’t come out just yet, but they can’t hide in there forever.
Fiona shoves open the front doors, ripping her mask from her face and letting it fall to the floor. Behind her, Boyd trails close, a strained expression on his bare face; he reaches out to grip her shoulder, and she shakes him off, smacking him away.
I cock an eyebrow as she pushes me aside, pulling open the door and climbing in over Melanie’s sleeping form. She holds up a pale palm, cutting me off before I’ve even opened my mouth. “No, I don’t want to talk about it. But you’d better tell your friend he needs to respect that he’s notmy brotherand back the hell off.”
At my side, Boyd rolls his eyes. “Those theater lessons are really paying off, Fi. Dramatic as ever.”
“What happened?”
Fiona whips her head from side to side, clamming up the way she always does when someone brings up something she doesn’t want to talk about. The stubborn gene hit her hard when she was born.
I glance at Boyd expectantly. He chews on the corner of his bottom lip, casting my sister a sideways look; not liking the secrecy pumping between them, I push the door closed and face him. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Your sister was about three seconds from getting into a car with some random guy. He looked shady, so I stopped her.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know, some frat boy from Stonemore.” He shrugs, scrubbing a hand through his hair.
Stonemore sits about forty-five minutes from King’s Trace, has a slightly bigger population, and acts as a hotbed for the worst of Maine. The Stonemore gang, an Irish organized crime unit the Ivers have been associated with for decades, runs that town the way the Montaltos run ours, except they sprinkle in human trafficking.
I’ve been trying to cut my ties with them for years, but since Murphy’s death, it’s become nearly impossible. I’m more tightly wound up in their dealings now than ever before.
My nose scrunches in disgust. “A frat boy?”
“He was wearing a goddamn letterman jacket, for fuck’s sake. Would you have let her go off with him?”’
I shrug, returning my attention to the building just as Elia leads his family out; one arm is slung over his pregnant wife’s shoulders, holding her as close to him as possible, and the other is cocked as he examines his watch.
Juliet lags behind, eyes downcast, face sullen. It makes my heart stutter.
They pause at the curb, and I watch this made man cup Caroline’s cheeks, press a soft kiss to her lips—I didn’t even know it was possible for him to be that gentle with someone—and smooth his hands over the blue fabric stretched tight around her belly. He says something to his guard and slinks back inside.
Caroline turns, gripping her sister’s biceps and giving her a little shake, making her laugh. But the humor doesn’t reach Juliet’s eyes; I can tell even from yards away. It’s forced, a mask she dons when a physical barrier isn’t available.
I want to tear it off. Find out what monster lurks beneath.
My hand goes to my neck as Boyd rambles on beside me; I grip the gold locket between my fingers, keeping my gaze trained on the little bird. Finally, her sister moves to the side and Juliet glances around, meeting my eyes.
A smirk tugs at one corner of my mouth, and I pull the chain out, quirking an eyebrow. I know she wants this, knows I have it.
I just don’t know if she realized exactlywhoI am until this moment.