“It’s happening soon. Sooner than we’d originally thought,” he said from where he stood a few feet from Johnny and me. “And he’s planning something big with it.”
“Bigger than a fucking human trafficking ring? Bigger than signed contracts from twenty of the richest and most influential men in this and the surrounding states, vowing and paying to go in on bidding wars to own these women?”
Eyes that promised destruction locked onto me, but he didn’t move or give any hint to what he might be thinking. “Something he’s trying to keep from me,” he said after a few tense seconds. “Something he’s excited about. And that’s not good. We’re leaving tonight, and we’ll be gone for a few days. Use that time to look for what he’s planning.”
I blew out a pent-up breath and scrubbed my hands over my face. “Fine. I’ll—” A growl sounded in my throat when I looked back up, only to find him gone.
I got really tired of him doing that.
“I’ll tell you what we need to be looking for,” Johnny mumbled from beside me as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. “A trap to take us the fuck out of the picture. ‘We’ll be gone for a couple days.’” He scoffed. “Right. More like, ‘Come on, idiots. Walk into my trap.’”
I shook my head as I turned to head back into the house. “Shut up, Johnny.”
As soon as we walked into the house from the back door, I knew I’d walked into something Johnny had just imagined.
It felt like a trap.
Except my sister was at the helm of it.
“Hi,” I said, wary of her too-large smile and the fact that she was sitting on the couch with my mom . . . and they weren’t arguing.
“Well, hello, favorite brother of mine,” she said in a saccharine voice. “Have fun working?”
Instead of responding, I let my gaze drift slowly around the large living room and over to the small part of the kitchen I could see from where I was standing.
“I told you,” Johnny hissed through gritted teeth. “I told you. That motherfucker.”
“Enough.”
I could hear his teeth gnash together as he clenched his jaw tightly in order to keep from talking. Where Johnny had been anxious and shifting the entire meeting in the backyard, he was now tense and shaking as he stood still, waiting for whatever threat to reveal itself.
“Earth to dumb and dumber,” Libby said with a huff. “You look like two wolves sniffing out dinner.”
My hand twitched toward my gun when I heard movement off to the side, but relaxed when Maverick walked into the living room from the kitchen with sandwiches in hand and a wolfish grin on his face.
“Hey, hey. Libby tell you about your little present?”
“Hard to when they walk in and stop to pose like they’re Batman and Robin,” Libby muttered as she looked at her nails. “Johnny, Einstein’s waiting for you in your room.”
Maverick staggered to a halt in front of us, his eyes darting from Libby to Johnny.
Johnny didn’t move.
After clearing his throat, Maverick turned and went to sit in the chair near the couch, dropping one of the sandwiches in front of Libby with a mumbled, “Here,” as he did.
She made grabby hands at the sandwich before snatching it up. “And what did I do to deserve this? You know, besides being the only amazing one in this entire effing house.” Without giving Maverick a chance to respond, Libby fixed her attention on Johnny. “If I were you, I would go before you find yourself in trouble with your girl.”
“Go,” I said when he made no move to leave.
As soon as he was out of the living room and headed down the hall toward the room he and Einstein shared, Libby sent me a wide smile before taking a huge bite.
Maverick wasn’t eating, his head was turned just enough so he could look in the direction Johnny had just left.
“Someone tell me,” I demanded.
“Maybe you should walk into the kitchen and find out for yourself.”
I studied her challenging glare for another second before heading toward the kitchen, where I could hear Diggs giving directions on how to make a sandwich.
And came to an abrupt stop when I saw the girl sitting on a stool, watching Diggs with equal parts fascination and disgust as he made the biggest sandwich I’d ever seen.
Firefly.
She inhaled sharply, one of her hands reaching for the back of her neck just before she twisted on the seat to look at me.
“Dare,” she breathed, her lips stretching into a smile.
I don’t remember moving.
I only remember staring at her like she was a hallucination, and then the next second I was pulling her off the barstool and into my arms.
I buried my nose in her hair, breathing her in to assure myself she was there and real, and I hadn’t lost my fucking mind.
“Goddamn firefly,” I whispered, then brushed my lips against her neck.
She pushed against my shoulders until I reluctantly set her down. “Is it okay that I’m here?” she asked hesitantly. “I know it’s kind of late to ask now. But you can tell me to leave and I—”
I captured her mouth with my own, needing to taste her and needing her to know I didn’t want her anywhere else but with me. “Where did you come from?” I asked against her lips.
“I told you I’d try to be around.”
A laugh rumbled in my chest as I leaned back to look at her. “I thought you meant the next day. Or the next. Not . . . shit, days.”
Her brows pinched, worry and exhaustion and pain filling her eyes. She tilted her head like she was going to explain then shook it instead. “I’m sorry.”
“You made no promises,” I reminded her.
But from the silence that settled between us, it didn’t make it any easier for her than it had me.
“Dare,” she began, but paused, her eyes widening and body stiffening before she slowly looked to the side.
When I looked in that direction, I found Diggs hunched over the island counter with a dopey grin as he watched us, with that massive sandwich falling apart between his hands.
“Come on.” I curled my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as I led her through the kitchen to the hall toward my room.
That constant buzz between us burned hotter, the space between us grew thick with tension. As if the energy around us already knew where this night was headed.
As soon as we were in my room I kicked the door shut and turned her around, pressing her against the hard wood—my grip tight on her hips and face buried in the crook of her neck.
“I fucking missed you,” I whispered, confessing the words that had bounced through my head since she’d walked away from me at Brooks.
A stuttered breath left her, one of her hands curling against my stomach where it rested.
“Too soon?” The words were meant to be a tease, but I couldn’t hide the worry in my tone from what her response would be.
Her head moved slowly from side to side, her free hand finding my jaw. Her soft fingers trailed lightly over it before she put the slightest pressure there, forcing me to lean back so she could look into my eyes.
“I think I missed you before you ever entered my days and my dreams.”
Fuck, this girl . . .
I dropped my forehead against hers, pulling her body closer. “Firefly.” Bending to nip at her lips, I asked, “How long do we have?”
“Don’t wonder.”
I met her eyes, the question in my own, and felt her shrug against me.
“It’ll waste the time we have if you do. It’ll make it rush by if you know.”
I had a feeling any time with her would be over too soon because it ended.
“Then I won’t,” I promised, leaning forward to capture her mouth just as someone started banging on the door.
“Open up.”
Before I had a chance to tell whichever twin was in the hall to fuck off, the door suddenly flung open.
I grabbed Elle and twisted her away when she was shoved forward, my hard glare set on my sister from where she stood flanked by the twins in the doorway. Diggs was eating out of a large bowl of popcorn with a shit-eating grin.
“Can I help you?” I asked, my teeth clenched.
“Uh, hello?” Libby scoffed and stepped forward to reach for Elle, but I pulled her deeper into my room. “Didn’t you hear? We’re having a sleepover.”
I stared her down like she’d lost her mind. “Yeah, we have been for a while now.”
“No, no. In the theater room. And it’s been planned since yesterday, which means the two of you can’t be the only ones who don’t come.”
“I just got Elle back, I’m not spending the night with all of you.”
Diggs pretended to stab himself with the bowl. “Dude, we spent all day setting it up. Let us impress the nerd with our fort-making skills.”
“There’s food,” Maverick added.
“Dude, so much food,” Diggs said as he shoved more popcorn in his mouth. “Did I say there was a fort? The whole theater room is a fort.”
A soft laugh sounded from the girl in my arms. “Didn’t you just eat?”
Maverick huffed. “Popcorn and candy, newbie. There’s always room for it.”
Libby shot me a look. “I think it’s so cute that you think we’re giving you an option.”
“Fort,” Diggs said again, drawing the word out. “Fort.”
Elle craned her neck to look up at me. “What’s a fort?”
The twins made a sound that might’ve been a cry. Even Libby looked stunned.
“Aw, baby. It’s okay. Diggs has got you, and he’ll be real gentle with you.”
A warning growl sounded in my chest when Diggs reached for Elle.
Instead of backing away, he just looked at me. “My nerd doesn’t know what a fort is. Let me educate her before I cry for the childhood she never had.”
“I know what a fort is,” she said, shifting in my arms. “But I don’t know about a fort you can make in a room that has to do with sleepovers and food.”
Everyone gave me a look, and I knew right then I’d lost the argument.
I blew out a sigh. “All right, we’ll go.”
Libby snorted and gestured to something behind me with her chin. “Again, like you had an option.”
I looked over my shoulder, my jaw clenching when my eyes caught on what was missing. “Where’s my mattress?”
“Dude, what part of fort don’t you understand?” Diggs asked, exasperated.
Cutting her amused gaze to where Elle was trying to silence her laughs, Libby said, “Come on, I have clothes you can change into.”
I reluctantly let her go when she started following my sister, then turned to change into a pair of sleep pants.
By the time I made it into the theater room, my frustration had only grown.
I had hours or minutes or seconds with my girl . . . I didn’t want to spend it with the rest of my family.
But the moment she walked in, her eyes lighting up and mouth falling open in shock and fascination as she took in the large room, my anger cooled. It was worth it to see her experience something like this.
And Diggs and Maverick had gone over the top, as usual.
Some of the couches and recliners were pushed to the walls, with a few left near the front of the room, with five mattresses scattered throughout the empty spaces behind them.
One of mine included.
Blankets and pillows were everywhere, three times the amount that were normally in the room. A table full of food sat near the door. Sheets hung from the ceiling, making it feel like we were in a giant tent, and waiting to be used for makeshift walls later on. The only openings were at the main doorway, the door leading to the bathroom, and the front of the room where the screen was.
“This is a fort?” Her question was nothing but a breath when she reached me, her hand grasping for my shirt and her eyes still taking everything in.
“This is the twins’ idea of a fort. Most are smaller. Much smaller. About the size for a couple kids.”
Her head shook, the action so slight I wasn’t sure she knew she was doing it. When she turned to face me, a breath of a laugh blew past her lips before they pulled into a wide, unrestrained smile.
And everything stopped.
My heart.
Time.
The whole goddamn world.
The second it happened, I knew deep in my gut I’d been waiting my entire life to see that smile.
Elle was beautiful . . . she had always been beautiful. But the smile she’d offered everyone since the first day I’d seen her held so much sadness and pain. Like she didn’t know how to truly smile anymore.
This?
It was like a punch straight to my heart, because I knew it was real and it made this beautiful girl fucking breathtaking.
I wanted to wrap her in my arms and never let go.
I wanted to kiss that mesmerizing mouth.
I wanted to pull her away from here so I could have her to myself.
But I was afraid to move . . . afraid to do anything that would take that smile from her.
“Oh, oh!” Diggs came crashing into us, pulling Elle away and waving his free arm in the air, like he was showing off the room to her. “What do you think, nerd?”
“This is amazing,” she said, her eyes searching me out . . . that smile never fading.
“Damn straight it is. Get you some food.” He gave me a victorious look as he released her and walked back to the door. “And you were gonna skip this.”
I wanted to hug him and thank him for forcing us all into this, but my attention caught on Johnny where he stood near the door with Einstein, his wide, crazed eyes locked on Elle.
I grabbed for her, pulling her close and slanting a warning glare Johnny’s way when Diggs called out, “And it’s official. Locked in, fuckers.”
The brief moment of wanting to hug him vanished when I watched him yank on the door a few times, then walk away with a satisfied smirk.
“What does he mean?” Elle asked when I bit out a curse, a slight tremble in her voice.
“It means he just locked us all in here for the next five hours.”
It meant he just locked Elle in here with my psychotic best friend.
And now that her smile had vanished and her chest was moving too quickly with her rough breaths, I couldn’t get her out of here at all.
“No . . . No, I can’t—”
I pulled her close, pressing my lips to her ear and trying to calm her. “It’s just the twins’ way of making everyone stay. It’s not just a theater room, it’s a safe room. There’s a lock on the door, and when it’s activated it won’t unlock for five hours. Johnny won’t come near you.”
She shook her head, her tongue darting out to wet her lips as she pushed away enough to look at me. “No, you don’t understand. I can’t be here that long.”
My stomach dropped, knowing I wouldn’t have even had five hours with her.
And that’s when I understood why she didn’t want me to know how long we had.
I would’ve made every minute count if I hadn’t known.
I would’ve dreaded every minute that passed if I had.
“I’m sorry, I can’t open that door. There isn’t a way.”
Her chest heaved, panic covering her face.
“Fuck, Elle, I’m sorry.”
She shrugged, the action a quick jerk of her shoulders. “We can’t change it.”
“Nerd,” Diggs called out from the food table. “What are you doing standing over there? Get some food and find a couch. Movie’s starting in five.”
Elle watched Diggs for a few seconds before looking back at me. The panic slipped from her expression, leaving resolve in its place. And with a steeling breath, she offered me a smile.
A pained smile.
Fuck.