Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“This loser doesn’t eat meat,” Antonio says, pointing his thumb at me. “So cheese and olives for her.” Then he looks at Mabel. “I’ll take one with as much meat as humanly possible.”
“Gross.” I make a face, and we all laugh. I head into the kitchen to see if there’s any coffee left. There isn’t. So I start another pot and lean against the counter while I wait. Someone enters the room so silently I don’t hear him.
But I feel his energy. I look up. Theo seems almost disappointed that he didn’t manage to startle me.
“Don’t even think about bringing a teenager into this house,” he says.
“Trust me, if Claire comes here, it’ll only be temporary. She’d probably be better off with Marie or maybe with a relative willing to take her in.” I run my fingers through my hair. “I don’t know how to raise a kid. She’s not even that much younger than me.”
Theo arches an eyebrow. “You have a decade on her.”
“Yeah. Hardly anything.”
He stares at me. “You’ve brought a lot of trouble into this house since you arrived.”
I open my mouth. I genuinely do not have the emotional bandwidth for this conversation today.
But Theo steps closer. “And you’ve dealt with more trouble than any human I’ve ever met.”\I stop. “You’ve handled it surprisingly well.”
I narrow my eyes. “Was that a compliment from Grumpy Bear?”
“Don’t push it.” His mouth twitches. “But yes.”
I grin.
“I still don’t like the way my brother acts like a dog in heat around you,” he continues. “And I still think you’re more trouble than you’re worth.”
“Wow. You really know how to ruin a compliment.”
“But,” he says, “you’re growing on me.”
“Like a fungus.” I give him my cheesiest smile.
Theo wrinkles his nose and walks away. He’s growing on me too. I pour myself a cup of coffee and go back into the family room. Mabel unpauses the Disney movie, and I sit beside her, sipping my coffee. She starts braiding my hair. The feeling of her fingers slowly raking over my scalp nearly puts me to sleep. I’ve never been one of those lucky people who gets sleepy when they’re anxious or depressed. Usually my brain just runs faster. But right now, I think I’ve reached my limit. I just want to sleep. I’m almost dozing off when Xavier comes into the room.
“Hey.” I blink my eyes open. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he says immediately.
Then he tilts his head. Even he knows that answer isn’t convincing. “But I just heard back from my connection at the prison.”
I sit up.
“Larissa had a visitor last night.”
“If it was Vivian, I swear to God…”
Xavier shakes his head.
“Not Vivian.”
I wait.
“Marco Russo.”
Chapter
Twenty-Four
“It’s not entirely abnormal,” Xavier tells me. “And it’s not the first time they’ve visited her. She just hasn’t had any visitors recently.”
“What do you think that means?” I ask.
Mabel scoots over so Xavier can sit beside me on the couch. I immediately loop my arm through his, feeling calmer the second his cool skin presses against mine.
“I don’t know,” he admits. “Marco could simply be visiting her. Or he could be planning something.” He pauses. “All of Larissa’s phone calls are monitored, and I can get copies if you want. But considering how you were raised, I assume they know better than to say anything outright that could be recorded. I’m hoping if they’re using some kind of code, you or your brothers can crack it.”
“Yes,” I say. “We probably could.” I look up at him. “I know you have connections, but the Order does too. Do you think there’s any chance they could’ve arranged to meet privately?”
“It’s possible.” I hate that he’s being rational and honest. I don’t actually want him to lie to me. But right now, I kind of want him to lie to me.
“I’ll have someone look into it,” he adds.
“Thanks.”
I rest my head against his shoulder.
“We’re meeting with the wolves tonight,” he tells me. “The pack from Raleigh is here.”
I lift my head. “Do you want me there?” Secretly, I’m hoping the answer is no.
“I need you to make an appearance,” Xavier says. “A strategic one.”
I groan.
“There was a direct attack on you today. If I keep you hidden away at home, it makes us look scared.”
“We are scared,” Mabel says, nodding emphatically. “They could’ve shot and killed Wren.”
“Exactly,” Xavier replies. I understand what he means. If Xavier doesn’t respond soon, he risks looking weak. Or worse, like we actually had something to do with the Reaper deaths and the ritual.
But if he reacts too aggressively, the wolves could pull back even further.
“What time is the meeting?” I ask.
“Eight-thirty.”
I give him a pointed look. “The sun won’t be fully down by then.”
“I know.” He doesn’t even pretend otherwise. “I arranged it that way intentionally. It isn’t a problem for us, and I need them to understand that I’m taking their concerns seriously.”