Treachery

Oh, no. I can almost guarantee I have no idea what’s going on. Ta

“Anyway, I think you have balls of steel. Ta

“Ezra scares the hell out of me,” I admit.

Her mouth stretches into a blinding smile. “Girl! Yes! That man is terrifying.”

We both laugh at that, but then her expression softens.

“It’s not his fault, though. Not after what their fathers have done to all of them. It’s been harder on the twins. But every one of the guys was abused in some way.”

Her expression softens, even though I think I see a spark of anger in her eyes, of pain and sorrow.

“Anyway, none of them will admit to it. Not openly, and I’m not supposed to know. But Mason has opened up at times, and what he’s told me has made me wish for the death of their fathers. The boys are just another way to make money for those jerks. Always have been. And because of that, Ta

I need to know more.

This.

This right here is something that can finally help me understand Ta

No, I can’t expect him to come out and admit what his life has been like, not with how guarded he is. But it adds a little bit of humanity to him. Makes it easier for me to comprehend why he does the things he does.

Dropping my fork on my plate, I blot my lips with a napkin.

“I met Jerome Dane at the party this past Saturday.”

Her brows lift. “Warbucks? That guy is a piece of work. But Ta

Pausing, she seems hesitant to keep talking, but eventually looks up at me.

“I’m not supposed to know this, but when Ta

The door to our left pops open, my hands curling into fists at the interruption. I was finally getting some damn information, and now I can’t with all the guys walking in.

My a

The scent of alcohol assaults my nose, and Damon must still be drunk because he’s laughing like the entire thing is fu

“Seriously,” Damon says, “the guy had it coming. All seven of them did.”

They took on seven guys by themselves? How insane are they?

Judging by Ezra’s expression, he doesn’t see the humor in it as much as his twin.

Behind him, Taylor and Mason help Shane walk through the door, his face no better than Damon’s. I narrow my eyes on Shane because I have a sneaking suspicion he’s the one who took the pictures of me back at Yale.

“This is why the two of you are not allowed to go out to bars alone,” Mason snaps, his voice tight with anger. “Now I’m going to have to spend the next fucking week getting this shit cleared from your record.”

I turn to Ava as they pass by us, and her brows shoot up at me. Slowly standing from her seat, she abandons her plate to follow after Mason.

Ta

“Food!”

Sawyer races around the group to run to the island. Within seconds, he’s devoured what was left on Ava’s plate and reaches over to grab bacon from mine.

I slap at his hand to protect my breakfast only for Sawyer to be jerked left when Ta

Picking up the entire plate of eggs, he shoves it at Sawyer’s chest and points him to the dining room.

“But I wanted the bacon,” Sawyer complains.

Jase grabs the plate with one hand and Sawyer’s arm with the other.

“Come on, asshole. We don’t need a repeat of last night. What’s the rule?”

They’re walking away when Sawyer answers, “We stay away from Luca.”

My brows tug together, and once they leave the room, I turn to stare at Ta

They’re both in full suits, Ta

“What was that about?”

Ta

My eyes slide back to Ta

There’s something dangerous riding his thoughts, something heavy weighing down his shoulders.

I don’t take offense when he walks out of the room on an angry stride without acknowledging me, my eyes following him because I want to know what’s going on in his thoughts.

When he’s out of view, I turn back to see Gabriel staring at me, his green eyes shadowed by dark circles underneath.

“Rough morning?”

He cocks a brow and crosses the room to stand on the opposite side of the island. “You can say that.”

“Is Ta

Gabriel shoots a glance at the door and back to me.

“He will be eventually. It’s not the first time we’ve dealt with this, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

“Maybe I should go talk to him?”

He shakes his head, the humor I normally see in his eyes absent.

“I think it would be better if you go out with Ava for a few hours today. Give him some time to calm down.”

Now I’m more worried.

“You’re not afraid I’ll run? Or have you forgotten Ta

He grins.

“I like to think you’ll come back willingly. Especially if I’m the one asking nicely.”

Wow.

Okay.

Gabriel is acting like an idiot to let me out of this house, which means whatever happened this morning with Shane and Damon has shaken him to the core.

As far as I’ve seen, nothing shakes these men that badly.

“I’ll go find Ava.”

“Thank you.”

Nodding as I get up to leave, I walk a few steps away before he calls out to me.

“Luca.”

I turn to face him.

“Do me a favor and stay away from Sawyer. He’s an idiot and not worth your time.”

Rolling my eyes at that, I feel a small twinge of pride that Ta

Ta

“I’m not letting Ta

Gabriel grins, something unsaid behind his eyes.

“It’s not you I’m worried about, love. But I’d hate to see something bad happen to Sawyer.”

I’m not even sure what to say about that.

Rather than questioning him, I choose to keep my mouth shut for once. I should think this situation through before deciding my next move.