Page 17 of Entangled in Them

Chapter Seven

Rue

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I ATE MY FOOD JUST as I ate every meal that was given to me—gratefully and without complaint. Sitting at the table with the three men was also a novelty for me. It wasn’t usual for me to be invited to share a dinnertime, and if I was, it was normally because whoever had invited me intended for me to be the dessert.

Though I remained quiet, I absorbed every word the men said, still trying to work out the dynamic between them. I didn’t have it pinned yet, but I was sure there was something more than just friendship between each of them. Perhaps not so much between Dillon and Ryan, but with Dillon and Kodee, and Ryan and Kodee, for sure.

The blond, Ryan, was making his feelings about me being here perfectly clear. I didn’t like that I’d made him uncomfortable. They didn’t seem like bad people, no matter who they were associated with, and I hated that I was putting them out.

If I tried to run, what would happen? I’d be out of their way, but would I also get them in trouble? I could go straight back to Frankie Capello and tell him that I’d left voluntarily and that they needed to hide me elsewhere. The last thing I wanted was to go back to either of the Capello brothers. I felt bad for their families—their wives and children. While I felt sure the wives must turn a blind eye to their husbands’ straying ways in return for the expensive homes and flashy cars, and huge items of jewelry, the children probably idolized their fathers, and wouldn’t think them capable of selling people as though they were stray puppies.

“You haven’t asked to see the clothes I got you,” Dillon said, tearing me from my thoughts.

I shot him a small smile. “I’m sure whatever you’ve bought will be fine. Thank you. You didn’t need to go to so much trouble.”

“As much as you look good in Kodee’s shirt, you need to have something of your own.”

“I doubt I’ll be able to take anything with me when I leave.”

He shrugged. “We don’t know how long that’s going to be yet, so you still needed stuff to wear.”

He’d dropped the bags next to the front door when he’d entered the apartment, but now he got back to his feet to fetch them for me. Instead of coming back to the table, he took them to the living space and set the bags on the U-shaped couch.

He jerked his chin toward me. “Come on, then.”

I looked to Kodee. “I should help you clear up.”

“No, don’t worry,” Kodee replied. “Ryan can help”

I wondered if that was only going to piss Ryan off more, but I wasn’t going to argue.

A little bubble of excitement swelled inside my stomach at the prospect of seeing what Dillon had bought for me.

“I’ll give the clothes back to you when I leave, of course.”

Dillon laughed. “Aye, what are we supposed to do with women’s clothing? I mean, maybe some larger sizes might have worked, but I don’t think any of us are going to squeeze into anything you might wear.”

He was right—each of the men was far larger than I was. They’d never fit into my clothes, though the thought of them trying made me smile.

“Here.”

He handed me the bags, and I sank down onto the couch and opened the first one to peep inside. There wasn’t any concern on my part that I wouldn’t like what I was being provided with. I always wore whatever I was given, no questions asked. Normally, the clothes were similar to what I’d come here in—tiny skirts and dresses—but I found myself pulling out a couple of pairs of skinny jeans and some t-shirts of various colors. I discovered a couple of sets of bras and panties as well, and a pair of sneakers.

I dangled the underwear from one hand. “Thank you.”

“I wasn’t sure what size you were.” He held both hands out in front of me, as though he was about to cup my breasts in each palm, and then seemed to realize what he was doing and snatched them back again. “The store assistant helped me. You can check the sizes, if you want.”

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