Page 28 of Possessive

"We found him?" I asked. I placed the book on the table beside the chair and clasped my trembling hands.

"Not yet," Gianni said. "But we found some associates of his. We're on our way to have a friendly conversation with them."

"I'm coming," I said immediately. I'd been here for a couple of weeks and felt a lot stronger already. My clothes fit better and I could move up and down the stairs faster. I could do this too.

He grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that. If Reuben or Damon say you can't come, I'll set them straight."

"Or I will," I said. The way he took care of me was sweet, but I was better able to stand on my own two feet each day. Literally and figuratively.

"Or that," he agreed, his smile unwavering. "Between us, we'll make sure you can come along." He offered me his hand.

I looked down at it for a few moments before slipping my hand into his. Touching another person didn't feel as uncomfortable as it had. The idea didn't make me break out into a cold sweat as easily. His respect for my boundaries led me to expanding them, bit by bit.

We walked down to the back of the house, to the door that led to the garage. Reuben was already there, dressed impeccably as always.

Damon stood beside him, checking over his gun.

They both looked up when Gianni and I approached.

"This isn't the time for—" Damon started.

"I'm coming with you," I said firmly. I slid my hand out of Gianni's and crossed my arms over my chest. They were all taller than me, but I wasn't going to let myself be intimidated. Not by them nor anyone else.

Reuben closed his eyes tightly for a few moments, before opening them and nodding. "If any of us tell you to do anything, including wait in the car, you obey. Understood?"

"Within reason," I said. "I'm not some sort of delicate flower."

He looked at me like he thought that was exactly what I was. Delicate anyway, if not a flower.

"I'll decide what's within reason or not." He nodded to Damon, who led the way out to one of the cars, a dark SUV.

Like when they brought me here, Damon and Reuben took their places in the front, Gianni and me in the back.

"It's been a long time since we've been on a road trip," Gianni said.

"We've never been on a road trip." Damon backed the car out of the garage and onto the road.

Gianni snapped his fingers, making me flinch slightly. "That's right. We should go on one sometime. Just for shits and giggles."

"Being in a car with you for hours on end would definitely give us the shits," Damon remarked.

"And giggles," Gianni said with a grin.

I shook my head at both of them. "Who are these people we're going to have a conversation with?"

Reuben sighed. "It seems Lasalle had his own network for running drugs and weapons. It's a lot more extensive than we suspected."

He sounded beyond irritated. Not just because Kurt was operating behind his back, but because somehow they missed the extent of it. He was the kind of man who didn't like to overlook anything. He wanted to be aware of everything that went on in his proximity, and way beyond it.

"How extensive?" I asked.

"Extensive enough," Reuben said. "We'll be making an example of them. After we learn what they know."

I leaned back and left it at that for now. What mattered to me was finding Kurt.

We sat in silence except for Gianni occasionally humming some random tune I couldn't recognise. Not the one he played for me the other night. He hadn't tried to play any more music for me after that. If I stepped into a room while he had any on, he quickly turned it off.

I didn't remark on it. No matter what I would have said, he would have done it anyway.

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