Page 69 of Quiet Confessions: Part Two

Or we just need a bigger house. I think it’s time now that we’re out as a family.

“There’s still so many loose ends. I can’t even enjoy the planning of our trip,” Patience sighs. “I just want to be normal for a few days, but it’s not in the cards.”

We all get into the car together, ready for the drive to what is supposed to be our vacation. Patience had to block her mom’s number because she’s been non-stop calling, and Kian yelled at his father as well about how he speaks about Pay. Tae keeps telling Ki that he needs to marry a nice girl and not a thankless whore.

I think all of our parents suck.

“I know what you mean, rabbit,” I tell her, rubbing her back as I sit next to her. I won rock paper scissors, and I don’t care how childish it may have been. I really like sitting next to her. Cal sits on her other side, and he looks worried about her.

“We still have your father to worry about, and Isabella. I don’t know how I can be excited about this wedding either,” Patience says, her throat sounding as if it’s starting to close.

“Hey!” Ki says, looking up to look at her in the rearview mirror. “None of that. Breathe, baby. One step at a time, okay? The Society will be helping us with Nixen. He is part of the sex trade industry, with heavy ties to Isabella. We just need to get through the wedding.”

“Does that mean that all bets are off afterward?” I ask. I need things to be clear for my rabbit. Platitudes will not work if she’s panicking.

“Yes. We’re going after Isabella after the wedding,” Ki confirms.

Cheers to tying off some loose ends.

Chapter Twenty

I didn’t expect the funeral or the reading of the will to explode the way it did. Maybe I’m still in shock. I know my mother didn't like me that much, but for her to go off on me like that and accuse me of sleeping with my grandpa… I think… I really don’t know what to think.

Rooke hands me a coffee in a travel mug and Cal grabs my favorite car blanket. We have a bit of a drive, and I’m looking forward to getting away with my family. Nate hands me Mouse’s carrier, and as soon as I’m in the back seat and buckled, I unzip the side door and let her out.

She’s wearing a harness with a bell and has a leash, so I’m not worried about her escaping. Plus the cabin is huge. Plenty of new rooms for her to explore and hide in.

“Do you want to try and take a nap while we drive?” Nate asks me and I shake my head.

I know the guys are all worried about my mental state, but I’m okay. I think my mother disowning me could have been a blessing instead of a curse.

She hasn’t been around in years and when she did pop in, it was all fake. A show to make her look like the best, most loving mother. I thought our heart to heart a few months back meant something, but it was probably all another farce.

Ki pulls onto the highway and I stare out the window for a few minutes. The sun is just starting to peek over the mass of trees. It’s early, but that’s fine. I know the leader of the Locked Souls Society is waiting at the cabin for us.

“So, you never told me, Ki. How do you know Dragon?” I ask and he looks back at me quickly before focussing on the road.

“Richard had been sending me on errands since I was fifteen. Well, one assignment unbeknownst to me was stealing from the Society. Instead of killing me on the spot, they gave me a chance to explain and then told me that Richard had been a target of their concern for a few years…”

He changes lanes and then continues. “I guess you could say that I’ve been a double agent at times. I’m not a member, but I’m an informant. I have done a few things for them over the years as well.”

“Wait, so Richard was Mafia and Dragon is like… the leader of the Ivy Club?” The guys all look at me at once and I roll my eyes.

“This is all too crazy. Was my dad a member of the Mafia? Am I the leader of the Mafia now? Richard left me everything, but I don’t want to become some Godmother or something.” I’m starting to spiral and Rooke grabs my hand, giving me a hard squeeze and grounding me.

“Take some deep breaths, baby girl. We won’t make you do anything you don’t want to.” He’s trying to reassure me, but I’m lost in my head.

Ki pulls the car over and parks. “Switch seats with Patience,” he tells Cal, and I unbuckle. Rooke gives me a quick kiss and I hand him Mouse. She’s been sleeping through my freakout and I wish I could be as relaxed as her.

Cal opens his door, then mine, and offers me a hug. I fall into his arms and breathe in his clean linen and citrus smell. “You and I are in this together, Patience. Once we take down my dad and Sharon, and then go after Isabella, we can decide what our future looks like.”

I give him a nod and he kisses my forehead before gently pressing me toward the front seat. I climb in as he sits beside Rooke. Nate moves to the third row, reading something seemingly intriguing, but he gives me a smile.

I don’t know what I would do without these guys. Ki takes my hand and holds it tight as he pulls back onto the highway.

“So, how mad was Hana when you told her you weren’t having a bachelorette party?” Rooke asks me and I groan.

“Well, it started with a pout, then she gave me the puppy eyes, then tears, then I may have agreed to a spa weekend before the wedding,” I grumble and the guys all laugh. They know that Hana has me wrapped around her finger.

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