Page 73 of Red My Lips

Flipping the charm over, the hand-scratched heart on the back stares at me. The edges of my vision blur, dread falling over me like the weight of the world. This can’t be happening. Why would I find this hidden in Gage’s office? Why would Gage—the man I love—have my dead brother’s bracelet?

My mind races with a million questions, my head spinning as things slowly start to click into place. Emotions flurry through me until I’m a wreck, and only devastation remains.

There’s only one way Gage could have this bracelet. The bracelet I’ve been looking for, the one my brother never took off. There’s only one explanation for why he would be hiding this from me.

Gage Lawless killed my brother.

Chapter Thirty-One

Jill

I can’t sit in my car for much longer, and yet I can’t seem to move from this seat. My hands firmly grip the steering wheel as I stare at nothing in particular. The entire drive over to Lana’s apartment building, my head was a complete mess. The shock of my discovery threatened to break me until I was questioning if what I found was real.

I’d sat there in Gage’s office for almost an hour, just trying to process the gold bracelet in my hand. And then I stood up, put it back in its hiding place, and replaced the box on the desk like nothing had ever happened.

But something did happen.

The man I loved—the man I fucked, the man I let pull my walls down, the man I finally decided to trust—is also the man who killed my brother.

It all makes sense to me now. Gage got rid of Tommy so I would be forced to repay the massive debt to Jonas. Then he found a way to take the club and my debt from Jonas so he could own me. He wanted me where he could see me, control me, and manipulate me.

And it fucking worked.

Because he had me.

The thought has me sick to my stomach, and the waves of nausea have anger storming inside me. Climbing out of the car, I walk inside on unsteady legs. It’s a relief that no one else is in the elevator to see as I ascend to the seventh floor. As soon as the doors slide open, I’m moving again. I don’t stop walking until I see her door.

Pulling out my phone with shaking hands, I call Lana. She answers on the second ring. “I was just thinking about you. I swear we share half a brain.”

“Are you home?” I ask, praying she’s not on a date or something. I’m not supposed to be here for another few hours, but I desperately need my best friend right now.

“Yeah, I’m home.” Completely missing the anguish in my voice, she continues. “Christos has a business dinner, and I couldn’t be bothered to go to another one of his meetings. Last time, they wanted me to take my top off to prove I wasn’t wearing a wire, and Christos almost shot up the place over it. It was nuts,” she rambles. “Why?”

“Come let me in,” I state simply, stepping up to her door. A few seconds later, the door swings open, and my gorgeous best friend stands on the other side with her megawatt smile. The instant her eyes land on me, and she sees the misery in my expression and the tears streaming down my face, all happiness vanishes.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” she asks, ushering me into her apartment and closing the door. Just being in her presence, my walls start to crumble, and I fall apart. A sob escapes me, my tears streaming freely. Lana doesn’t hesitate to wrap me in her arms and hold me while I cry.

After a few minutes I pull away and allow her to lead me to the couch. Sucking in deep breaths, I start to push back the tears in an attempt to regain control.

“Babe, what is it?” Lana asks, concern written all over her face.

“Gage did it.”

“Gage did what?” She’s confused.

“Tommy,” I say through a rattled sob. “Gage did it.” It takes a second for Lana to piece together what I’m saying, but I can see when it clicks. A million emotions cross her face in the same order I felt them when I found the evidence of Gage’s betrayal. First the sheer shock of it, then the confusion and denial. Lastly, the outrage—the anger so potent you can taste it.

“Gage killed Tommy.” She’s still processing. “Fuck, Jill. Tell me everything.”

Telling her how I found Tommy’s bracelet in Gage’s office has me getting worked up all over again—this time, Lana feels it too.

“I’m going to fucking kill him.” She shakes her head, her thoughts racing. “I’m going to murder that psycho bastard, chainsaw-massacre style.”

“No, you’re not. And neither am I,” I say, putting an end to that idea. “Killing someone like Gage is too kind. I want him to live and suffer. I’m going to rip away every ounce of happiness in his life and make him drown in so much misery that he chokes on it. And I’m going to need your help.” I thought about it on my way over here, but my mind was too big of a mess to come up with a concrete plan.

“Anything, you name it.”

“Gage watches my every move, and I don’t want him to realize that I know the truth until it’s too late. I’m going to distract him, and I need you to go to my place and pack a few bags for me. You know what I’d want.”

---