Page 62 of Fixation of the Mind

Ravi grabbed her hand, holding it like it was precious. “You didn't fail her. It was the wrong place at the wrong time.” He didn't mention that he had thought about killing her when she got close to Rin. My emotional brother knew that little tidbit would be detrimental to our progress with her.

She squeezed his hand, looking at him with a smile before it fell. We all felt the change in her when she pulled her hand away and whispered, “The last test had to do with loyalty to the organization.”

All of us were hanging on her every breath, needing to know more. What had happened in the test? Had we hurt her?

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before blurting, “I betrayed you guys.” My stomach dropped, that being the last thing I ever thought she would say. Hurt worked its way through my chest, and I clutched the knife in my hand. Ravi sucked in a ragged breath as he leaned back. Apparently, Rion was the only one using his brain.

“How? What happened?”

Cracking her eyes open, tears gathered in the corners. “I thought I had woken up from the test, having passed, but it was all just a trick. We went home and had dinner. I truly thought I was out until you all started to openly talk about taking down Foedus. You had never said that before. The plan was always about taking out your uncle, but you didn't mention him at all.” Her hands clenched in her lap, her breath labored, but she pushed herself to keep going. “There were other things, too, that just seemed weird—out of place or really out of character—so I thought back to all the moments I’d felt like that and figured out it was fake. The only explanation I could come up with was that they were trying to figure out who I’d be loyal to. Would I do what I needed to do to help the organization, or would I cling to you guys instead, no matter what you said or did? The moment it clicked, I excused myself to tell Maria about your plans. That was when the final test finished.”

She looked away from us in shame, but after hearing her explanation, my heart exploded.

“Like what? What did the computer do that tipped you off?” Rion asked.

She glanced up at him, brows furrowed. “It was the little stuff.” Rion motioned with his hand for her to tell us more. “Well, you didn't hug me or ask about how I was when we left. Ravi wasn't waiting for me outside when we drove home. None of you made a big deal about passing the test, and…” Her cheeks grew red. “They just didn't have that spark in their eyes that you guys do.”

Ravi burst out in laughter. “So you only betrayed them because you knew they weren't us. The real us. Rin, you have nothing to feel bad for!”

He scooped her up into his arms, sitting her in his lap before he shoved his head into her chest and sighed. I cut up the last bit of meat, glaring at the prick that was soaking up all Rin's attention.

Dick.

Rion smiled, sliding his hand over to hers and giving her knuckles a kiss. “Ravi is right. Don’t feel bad, Rin. You needed to survive, and you gave up the fake Ambros brothers. I'm more than proud of you.”

She glanced at me. I was wiping my hands with a towel, getting ready to heat the tortillas, but I felt the weight of her expectant gaze. If she was looking at me for punishment, she wasn't going to get it this time. I agreed with my brothers. I winked at her. “I hold no grudge against you, Rin. You did what you had to do to come back to us.”

Her whole face lit up, smiling at me with grateful eyes before she squeezed Rion’s hand and kissed Ravi's head. Our Rin was stronger, smarter, and tougher than she looked. For the first time since we started this, I felt like everything was going to work out. Nothing was going to blow up in our faces.

An evil smile worked its way across her mouth. “So… then you trust me enough to go out with Cin tomorrow, right?”

Fuck! We’d just caught ourselves up with that one.

Chapter 22

The guys eventually gave up on fighting me, so I texted Cin, asking where she wanted me to meet her and about the plan for the day. I wanted to give the guys an itinerary, hoping it would put them at ease. I would do whatever I needed for them to be okay with this because I was going to see Cin, no matter what.

After a bit of back and forth, Cin booked us some massages at a spa, wanted to stop at something called a blowdry bar, then we picked out a place to get our nails and toes done, finally ending our day with a late lunch so we would have enough time to get ready for the gala.

Looking out the window from my room, I saw some frost on the trees, so I chose to wear a gray knit dress with some brown over-the-knee boots. The outfit was easy to take on and off, but still warm. Picking up my phone and a small crossbody purse Ravi had gotten me a while back, I was ready for my girls’ day.

When I went to the kitchen to make myself some toast, the first thing I noticed was the stagnant air in the room, like all life had been sucked out. The guys were sitting around the table, looking down, picking at their food like lost puppies. My heart squeezed at seeing my men pout, but I also secretly enjoyed it. They wanted to be with me so badly, all the time, that they got depressed over a few hours apart. It was kinda adorable.

I cheerfully called out, “Morning!”

They looked up at me, and the heat of their collective gazes took my breath away and made my knees weak. Would that ever change? Looking at them now, I couldn't imagine ever getting used to their complete focus and adoration.

Turning around quickly, I put the bread in the toaster. I was waiting for it to pop up when I felt a set of hands circle around me, then a chin balanced on my shoulder. “You look amazing, Rin. I have excellent taste in clothes for you.” Ravi’s hand cupped my breast over my dress, and he kissed a trail down my neck. “Maybe I’m a little too good at it.”

For just a second, I let my head fall back, whimpering at his touch. A familiar heat began to build when his hand trailed down my hips, grabbing onto the hem of my dress just as the toast popped. That was just the distraction I needed.

Smacking his hand, I leaned away from him to grab a plate. “Ravi! I can’t be late. Don’t try to sex trap me.” Yanking out my toast, I tried to head to the refrigerator, but his arms boxed me in.

“I think a sex trap sounds like the best excuse to be late. Plus, if you're feeling so relaxed and good, you can skip the massage.” His hope-filled voice made me roll my eyes before I ducked under his arms at went to the refrigerator to grab the butter.

“I told you guys, we booked the massage with female masseuses. There is nothing to worry about.” Taking a knife out, I buttered and jammed the toast, biting into it before sitting down in my seat.

“We don't like it when anyone touches you, man or woman. We don’t discriminate,” Rion said proudly, and I almost laughed.

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