Page 28 of Wicked Revenge

She must feel my eyes drinking in her features, because her heavy eyelids open to look up at me. Her emerald green eyes, which were a sea of feral emotions earlier, are now calm as she reaches up and touches the tips of her fingers to my stubbled jaw, almost like she can’t help herself.

“You’re beautiful,” she says with breathy reverence, almost like she doesn’t realize she said that out loud. The smile that splits my face open must make her register her words, because a crimson blush tints her cheeks as she looks back down, withdrawing her hand like she did something wrong. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what is wrong with me.” Her timid whisper has me tilting her chin back up with my thumb under her jaw.

“You think I’m beautiful, Baby Girl?” I ask, smirking playfully at her when her cheeks flame even brighter. “There is nothing wrong with you and nothing to apologize for. You can touch me anytime you’d like.”

A slight smile comes to her lips as she lets out a tiny little chuckle, and we just stay like that for a moment, smiling and staring at each other. For the first time in my life, the world stands still, allowing me a moment to let everything else fade away.

I don’t understand how someone can come into your life and instantly you know. You know you would do whatever it takes to keep a smile on their face. You know you would protect them no matter what. Kill for them. Die for them. I don’t understand it, but I just know.

Looking into her eyes, I run my thumb along her plump bottom lip. “I can’t explain to you what is happening right now, but you feel it as well. Don’t you?”

“I can’t explain it either, but yes, I do, I feel…” she says softly, her eyelids fluttering closed, exhaustion taking her. She relaxes even further into my body, burying her face back into my neck. I think she’s fallen asleep until she whispers, “I feel safe.” Her breathing evens out this time, her body finally giving in. I pull back enough to kiss the top of her head and hold her tighter to me.

“Sleep, baby. I’ll keep you safe. I promise,” I whisper into her hair as Ella opens the driver’s door and climbs inside.

She looks at her sleeping friend in my arms, before looking up at me. “I am trusting you to keep that promise,” she says confidently, but there is a silent plea in her tone. Her eyes search my face for a few moments as if searching for any hint of doubt before she puts the truck in drive, backing out of the alley.

I give her directions to our house, which sits on the other side of town, before looking back at my brothers who are sitting on either side of the truck bed, watching Raena sleep in my arms. It’s crazy how there’s no jealousy between us. It’s clear this little vixen has reeled us all in. We’re all very possessive men, but along with many other things tonight, I can’t explain this either.

It feels like fate. Like our souls are puzzle pieces, and the three of us have been trying to get through life together while our missing piece was out there alone.

Chapter 16

The thick line of trees canopying our driveway passes by in a blur as Ella drives slowly up to the house. Before Ella even has the opportunity to put the truck in park, Maddox and I are jumping out of the bed of the pick-up seconds before it comes to a complete stop.

The two of us move in tandem to help Alek get Raena out of and into the house, as quickly and safely as possible.

She is still sleeping on Alek when we open the passenger door, and it’s a sight to see. Alek is a big guy, almost six foot nine, stacked with muscles and broad shoulders. He looks like a giant compared to her tiny little body. It’s almost comical.

“She’s been out since we left,” he whispers, his eyes on her as his hand cradles her head, moving through her hair absentmindedly and massaging her scalp.

“Why don’t you take her in and get her settled, then meet us in the basement so we can talk? We’ll get Doc set up down there.” He nods, looking at her beautiful sleeping face before carefully unfolding himself out of the truck cab and carrying her inside.

I look at Ella standing at the back of the truck where Doc is still passed out in the bed. She is watching our exchange with amused curiosity. Her eyes meet mine, and she closes the distance between us.

“I am not going to pretend to understand what the fuck is going on with the three of you and my best friend,” she starts again, and I get it. I don’t understand what the fuck is happening either. “But… you can’t let him get her. She hasn’t told me everything that happened to her, but what she has told me is my worst fucking nightmare. She can’t go back there. Protect her with your lives, and I will protect your secret. Hurt her, and I will fucking kill you and mount the heads of the Shadows above the bar at Twisted for all to see.”

“Okay, easy there, killer,” I raise my hands in defense. “We won’t let anything happen to her.”

“Good. Now, can you get Doc out of my truck? I need to get back home to check on Mom,” she says, her sassy attitude is ever present.

Ella is a bad bitch. She kicks ass first and takes names later. I believe that if she ever thought we would hurt her friend, she wouldn’t hesitate to put us in our place. That’s good. Raena needs a friend like her who will look out for her no matter what.

Maddox walks to the tailgate of the truck, lowering it and dragging Doc out by his ankles. He’s been extra quiet since we left Twisted. It sets me on edge that he is not being his normal self. I would bet anything it has to do with whatever information he got out of Doc, because while Raena said he didn’t hurt her, it doesn’t sound like he helped her either.

Stepping forward and grabbing the doctor’s limp body from the open tailgate, I throw him over my shoulder, following Maddox into the garage.

“I'll be back tomorrow morning, so don't do anything stupid! Take care of her, or it’ll be your asses I'm dragging out of my truck!" Ella yells to us as she pulls out of the driveway.

I don’t know where exactly Alek is settling Raena in, but if she’s awake, I don’t want her to have to see or hear Doc when we bring him in. There is a hidden door that leads to the basement level without having to go through the house. This makes bringing back the occasional prisoner easier.

Maddox slides the storage shelf to the left and presses into the back wall to reveal the electronic panel. The red light flashes as it flares to life. You would never know it was there unless you knew where to press, but the storage shelf provides an extra layer of security for my peace of mind. The panel scans his palm print, turning the light green.

The door makes a hissing sound as it pops open to reveal a set of stairs leading down to the basement that houses our training area. But that’s not all. We occasionally have to bring back prisoners to interrogate or deal with. We have a special place for those unfortunate souls– The Playroom.

Maddox named it that because it is basically his personal playground. While I handle the leadership and decision making of our group, Alek is the muscle, and Maddox, well, he is our resident psycho.

As we descend into the basement, a soft white light cascades along the walls, illuminating the path. Once we reach the bottom, there is a narrow hallway that splits off in two directions, one leading to the main training area straight ahead, while the other leads to the playroom.

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