Page 84 of Four of Hearts

Lola bit the inside of her cheeks. “I guess you’re right.” She let out a heavy sigh and leaned against me. “I’ll bake you all a cake for the next few weeks, to say thank you.”

“A blowjob will do,” Leo said, earning a slap at the back of his head from Bennett.

Lola laughed softly. “Hey, I thought that was funny.”

Leo grinned at her and winked. “At least one person here gets my humor.”

“We get your humor. We just have gotten tired of it,” I told him as I wrapped my arm around Lola’s shoulders to keep her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Are you ready to head home later?”

“Not really. I love it here.”

“We’ll take you back here soon enough.”

She smiled up at me and nodded before kissing my jaw. “Thank you. I had a great time this weekend.”

“We did too,” I assured her.

I pressed a kiss to her lips, then nodded to the appetizers in front of us. “Let’s eat.”

***

“I’m so full. But in a good way,” Lola told Madison as we stood up from the table.

“Just like last night?” Leo teased, earning yet another slap on the back of his head from Ben. “Jesus, stop that. I’m just joking.”

“Be funnier, then,” Ben muttered.

Lola wrapped her arms around Leo’s arm to comfort him, and he pouted like a little boy, knowing exactly how to get her attention. “They’re all so mean to me lately.”

Lola laughed and patted his stomach. “Don’t worry. I thought it was funny.”

“I’m going to miss you guys. Come back soon, okay? Don’t make me wait another three months before I get to see your faces again,” Madison said, giving us a stern look.

“We’ll be back this month,” I assured her before giving her a hug. With my arms around her, I pushed three hundred-dollar bills into the back of her apron. “Don’t you dare give that back to me,” I warned her.

She sighed with a shake of her head after pulling away from my hug. “I really didn’t want the money, Kline.”

“I don’t care. Just take it and stop whining. We’ll see you soon.”

The others gave her a hug too, and when it was Lola’s turn, she thanked Madison for the delicious food. “You’ll come back too, yes?”

“Most definitely.”

“Good. Take care of these guys. Keep them in line and don’t let them treat you like shit, alright?”

Lola laughed softly. “I don’t think they’d be capable of that.”

Hearing her say that made me proud. It meant that we did everything right, and that she felt safe with us. In the end, that’s all that mattered.

We ended up driving home around eight that night. Lola was in the car with Leo and Bennett, and Leo sent me a message twenty minutes into the drive saying that Lola had already fallen asleep.

She was the one having to wake up early the next morning, so I didn’t blame her for getting in some sleep already.

It was for the best, really, because the phone call I received ten minutes later wasn’t about something I needed her to know.

Morris was calling, and I put him on speaker since I was the one driving. “Hey.”

“Uh, hey man. Are you home yet?”

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