Page 124 of Charity's Redemption

This house had walls stained with the blood of men who’d died here like a battlefield, tainted forever.

Finishing the remaining distance to my bed, I crawled back inside the still warm sheets and took another bite of pancake.

“Why are we having a BBQ, anyway?”

The guys took their places they’d occupied before when Luca answered. “It’s our yearly BBQ.”

A yearly BBQ that I’d never heard of? How is it I’ve been around for nearly seven years, and they are just now telling me this? “How come you’ve never invited me?”

“Because you spend Christmas with your family. There was never an opportunity for you to be there. Besides, we were kind of keeping your involvement with us a bit of a secret from everyone, remember?”

Ah yes, I was just the floozy that hung around. I’m sure everyone thought I was just a whore with nothing better to do than fuck mob members.

I had a reputation with no benefits.

“Yeah, I remember.”

I couldn't believe Christmas was coming up. We’d lost out on Thanksgiving, not that I’d celebrated that with my family either, thanks to my mother.

“Why do we have to invite my mother?”

“She’s a package deal, bella. You don’t have to win her over, but your dad will not pretend his wife doesn’t exist. He loves her just as much as he loves you.”

I scowled at the thought of anyone loving her.

I blamed her for getting Josh involved in a cult.

I blamed her for his death, even though it was as much my fault as it was his.

I blame her for everything while also accepting the fact that I made decisions that ultimately destroyed my family.

It will never be the way it was before. I’d forever lost the mother that antagonized me constantly. But even though she drove me nuts, she was still my mother… and now I didn’t have one. There was no forgiveness in my heart that sided with a monster in order to cage me in a cell for the rest of my life.

I didn’t want to think about my father staying with her—him loving her. It didn’t seem right after what she’d done.

“Sure. How about we lay in bed all day and watch movies?”

“Sorry, I have things that need to get done. There was a delay in the delivery with Sacha and Alek, and I need to see what’s taking so long.”

“I have a court case I need to prepare for.” Nico held up his papers resting in his lap.

I glanced at Max.

“Marjorie is showing me a house today.”

“Fine, I’ll go with you.”

“No—”

“You’ll sit right here—”

“You’re not going anywhere, Charity.” They said their piece in unison, blowing my eardrums with their protests.

“Jesus, okay. Fine. I’ll sit here all by myself and conjure countless ways to get into trouble then.”

“Boy, if that wasn’t dramatic, but entirely plausible,” Nico said.

I laughed, then watched my guys eat the food I was no longer interested in.

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