Page 47 of Ruthless Beasts

“In for what?” I whirled around, locking my gaze with Bellamy’s big doe eyes.

Adam cleared his throat, visibly uncomfortable. “Work stuff, Belle. Let’s eat.”

And when the conversation was over, where we stood regarding the girl was still so fucking grey in this black and white world.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

BELLAMY

The number of boxes that were delivered to the house this morning was concerning. If I lived a conventional life, I’d be worried. Except my life is anything but conventional, and I’m not even phased by the thought that it could be some sort of massive drug delivery. My father had dealt in worse trades than drugs.

My father.

In the weeks since his death, I wanted to feel something, anything, about the last remaining family member I had being taken out by the men in this house. The men who were supposed to collectively be monsters, but had shown me nothing but kind gestures and respect. There was a short time, very short, that I wanted to be released from the grips of these strangers and back into the care of my father, but that was in the hours following the church massacre, when all I could see was the blood and hear the screams that echoed.

Now, I never wanted to go back there.

Did that mean I wanted to stay here? I wasn’t sure. But I was safe enough, at least for now. I didn’t have to worry about food, or if the grandfather of my child would come claim what he thought was rightfully his.

Things had become different, and I wasn’t sure if that was bad, good, or some weird grey area in between. But in the weeks since Ace and Mercer came home with the donuts, dynamics had shifted, and things had slowly changed. I didn’t understand it, not really. But I wondered if it had something to do with the conversation they were having in the kitchen that day. I wish I had stayed quiet enough to listen, to overhear what had each one of them always close by, always willing to keep me company. All but Adam, who changed too, but differently. Why was he always so guarded? What was he so damn afraid of?

My fingers dug into the soil, loving the progress of the garden. I hadn’t known when I asked Adam, but it was a full garden of rose bushes, fountains and, deep in the center, a stone bench. I wasn’t sure why they had let it become overgrown, but true to his word, Adam had the list of supplies delivered for me, plus things I hadn’t asked for. Two days after asking, he had a crew arrive, and all I had to do was demand, and they made it happen.

I wish he could see the progress, but he doesn’t go into the backyard. Instead, he spends so much time in his office or at the casino. And when he’s not there, he’s inside, working on a project everyone is so secretive about.

I stood back after I covered the roots with the soil, admiring my work. “Lady, don’t you dare.”

The pup looked up at me with big eyes, acting like she wasn’t about to dig the rose bush up from where I just buried it.

“Please,” Max begged the dog from a few feet away, where I had him digging holes. “Don’t fucking touch it. I don’t want to be doing this for a minute longer than I have to.”

Beside him, Drew snorted, and under his breath, he whispered, “Pussy.” I heard it, but pretended I didn’t. I was just thankful for the help, even if it was grudging.

I was ten bushes in when I felt the eyes on me. I looked up, spotting Ace through the gate door as he approached. He was taking in every detail, as the three of them always seemed to do. I stopped digging, my hand on my lower back, which was aching, and waited for him to approach. I never knew what he was thinking, and that was unnerving. Mercer was the easy-going one. Adam was always reserved, but Ace, he just… he was the mystery between them. Sometimes hot, sometimes cold. Where did I stand with him?

When he was close enough, I asked, “Do I need to go inside?”

“What? No.” His head shook. “Unless you want to? Though you should take it easy. Are you in pain? We can hire someone to do this. I don’t want you to get heatstroke.”

“It’s nine thirty in the morning. I think I’m okay.” His eyes were looking around, and I took that moment to absorb the details of his profile, right down to the little scar on his jaw that begged me to touch it.

Without thinking, I reached up, running my finger against the scar, before pulling away, leaving a dirt mark. The dirt mark was so out of place on the backdrop that was him. His smooth skin, the crisp white shirt, the wrinkleless slacks, had no room for imperfections. “I got you dirty. Sorry.”

His eyes burned with words and secrets he didn’t dare speak. “It’s just dirt.”

“I know, but you’re leaving.” They always left me left behind. The only time I left the house were the appointments, and then right back here. “You always leave. All of you.”

“I can stay,” he offered, and I hated to ask that of him, when I knew he had a job, a life, things that his attention revolved around long before I joined the mix.

“It’s okay. I have Max and Drew,” I pointed out, so he didn’t feel bad about leaving me. Only I’m not sure if that reassured him.

His face pulled into disgust, and Max threw a clump of dirt at him. “I saw that.”

He dusted off the dirt, but his shirt was already destroyed. “Well, guess now I have to stay.” He rolled his sleeves up while asking, “Where do you want me, boss? You supervise from the bench, and we’ll do all the work.”

“Boss?” A single brow rose in question. “I can work too.”

“Can you? Because I’ve never seen a princess lift a single finger.”

---