Page 42 of Protected

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Journey roared, stopping next to London to look at her sister as if Geneva had two noses. “You’re worse than the kids. Get down from there. I can’t take you nowhere.”

They all burst out laughing, and Chelsey and Egypt closed the door and moved further into the house.

London carried a large tray of petite desserts and set it on a wood sideboard buffet cabinet. There were wine glasses lined up on the cabinet as well, and Journey set two bottles of wine next to them. Then she turned down the music.

“Chelsey, I wish I could say that my sister is usually on her best behavior during our gatherings, but I’d be lying.”

“Whatever,” Geneva said, rolling her eyes as she stepped off the table and sat on the sectional sofa. “We can’t all be straitlaced and in control like my lawyerly sister. Just once I wished she’d let me have some fun without chastising me.”

“Seriously?” Journey swatted Geneva’s shoulder, then sat next to her. “You were dancing on a table, and it’s not even your table! You would think after having a baby you’d grow the hell up.”

As they fussed back and forth good-naturedly, Chelsey sat in one of the recliners. Geneva, a beauty salon owner, was married to Myles Carrington, a former CIA agent and one of the quietest of the Atlanta’s Finest team. He and Geneva were opposites in almost every way possible, but they seemed to balance each other.

Chelsey could understand why Myles was drawn to Geneva. She was fun, vibrant, and had a wicked sense of humor; definitely the life-of-the-party type. The red bodycon sundressfit her spirited personality. She also didn’t look like a woman who had just birthed an infant—a baby girl—a few months ago.

“Grab some snacks and something to drink,” London announced after returning from the kitchen with a charcuterie board of meat, cheese, and fruit. “If you don’t want wine, there’s non-alcoholic beverages in the cooler.” She pointed to the blue and white chest on the floor next to the cabinet.

There were only six of them in the house. The kids were at the main house either with their fathers or the nannies. Chelsey was still full from dinner, but she placed a lemon bar and some type of chocolate treat on a small plate and poured a glass of wine. On the way back to her seat, she glanced around the cozy space.

She had attended several cookouts and parties hosted by some in the group, but she’d only been to London’s home once, and this was her first time in the guest house. The living room was tastefully decorated in bright colors with a tan sectional sofa in front of large windows. A coffee table, two end tables, and two leather recliners rounded out the furniture. The natural stone fireplace in the center of the main wall added to the room’s welcoming feel.

Once they were all seated again, Geneva said. “Since Chelsey is new to the group, let’s pick on her. Especially since she had grown men fighting like idiots.”

Chelsey groaned.Okay, here we go.

Egypt chuckled. “Welcome to the Wives’ Club, sis. Brace yourself. They’re about to be all up in your business.”

“Don’t bescurred,” Geneva said and laughed.

“Gen, leave her alone. You’re going to scare her away before we get any answers, and I have plenty of questions,” Journey said, reminding Chelsey that the woman had once been a state prosecutor.

She and Geneva might’ve been sisters who favored each other, but personality-wise, they were very different. WhileGeneva was a good-time girl, Journey was more reserved. Even though this was a casual event, she still looked conservative. Her makeup was lightly applied, and she wore her shoulder-length hair in a bob. Everyone else looked as if they were attending a picnic. Not Journey, though. Her short-sleeve, pale pink button-up blouse, paired with tailored cream-colored pants, was cute but she looked as if she might be planning to attend a meeting with a client.

Though she and Geneva were different in some respects, they did have something in common. They were both badasses in their own right. That probably had something to do with their father; a retired cop. They looked like girlie girls, but there was a no-nonsense edge to them both.

“Yeah, welcome to the club,” Zenobia said from the recliner next to Chelsey and lifted her bottle of water.

She had thatgirl-next-doorvibe and didn’t look like what most would expect of a multimillionaire superstar. The T-shirt and denim shorts, along with her hair pulled up in a long ponytail on top of her head, had her looking like a freshman in college.

The front door burst open, and Chelsey and the others startled.

“Wait!” Dakota yelled and was huffing as if she’d been running. “I hope you guys didn’t start without me. Let me get some wine before Journey starts interrogating Chelsey. That’s assuming she hasn’t already.”

Everyone laughed, and Chelsey smiled. They clearly knew each other well.

Dakota was Hamilton’s wife. The former stuntwoman was someone Chelsey had looked up to since meeting her years ago. The fearless mother of three was a force to be reckoned with. To look at her, with her short hair slicked back and her cinnamon-toned face free of makeup, she looked to be in her late twentiesinstead of in her forties. No one would ever guess she was a tae kwon do black belt master and owned a dojo. And thanks to her,everyonein the room knew some form of self-defense.

“Dang. I guess Dani isn’t here,” Dakota said from across the room as she inspected the bottles of wine. “Otherwise, she would’ve brought the hard liquor.”

Dani, who owned a bar that they all frequented, was Ashton Chambers’ wife and the only one not in attendance. She was another baddy and had married the former Atlanta PD detective-turned-security-specialist a couple of years ago.

Now that Chelsey thought about it, she was surrounded by badasses; badasses whose lives had been threatened at one time or another, and they survived. There was nothing like being among tough, amazing women.

Wine glass in hand, Dakota grabbed a large floor pillow from the corner of the room and dropped it near the sofa before sitting on it. “Okay, so what I miss?” she asked.

“Journey was getting ready to begin her interrogation,” London said, smiling.

Chelsey shook her head and took a swig of her wine.

---