Page 80 of Carnival Mayhem

If he only knew what kind of “training” Nash had initiated her into last night. But watching Ty’s genuine enthusiasm about the show’s success makes me reconsider my earlier anger. Maybe Nash was right about Flora being ready for all of this.

I clear my throat, the words feeling like rocks in my mouth. “There’s something else you need to know, Ty. About Flora.”

Nash shifts in his chair but doesn’t interrupt. Good. He got us into this mess—he can sweat it out while I clean it up.

“Nash told her everything last night. About the operation. The drugs. All of it.”

Ty’s expression hardens, his earlier warmth vanishing. He sets down his papers. “He did what?”

“She knows we use the carnival as a front for moving cocaine,” I continue, forcing myself to hold Ty’s gaze. “And before you ask—yes, she took it well. Too well, actually.”

“That wasn’t your call to make,” Ty says, his voice deadly quiet. “Either of you.”

“She deserves to know what she is getting into,” Nash replies, unfazed. “Especially after what we did to those boys last night.”

Ty’s eyes narrow. “What boys?”

Shit. I shoot Nash a warning look, but he’s already leaning forward in his chair. “Her foster brothers. The ones who hurt her. We took care of them.”

The temperature in the room drops ten degrees. Ty’s jaw works as he processes this new information. I brace myself for the explosion, but his voice is controlled when he speaks.

“So not only did you reveal our operation to an outsider, but you also committed murder without consulting me first?”

Nash growls. “Flora isn’t an outsider. She’s one of us.”

“I told you I needed the lockup for something personal,” I counter.

Ty’s jaw clenches. “Right, but notwhyyou needed it.”

I lean forward, meeting Ty’s gaze head-on. “Flora isn’t just some outsider we brought in. She’s with us. Both of us. Nash and me.”

His expression shifts, but I press on before he can speak.

“And let me ask you something, Ty. What if it was Sofia?” I watch his face darken at the mention of his woman. “What if you found out that two men had been raping her for two years? That they’d invited their friends over to gang rape her?”

Nash tenses but stays quiet. Ty’s knuckles turn white where they grip his desk.

“What would you do?” I continue. “Would you wait to get permission? Would you think twice about using that lockup? Or would you make them suffer like we did?”

Ty stands up slowly, his chair scraping against the floor. For a moment, the only sound in the office is his measured breathing.

“You’re right,” he finally says. “I’d have torn them apart with my bare hands.”

“That’s what we did,” Nash adds. “For Flora. Because she’s ours, just like Sofia is yours.”

“I can’t blame you for dealing with those bastards,” Ty sighs, rubbing his temples. “But telling her about the drug ring?”

I shift my weight, feeling the tension in my shoulder. “How were we supposed to explain the lockup? The tools? Why did we even have access to that kind of setup?”

“We couldn’t lie to her,” Nash adds. “Not after everything she’s been through. She deserves the truth.”

“Look,” I say, bracing my hands on Ty’s desk. “Flora saw things in that lockup that needed context. The restraints, the soundproofing—she’s smart. She would have figured it out eventually.”

“Plus,” Nash interjects, “she handled the whole situation like a pro. Didn’t even flinch when we explained what we really do here.”

I nod. “We can’t keep lying to her, Ty. Not when she’s part of our life now. Every aspect of it.”

Ty sinks back into his chair. “And you’re sure she can be trusted?”

---