Page 62 of Theirs to Rule

"Going on?" Kage said. "You mean the attack on you and Ava's death?”

I hesitated, wanting to tell him about the missing kids, but remembering my promise to Bianca. I didn't think any of the guys were involved and I was going to tell Bianca that. Tell her we should bring them in and see if they could help.

I held Kage off by saying, 'We will endure’? That sounds ominous. Like there's some kind of united front planning something far bigger than the theft of my gold bar. Maybe the gold bar was just the beginning. Maybe they're collecting funds for something really horrible."

Kage frowned. “Maybe.”

Ty jumped up from his chair and walked around the kitchen counter. He stood there, his arms outstretched, hands flat against the marble top, his head bowed. He muttered something under his breath, then slammed a fist down onto the countertop.I jumped and glanced at Kage and Dante, who were watching Ty intently.

Dante stood. “What’s going on, Ty?"

“My dad had a branch from a pine tree tattooed on his forearm,” Ty bit out. “So did my mother. She said it was because one of their favorite spots was under a pine tree.”

Okay, so that was weird. But it didn't mean his parents were somehow connected with Silas's. “Flowers, trees, nature tattoos are common,” I assured him. All three of them stared back at me with matching somber expressions. “Silas and Troy's tattoos were in a different spot, for starters, and were of a different kind of tree. It’s too far-fetched to be connected, right?”

“You’re probably right,” Ty faintly agreed, but his face had turned ashen. I noticed, all at once, a mark on his forearm. I hadn't seen it before. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see it more clearly, but Ty turned his body, so the mark was blocked from my view.

It could have been a bruise. But from what I'd seen, it looked like a fresh wound that had started to scab over. And he was hiding it on purpose.

“Ty, you said you came here to find your family’s killer. What exactly brought you here?”

Ty scowled. Any walls he'd lowered in talking about his family shot back up. “Sorry to disappoint, but this isn’t going to turn into a weird love fest where we all share our thoughts and feelings. I’ve told you all you need to know. If we're done here, let’s get started on the drawing assignment.”

I looked at him like he was crazy. “Now?”

“I want to get the first assignment over with. The sooner it's done, the sooner we can get to the point where we're out of each other's lives. It's what you want, right?"

Why didn't I agree immediately? Instead, we stared at each other, the tension in the air building until Kage sighed.

"Rebel, are you sure you want to do the project with him?"

I hesitated then nodded. "I'm sure."

Something like relief flickered in Ty's gaze.

“Then I should go. I have class,” Kage said. “Thanks again for last night." He clenched his jaw before turning to Dante. "Both of you."

"What the hell happened last night?" Ty said.

Kage grinned. "Sorry, this isn't a weird love fest, remember? You want to start sharing openly, maybe we will, too. Right, Dante?"

Dante slowly smiled before standing as well. "Right. But here's a hint." Dante pulled me into his arms and kissed me deeply, then gently transferred me into Kage's arms, and he kissed me as well. The contrast between their touch, their kisses, left me shaken and breathing hard. It told me exactly what I had in store for me if we ever actually had sex together.

"Take care with her, Ty. Or what I did to Troy will look like child's play compared to what I'll do to you."

"Yeah, yeah," Ty muttered. "I heard you the first, second, and third

Dante and Kage made a show of kissing me before they left. The whole time, I was aware of how Ty watched us. "Let's get this over with," I said.

Ty led me up to his bedroom. I followed him inside. The bed was made, everything neat and tidy.

He started gathering his art supplies. I sat down on his bed, not sure where to place myself. All I could think about was the fact Ty was about to see me fully naked again, and not just for a minute, like when I'd stripped during Casino Night.

“My robe is on the back of the door if you want to change. No one said you have to be buck naked from the start.

Wow. He was trying to make things less uncomfortable for me. I waited, sure there was going to be an insult thrown my way at any moment.

"I'm serious, Camille. I'm fucking exhausted and don't have the energy to battle with you right now. Change into the robe and I swear, I'll make this as painless as possible."

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