Page 131 of Lush

“You don’t have a choice. Do what I say, or things get worse, Reese. Much worse. You saw what I did to Laurene. What else can I do to the rest of your family?”

The line went dead.

And I slammed my fist against the side of my car.

CHAPTER 26

Laurene

“Where are you?”I almost hung up on Gigi, but she’d caught me in a good mood—though that was fading fast.

“Serena said no already.”

The car smoothly drove past the typical weekend shopping crowd; couples ambled along, their shopping bags swaying rhythmically.

“For good reason.”

There was a sharp “Damn!” in the background, followed by the unmistakable clatter of dice hitting a table. Gigi’s laugh was so loud on the phone, I had to pull it away from my ear.

I juggled my shopping bag, feeling the silky, lacy stuff inside. Reese’s place was perfect for him, but it didn’t exactly screamhome.Not yet. Not without a few touches of mine. I smirked to myself, imagining his reaction when he saw what I’d picked out. He would be up all night drilling shelves and hanging paintings.

Except—lately, he hadn’t been himself.

This past week, he’d been different—more withdrawn. Quiet. Checking his phone with a frown, then putting it down like it burned. Waking up before me, staring out the window with his jaw tight. And when he thought I wasn’t looking, rubbing his temples like he was trying to keep something at bay.

I hadn’t pressed him. Maybe I should have. It was the blackmailer. Things had been quiet lately, but the danger was still there.

I didn’t know much, but Ididknow Reese.

“Come on, you can do this.” Gigi’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. The sound of a loud crash in the background made me wince.

“Where are youreally?” I asked again, my patience wearing thin.

“The studio.”

“Studio? You can’t sing or make a beat.”

My driver slowed as we passed Élan Maison, the high-end home boutique I’d been meaning to stop by. Their window display showcased impossibly soft throws and crystal vases. I made a mental note to swing by later. But I couldn’t shake the thought that whatever was going on, Reese was keeping me out of it.

And that scared me more than I cared to admit.

“Damn, you can’t encourage me? What if I’m the new hottest female rapper?”

“You think Slick Rick’s raps are too complicated. How the hell are you going to write a bar?”

“First of all, Laurene, you real loud for somebody that don’t have a song out about them.”

“I don’t even wanna know what poor internet rapper you conned into making a song about you.” I smirked.

“Second,Igot star potential, okay? I’mimmortalized.Don’t be mad because I’m out here chasing my dreams while you’re out buying bougie-ass throw pillows for your man’s crusty-ass bachelor pad.”

“The dream ofthisweek.” I rolled my eyes. “But the answer is still no. Last time I watched Walter for you, I ended up in a ditch with a knot on my head and your little demon dog ruining my five-hundred-dollar skirt. Walter’s gotta spend time with Auntie Serena or Uncle Erik.”

“Now you know damn well Walter’s been banned from Erik’s house ever since he peed on his Star Wars figurine collection. I’m still paying Erik back for that.”

I let out a sigh, staring at the boutiques blurring past the car window. “It’syourdog, Gigi. Take him with you.”

“Walter don’t like loud music. It stresses him out,” she said matter-of-factly.

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