Page 50 of Deadlier Obsessions

“Fuck.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

STELLA

Paris was on my bucket list. Hell, Europe in general was. One of Gage’s family meetings? Nope. Definitely not. It’s more likely to be on my most dreaded list because it rarely goes well. And almost always it ends in fighting or fucking, with zero resolution. With the tension between Maverick and Sebastian lately, it worries me. Gage too, really. All three of them have been on edge like they are ready to start screaming that the sky is falling.

Maverick sits on the end of the couch with Lucy between him and I, Sebastian is on my other side while Gage stands pacing back and forth, like he’s about to lose what’s left of his already fragile mind.

“We go home soon but we need to go somewhere first,” he says, glancing between Lucy and Maverick, while Sebastian and I look at each other like we’re missing something.

“Where?” Sebastian asks while running a hand through his hair in agitation. Gage is the only one that thinks these meetings are a good idea.

Gage stops pacing as he answers, with displeasure written all over his face, “Lucy’s parents’ house.”

This is clearly a conversation they’ve already had, because Sebastian and I are the only ones that seem surprised; however, it’s not him that speaks up, it's me.

“No. No way.”

Gage cocks an amused brow. “No?”

“Yeah, no. She can call them on the phone. I’m sorry, Lucy, but it didn’t exactly go well last time.”

She glances at me with teary eyes which guts me. “I need to tell them about the baby.”

Now it’s me running a hand through my hair, ready to pull it out at the roots. “Would someone please tell her what a terrible idea this is? You think telling them about a baby is going to end better than telling them about our,” I air quote “family.”

“It’s important to me, Stel.”

Standing up, I place my hands on my hips. “You know what, Lucy. These three men are important to me. You do realize when we went before, one of them could’ve ended up in prison for killing your god-awful parents, right?”

Gage says, “Enough, Stella. No one is killing anyone.”

Stepping up to him, I get in his face as much as I can manage, considering the height difference. “Oh, I see how it is, Gage. This was never a discussion. It was an order from our dictator. Keyword;dick.”

Turning, I go to storm to the bedroom, but his words stop me on a dime.

“Jesus. Are you sure she’s not pregnant?”

I glance over my shoulder at him. “You know what, Gage. Fuck you.” And walk to the bedroom, slamming the door with as much force as I can possibly muster.

GAGE

What the fuck was that? I have never seen Stella quite like that, not even when we first took them. Maybe it’s because she isn’t scared of us anymore? Sebastian gets off the couch to go to her, but I stop him. “I’ll handle it.”

“Gage,” he says, “She’s really upset, I don’t think-”

Glaring at him, I say, “I said, I’ve got it.”

Do I leave my knife with him? Yes, because I just want to be extra sure I don’t get fucking stabbed by one of the people I love, and the way she looked at me when she swore at me, yeah, it could happen.

“Don’t start with me, Gage,” she says, before I even make it through the door.

“I just want to talk.”

She angrily swipes at the tears on her face and, yeah, there was a time I relished her tears but not now, certainly not like this. I walk over to the bed where she sits and kneel in front of her. “Baby, what’s happening right now? You’re scaring me.”

Stella stares down at her knotted hands on her lap as she sighs heavily. “At what point do we admit this isn’t working, cut our losses, and just go our separate ways?”

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