Page 34 of Betrayal & New Beginnings

“Oh no, it’s totally fine.Pleasetake it!” she all but insisted as she waved her hands up. “I’llgo get the keys!”

She darted back over to the kitchen to get the keys from her purse.

Vince looked over at me quickly and mumbled to just play along.Inodded knowing he would fill me in when he could.

“It doesn’t have much gas in it.I’msorry,”Elliesaid as she handed him the keys.

“All good,Ellie.I’llget some gas whileI’mout,” he told her.

“No, please don’t.Ican get some after you return it, although if it runs out and you have to,Ican pay you back,” she insisted.

He started to argue with her, but she cut him off.

“Stop!” she sighed before taking in a shaky breath. “Youguys don’t understand.Yougave my brother a friendship when he needed it the most, and he always talked about you and how you had his back—well except for you,Archer, since you didn’t serve with him.”Shegrinned and looked atArcher. “Butyou guys are his brothers in all the ways that matter, and now you are my brothers too, so let me do this for you,” she said to us, and whileIfelt my heart pinch at the kind words she’d said, it also made me feel a little irritated because she thought of me as a brother, and we’d just had sex last night.

“All good,Ellie,”Vincetold her, and she smiled.

“Okay,” she said, and clapped her hands together. “Wasthat what you guys came here to talk about, or was there something else?”

“One more thing.What’sRandall’slast name?”Archerasked.

“Rupnik.Hisfull name isRandallRichardRupnikJunior,” she answered.

Archer nodded, andIknew he would be reaching out to some friends he still had on the force.

“We also came to talk withWadeabout the business, butI’llalso tell you to be careful coming and going from the pub,”Archercautioned. “Yourex has obviously figured out you work there, so we want to be vigilant.WhenWadeis working, he’s going to escort you in and out of the building, but when he’s not, we’ll make sure someone is with you.Gotit?”

She nodded and agreed to his terms, thoughIcould see she wasn’t happy about it.

“I’m gonna borrowWadewhileVincetakes your car, butIpromise one of us will be back to walk you to work before your shift, okay?”Archertold her, and she nodded.

“We’ll be across the hall in his apartment if you need anything,” he said as he got up to leave.

“I know you guys are trying to protect me, and that’s great, butI’llbe fine here by myself.I’mjust going to do some laundry and cleaning,” she said, clearly trying to act braver than she likely was feeling on the inside.

“You said it yourself.We’reyour brothers now too, so give us the one perk of being a brother and let us be overprotective,”Vincesaid while smirking at her.

“Touché,” she laughed. “I’lllock up after you leave.”

I walked out the door with both of them, but they waited until we got inside my apartment before talking.

Vince decided he was going to be first.

“Where did you sleep last night?” he asked me, butIcould tell there was accusation in his tone.

“I slept here in my bed,”Itold him, which was the truth.Ijust left out a few details.

“You left her at her place alone?” he asked, a little shock in his voice. “Ithought you were sleeping at her place on her couch?”

“She insistedJack’scouch was too small for me to fit on, and she would rather take the couch here soIcould sleep in my own bed.” also not a lie, but also not the whole truth.ButIwasn’t ready to have this conversation with him about whatEllieandIwere sinceIwasn’t even sure myself.Thatwas also a lie, sinceIknew she had worked her way under my skin and wasn’t likely to get out.

“Then why were you back at her place this morning?” he accused me again, andIcould tell he knewIwas withholding from him.

“You told me you were meeting at her place, so we walked back over,”Ianswered him.

“Guys, enough,”Archerintervened clearly not interested in whatever interrogationVincewas set on giving me.

Taking advantage of his break,Idecide to start asking questions.

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