Page 78 of Power Twist

Flicking the blanket off my hands, I reach forward and interlace my fingers with Trey's, giving them a squeeze of reassurance. “I’ll admit my mom is a lot of things, and I've cleaned up after her a lot, a lot a lot, but even her shit show is nothing compared to what your mother sounds like. I didn't think it would be possible for me to feel sorry for you, Trouble, but I do.”

“Any idea who the fucker is who told her about that incident?” T asks.

Trey shakes his head. “No clue. The past couple weeks, I've been trying to feel the guys out, but hell, it could've even been one of the beta team members. A couple were there too, remember? Or one of our guys could've mentioned it to someone on another team and somehow my mother caught wind of it. Or that fucker I beat the shit out of said something.”

T lets out an annoyed grunt.

Footsteps and then the opening of the back door draw our attention. My secretary, looking a little disheveled like she'd been snatched out of bed, pauses when she finds three sets of eyes on her. Chewing on her lip, she tucks a chunk of hair behind her ear and shuffles her weight from foot to foot.

“Madam VP?”

I roll my eyes and push up from the chair, casually snaking my hand from Trey's to tuck it back under the blanket. “It’s Randi. How many times do we have to cover that?”

She nods fast like a bobblehead doll. “The president's secretary called, said the president demanded I find you.”

“Of course he did.” I look from Trey to T and back to my secretary. The fucker probably wants to ask how I'm still alive. If the boys’ pursed lips and tight eyes say anything, it's that the two men agree.

“He wants you in the Oval Office as soon as possible,” she says, her voice trembling.

“Okay, thanks.” The woman doesn't move an inch. My paper-thin patience from the long night and too-heavy morning conversation snaps. “I got it, okay? You're good to go back home. I'll see you later.”

With a relieved exhale, she flashes a quick, uneasy smile and darts back into the house.

“I'm going home,” T announces, sounding tired. I take in the deep bags under his eyes and the slump of his normally straight shoulders. Fuck, how could I forget these guys have been up for nearly twenty-four hours? Plus the stress of the night would wear even the toughest man down. “I'll let beta team know you're heading out and to not leave your side.”

Not giving it a second thought, I stride across the porch and wrap my arms around his thick waist. The buttons of his dress shirt press into my cheek as I squeeze him tight.

“Thank you for everything, T. I'm so glad you're okay.”

“It’d take a lot more than last night to take me away from my Sarah.” Pressure against my shoulder urges me back a step, putting a gap between us. “But I do need to know you heard me earlier. To make sure this doesn’t happen again, we need to knoweverything. Every conversation, every strange call, every weird feeling. You have a big part in keeping you and us safe. Do you understand?”

I nod and bite my lip to keep it from trembling. “I do. I'll be better, promise. Now that I know what's going on,” I say, giving him a glare with zero fight behind it, “I'll be sure to keep you guys in the loop. But you have to do the same with me. I know I carry too much on my own shoulders, and I know I let the stress weigh me down, but I need to know all this stuff. I'll relax when I'm dead.” I give him a weary smile, which he returns with a soft chuckle.

“Not on my watch, Randi.” With a wave to Trey, T marches into the house, leaving Trey and I alone on the now-glowing porch.

“What are you thinking, Mess?” The stress and exhaustion in his tone pulls at my heart.

“Do you like her?” I ask before I even process my own words. They just slip out like my heart is talking instead of my head.

“Jessica?”

“Yes.” I roll my eyes. “Jessica. Are you not too disappointed about the relationship aspect of the agreement?”

Trey's nose scrunches, his whole face pinching. “Fuck no. Listen, my parents and her parents have wanted this for a long time. That's all this is. I don't like her. Hell, I can barely stand being around her. I love you, Randi. You're the one I want to be with.”

I wince and press the heel of my palm against my breastbone.

What do I feel? I search my heart, dig through my thoughts, trying to figure out what to tell him. I'd love to put him at ease, let him know what he did was okay, but I can't. Not until I know what I'm thinking, what I’m feeling about it all. A lot has happened in the last twelve hours, and I need time to process everything.

“I need time,” I say, looking away before his sad puppy dog look breaks me. “I don't know how I feel about last night, about what you said, what you did. Part of me is grateful that you'd give up so much for me, that you'd even think about doing something like that for me. I've never had someone who gave up everything. That was always my role—giving and giving and never getting anything back. So it's new, and I don't know how to process it, because then there's the fact that you've known about this for months and didn't tell me. Did you think I would be mad? Did you want to let me think I did this all on my own once the bill failed?” I shake my head. “When did you know about this forced relationship with Jessica?”

His silence speaks volumes.

“See?” I toss my hands up and immediately regret it when a burst of cool morning air slides along my toasty body. “You've known and kept it from me. I know your heart was in the right place but still I feel,” I massage a fist against the ache growing in my chest. “I hurt because of it all. I need to separate it, understand why I feel the way I do before I can move on from this.”

His expression falls, his head dropping forward as he nods in agreement.

“Okay,” he croaks. “Space, time. I hear you. I don't like it, but I hear you.”

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