“I can get blood out of clothing,” Calvin says, miffed. “Give me your boots, both of you.”
Liliana glances at me as if to tell me that I’m the drama, while I smirk and do as I’m told. Calvin has a job to do, and I don’t want to get between him and his newfound need to get bloodstains out. Lili also gives him her combat boots, and with our things in hand, he marches out.
“He’s a little scary,” she murmurs.
“Ha. He’s a man on a mission, that’s for damn sure. What do you think? Should we surprise Rachelle and go see her?” I ask.
“Yes, we should,” she says, already hurrying to the room with me on her heels. “I feel really gross though and need a shower.”
“I’ll join you because I am pretty sure I smell,” I tease her.
Pulling off our clothes as we get into the room, Lili freezes as she walks into the bathroom.
“She got her period,” she murmurs, looking over at the box of tampons on the counter.
“It’s unopened,” I mention as I follow her in. There are also bottles of medication, which sets me at ease as I check them.
“She wouldn’t have bought any of this stuff if she didn’t have it,” she insists. “Rachelle gets the worst cramps. She is just as bad as I am. I hope those idiots were good to her.”
“I have a feeling they took their responsibility seriously,” I say. “I mean, look at her meds. They obviously got her a follow up appointment. I swear I almost don’t recognize them sometimes. They’ll still give Rachelle shit about things, but if she didn’t feel well, they’d bend over backward for her.”
“They’d better have,” she growls. “Oh shit, I left weapons in my bag.”
“I don’t think that Calvin will shoot himself while doing our laundry,” I tease, guiding her to the shower and turning it on. “Take a breath, baby. We’ll collect what you need to leave the house and go see our girl, okay?”
“Okay. I don’t know why now I’m feeling all anxious and weird.”
“I know. You missed her. I did too. I feel really fucking guilty about it, but we have to find this guy,” I remind her, my hand on her back as I push her under the spray of water.
“I don’t know ifel Tigreknows about Rachelle, but it would be a death sentence to try something around her,” Lili grumbles, following my train of thought perfectly.
“Yes, it would be. He’s shown that he thinks he’s invincible. He’s not, and everyone around him has paid that price,” I reply.
Twenty minutes later, we’re on the way to Cellie’s Mystic Shop, anxious to see Rachelle. I also want to see what this place is about.
“Before we go in, I should tell you something,” Liliana says. “Their business is called Broken Brothers Enterprise, while they dropped ‘broken’ from their speakeasy.”
“What are you trying to say?” I ask her, my pulse getting faster. I did a little flirting with Theo and have refused to wear a shirt to enjoy their drooling, but that’s about as far as I’m prepared to go.
I like keeping them off center.
“You know it was never their intention for you to go to prison,” Liliana says. “I already have to share Rachelle with them, don’t let me hold you back from figuring your shit out.”
“I don’t know if I want that,” I admit. “I only have emotional depth with you and Rachelle. Outside of that, I’m a grunting caveman.”
“So fuck it out,” she smirks. “I need to ask her about birth control. We haven’t really discussed it since you two had sex the first time.”
“I’ve been good and used condoms, but half the time I forget to,” I grumble. “I’m not against knocking either of you up. I do know it’ll mess with her medication though, and that’s not acceptable.”
“If I need to take her to the clinic, I will,” she promises as we get out of her car. Today, we brought her baby, the flashy vehicle that allowed me to find her and Rachelle to begin with.
We’re traveling together around town, it’s safe enough, though we won’t make a habit of it.
Crossing the parking lot, I think about the long road Liliana, Rachelle, and I have taken to get to this comfortable place where we trust each other. I want the guys to have to fend for themselves, but I also worry that they may fuck it up and trigger her.
I’m willing to bet Rachelle has triggers she doesn’t even realize she has.
Pushing open the door to the shop, I feel as if I’ve been transported to another dimension. I would never willingly come to this place if Rachelle wasn’t here. It’s not my type of thing. However, by how busy it is, I can see that it’s in the perfect location.