Page 55 of Lost
“I found out everything Turbis did to you,”my sister finally says, her voice sounding like broken glass instead of her usual sultry tones.“I tortured the fuck out of him until the door was kicked in and shorted my fun.”
“You’re really scary,” Tyde rasps. “I’m glad he’s dead. It’s what Caleb and Lars told me, but the scars are still there.”
I send a warning pulse through the bond, not wanting to talk about any of that now. There’s a lot of broken fragments in mysoul, and I need the time to find out how they fit together now that I don’t have to run anymore.
“Actually, I have a question,” I say, fear sliding through me. “Do I need to worry about Nico and his brothers? They’re very loyal to each other, and family is everything. In some ways, they scared me even more when I’d seen them at family or business events.”
“I can’t believe you grew up in the mafia and didn’t even realize it,”Hollis sighs. “I served Nico a slice of humble pie and homework. He has to shut down an auction house of my choosing or I will come for him and his family. Nico and his brothers don’t want that. I’m the scarier one in this situation, Nova.”
“I’d say so,” I whisper. My mind is racing, trying to figure out what I need to ask. “Did you plan to stay Turbis’ prisoner until you were certain I’d be free? This all feels so calculated. Except, that worries me because it means that you let them hurt you.”
“Well I did,” she says honestly. “I needed to know what they’d done to you, and how they got you out of our parents’ house. Turns out, Roberto Domino wanted to hurt our family. He used Louisa to infiltrate our home as a maid and she stole you with the help of others put in place to do that.”
“Wow,” I mutter. “I had no idea. It seems silly now in hindsight because Mr. Domino has mafia vibes. I never put it together though. I was too busy trying to survive in that house.”
“Well, Kane managed to put his two cents in while I was talking to Adira today. He said that he will gladly go and blow up your childhood home before the baby is born,”Hollis says.
I smile as I nod, shuddering from all the emotions I’m experiencing.
“These are the kind of gifts a girl could get used to,” I sniffle. “It’s a lot to take in. Caleb basically told me I was a terribleexcuse for a mafia daughter and I needed to tighten up. I cry too often, feel too much.”
“He’s being a dick,” she says. “I’m too high to drive myself, so I’m going to have Malcolm drive me. His road rage will match my energy.”
“So that’s an everyday thing,” I muse. “He’s scary behind a wheel. I think at the end of the day that I feel like a mess. I don’t know when I’ll be able to stop being like this.”
“You think I care about a few tears?”Hollis asks. “Whatever you’re feeling, embrace it. I’ve buried a lot of tears because it was easier. People call me the Ice Queen, Nova. I have this need to be everything for everyone else. It’s not something I suggest doing since it’s a type of mask that’s difficult to take off. Do you think that a baseball bat could be considered a weapon?”
The change of subject makes me blink, but Tyde isn’t fazed as he replies, “It probably is in your hands, Hollis. Maybe disable some cameras before you walk into a business with a bat.”
“Are you saying I’m an amateur?”she asks. “I know everything about you, including your credit score and how many hours you work. Maybe you should schedule more than one day off a week from now on, Dr. Stewart.”
I look up at him as Tyde rolls his eyes. “I’m going to pretend that hacking isn’t a federal offense since you don’t give a shit anyway,” he grunts with a chuckle.
“Zero shits,”she confirms. “Take care of my sister, doctor, and Nova?”
“I’m here,” I murmur.
“Don’t wait too long before you come back to Minneapolis. You have people that care about you that are impatient. Some of them happen to be serial killers and pregnant,”she teases before hanging up.
“You keep very interesting company,” Tyde teases me.
“It seems I do,” I say.
“Come show me how to detangle your hair so that I can be occupied while you return messages and calls,” he says. “It’ll keep me from getting bored and bothering you too.”
With an offer like that, who am I to deny him?
HOLLIS
“Can I talk you out of this?” Malcolm asks, parking in front of the bar.
Do you want to know why I know that Caleb opening the bar is bullshit? It’s four-thirty in the afternoon and the bar doesn’t open until at least six in the afternoon today. Fucking coward.
The bat is laying across my thighs as I sit in the back seat surrounded by pillows so I can sit comfortably. My body is still pretty fucked up, but the swelling has gone down in my fingers now and the splints can be removed for periods of time.
This means that I can wrap my hands around a bat and swing at my leisure. My feet are still sore, so I’m wearing flat boots along with leggings and an oversized knit sweater underneath a coat. There’s no one to see me.
I’ll be comfortable in my rage, thank you very much.
