Page 99 of Lethal Vengeance
There are several more clips from the coffee shop. All following a similar pattern. But towards the end of the second month, they change.
The next time they enter, the vibe is completely different. Like before, she stands in front of him, but his arm is wrapped completely in front of her. After ordering, they move to the side. She’s looking up at him with a strained smile on her face. He must say something about it because I see her shoulders lift in a shrug. Her smile widens, and she stretches up to kiss him. A minute later, her head swivels in the direction of the counter, but instead of her getting the coffee, he walks up to get it. He ushers her out, a hand resting on her lower back.
Intense. They could have been having a fight, but the control aspect is new in this video compared to the previous ones. What changed?
The last clip is startling. She enters one day by herself. Instead of laughing and smiling, she’s staring down at her phone and biting her lip. Her shoulders are hunched. When someone accidentally bumps her, she immediately moves to a more isolated spot. While waiting for her coffee, she texts repeatedly on her phone. The barista must notice something is wrong because he reaches out and lays his hand on top of hers. She jerks it away and leaves the store—without her coffee.
In the videos, she isn’t even acting like her usual self anymore. Did something cause their relationship to change that quickly?
Searching the bookstore footage takes a lot longer. I’m through the first month and starting on the second, when there’s a knock on my door. I shut the laptop.
“Come in.”
Cruz sticks his head in the door. “We missed you today. Sterling thought you were coming down to the warehouse to help.” His dark brown eyes scan my face, before he comes in and sits down beside me on the bed. “You look like you’ve been crying. Want to talk about it?”
“I watched a video of Sophia and the emotions hit me,” I say lightly, brushing off his concerns. “Sorry about the warehouse. I got caught up in other things.” I hold my breath and his stare until he seems satisfied with my answer. “What time is it?”
He continues to watch me. “Time for dinner. Do you want to freshen up first?”
“Definitely. Thanks.” I move off the bed toward the bathroom. “You don’t have to wait for me.”
His fingers are typing rapidly on his phone. “It’s fine. I need to follow up with Henley on a few details from earlier today.”
I glance uneasily from the laptop to Cruz. When it’s apparent he’s focused entirely on his phone, I silently berate myself for becoming so paranoid.
Three minutes later, I walk out of the bathroom. The laptop is where I left it, and Cruz is leaning against the bedroom door waiting for me.
Downstairs, the atmosphere is tense. The men are exchanging looks with each other using their own silent language. Forcing a smile, I sit between Zane and Cruz. Gabriel sits down across from me with Sterling and Raider on each side of him. Sterling reaches over and cuts up the little boy’s chicken and veggies.
Gabriel is a chatterbox, telling everyone about his day. Playing dinosaurs must be one of his favorite things to do. When I ask him which one is his favorite, he starts naming them in order, along with a description, the food they like to eat, and a million other facts.
“Not hungry?” Zane interjects when Gabriel pauses to take a breath. I look to see who he’s talking to, only to find him looking down at me.
Blinking, I slide my gaze to my plate. I’ve taken a few bites of the chicken and the salad. “It hurts to chew right now. It’s good, though.”
Remorse fills his grey eyes. “Sorry, Quinn. I should have made a pasta or something softer for you. I’ll remember tomorrow.”
Liar, liar, my inner voice taunts me.
It’s not entirely a lie. It does hurt to chew, but not as much as he might believe. I just didn’t want to explain my lack of appetite.
Raider’s staring at me, eyes narrowed, like he knows I’m not being entirely truthful.
Gabriel suddenly shouts. “Quinn!”
Startled, I look at the little boy. “Yes, Gabriel?”
Now that he has my attention again, he immediately launches into his next favorite dinosaur.
Relieved, I focus entirely on him until dinner’s over.
With all the looks I’m getting, I know if I disappear upstairs, they’ll worry something is wrong. So, I sit on the floor in the living room with Gabriel, oohing and aahing over his dinosaur collection for the next hour until it’s time for his bath and bed.
Sterling picks him up and flies him over to kiss each one of the guys. The sight reminds me of when Armando did something similar, and I turn away.
“Want to go up with us?” Sterling asks, a hopeful look in his eyes.
If I go up now, I can head to my room afterward. “Yes, thank you.”
