Page 28 of Property of Max
Cody just shakes his head, smug. “That man doesn’t forget a single face. Trust me. And it’s not every day someone gets invited past the gates of the Shadows’ compound. Place has been locked down tight for years.”
I bite my lip, doubt crawling up my throat. “And they’re just… going to let us in?”
“Have youseenme?” Cody gestures at himself dramatically. “I’m fucking gorgeous.”
I can’t help it…I laugh again. “That you are, my love. But not everyone is gay.”
“Sure, they are,” he smirks, revving the engine. “They just don’t know it until they lay eyes on me.”
I shake my head, but as the truck rumbles toward the compound, the laughter fades. My hands knot in my lap, and unease coils low in my stomach.
“You said they had nothing to do with the video,” I remind him, my voice sharper than I mean. “So why do we even need to go over there?”
“Because,” Cody says, steady and stubborn, “I want you to see their faces when I tell them what happened. You won’t believe me until you do.”
“Cody…” My throat tightens again. “You don’t have to do this. I believe you. I do. And you’re right…someone leaking the footage to blackmail him makes sense. Even if it makes me look like…” My voice cracks. I shake my head. “Even at my own expense.”
“Regardless,” he cuts in, eyes hard now, all traces of humor gone. “They need to see it. They need toknow. And you need to see how they react.”
The blood drains from my face. My chest starts to pound. “Wait! Are you saying you’re going toshowthem? The video?”
“Yes, Lila.” He doesn’t even hesitate. “Because they’re the only ones who can stop this before it gets worse. And they will. For you. For Bree. For Micah.”
“They don’t know me.”
“It doesn’t matter. That’s just who they are.”
I grip the phone tighter, my nails biting into my palm. Dragging Cody and the Shadows into my mess feels wrong, but the thought of that video spreading further…of Bree’s father using it against me…makes my lungs close.
“Cody, I don’t need help,” I whisper, though even I can hear the wobble in my voice. “I just need a new job. Maybe a new identity.”
“No. What you need is family. Trust me on this one. Please.”
I stare at him, at the quiet certainty in his eyes. He’s not joking, not bluffing, not giving me an inch to run with. My pulse is still racing, but something in me stutters at the wordfamily.
“I can’t drag them into this,” I say, voice breaking. “They’ve already done enough for me with scaring him. But this? This is different. This is dangerous. I’ll just go to the police.”
Cody grips the steering wheel, his expression softening, but his jaw tight. “You think they don’t live in danger every single day? That they don’t know how to handle threats when they come knocking?”
“That’s not the point.”
“It is the point,” he fires back. “You’re over here thinking you’ve gotta do this alone. But you don’t. You never did. And if you’re too stubborn to let them help for your own sake, then think about your kids.”
My breath catches. He said it plain, like it’s obvious. Maybe it should be.
I look away, blinking hard as guilt twists in my gut. Micah. Bree. I can protect them from scraped knees and bad dreams…but this? This is way out of my depth.
“Lila.” Cody’s voice softens again, but there’s steel beneath it. “You trusted me enough to tell me. Now, trust me enough to take you to them. Let the brothers see the video. Let them decide how to handle it. Please.”
His hand settles over mine, steady and warm against my trembling fingers, and it anchors me in a way I didn’t know I needed. What scares me most is how much I want to stop fighting. Not just this new mess, but the bone-deep exhaustion I carry every single day, no matter how much I sleep.
If these men can take even a little of the burden, maybe it’s time I let them.
“Fine,” I breathe out, the word tasting like surrender. “But I still think I should go to the police.”
Cody snorts. “Those guys are shmucks.”
I shoot him a look. “Really?Shmucks?You still mad Officer What’s-his-face didn’t flirt back?”
