Page 69 of Iced Out
It was a gut punch. Heat drained, my chest iced over, leaving something jagged.
Lorne.Not blood. But close enough. My dad’s shadow at every dinner. His name stamped on contracts. His hand steady on my shoulder after wins, after losses. A constant.
And in Mila’s memory—standing over a body with a gun.
The denial clawed at me, sharp and useless. But it didn’t hold. Because deep down, I believed her.
If it was true, then every handshake, every deal, every scrap of trust I’d given him was rotten. He wasn’t outside the walls. He was already inside them.
Which meant Mila wasn’t in danger of some faceless enemy. She was in danger of the man my family kept inviting closer. The man I’d let too close.
My pulse crashed. Because if she was right, then I couldn’t protect her. Not from him. Not from the people sitting at my own table. Not even from myself.
The image of him waiting for me after practice slammed into place—how he’d intercepted me, all calm authority, and handed me the paperwork for the boardwalk studio with his signature on the sale’s approval. I thought it’d been a test. Now, I knew better. He’d been giving me a message. That Mila was already in his sights. And everything snapped into place with a sickening click.
“There must be some mistake.” Hollow words. “You’re here now. Your records are back. No one’s coming after you.”
“There’s a reason for that.” She released the hair she twisted and then threaded her hands together until her knuckles turned white. “They made Mom come back. Blackmailed her into returning. But only if we play by the rules.” She leaned forwardeven more and settled a hand against my chest. Her fingers splayed wide over my heart.
“That’s why I can’t hit back at Elise. Not the way I want to.” Her voice cracked. “My mom works for her father now. If I push too far, it blows back on both of us.” She swallowed hard. “We’re stuck playing by rules we don’t even understand. And I don’t want to have to leave again. My mom promised we would stay this time. Long enough for me to graduate from Blackwood Academy. It’s better than running again. Better for my future. So I keep my head down. Bite my tongue. Most of the time. Even when it kills me.”
“Who isthey?”
She shrugged. “I-I don’t know for sure. Only that Mom told me to stay away from you. Said your family’s not safe.”
I stared at her. At everything she wasn’t saying. At everything she was afraid to. Then I dropped the match. “Darren isn’t dead.”
Her breath caught.
“There was never any notice about his death. No news, no whispers. Your mom doesn’t have the full story.”
Her jaw twitched, eyes shuttered. “You said you would trust me. Give me the benefit of the doubt.”
“I did. I do. Look… if there was a cover-up, and heisdead? Then I get why your mom ran.” I leaned back slightly, just enough to get a clearer look at her, and her hand fell away. I missed the warmth of it instantly. “But, Mila… I was told your mom stole from us.”
Guilt flickered in her eyes before quickly vanishing. “I—I don’t know about that. Maybe she stole from her boyfriend. I don’t think it was from your family’s company.”
“Okay.” Something was off there, but that part wasn’t what I needed to focus on. It didn’t matter right now. What did was that someone had painted a target on her back. “You need tokeep your head down.” My instincts were screaming at me to do something, protect her, keep her safe. “Don’t poke the beast. Don’t give them a reason.”
Her lips parted as if she had more to say. But she didn’t. Not yet. Not about that.
“And what about us?” she whispered.
Fuck. I had her in my sights. Always had. It didn’t matter if we were fighting, ignoring each other, or on opposite sides of the battlefield. She walked into a room, and my body went up in flames. “I’ve got your back,” I said. “We’ll figure this out. But we do it together.”
She waited a beat then nodded, her gaze locked on mine. “Together.”
“No more secrets.”
“That goes both ways.” Her voice dropped to a dare.
“We’re in agreement then. A team.”
She nodded. And I was done pretending.
I surged forward, one hand slipping behind her neck, fingers tangling in her silky hair. Her breath caught, and then I kissed her. Hard. My mouth crashed into hers like we’d been on a collision course from the start. She opened for me instantly, lips parting, as though she’d been holding this in as long as I had.
Her taste hit me—salt and heat and something wild I couldn’t name. My other hand slid to her waist, tightening as I lifted her. She moved without hesitation, straddling my lap like she belonged there. Her hands clutched my shirt, twisting, anchoring. Her body pressed to mine, hips rocking with urgency I felt in every bone.
