Page 77 of Love Triggered

It felt so good to be wrapped in his arms again. Seeing him beaten up and bruised like that shattered my entire being. His face looks like it’s been minced. His chest is covered in cuts, and everything is swollen and bruised. He’s acting like it doesn’t hurt that badly, but I can tell he’s in agony.

Things have dramatically shifted between us recently. After being so worried for him over the last few days, being with him again tonight has ignited a fire inside of me. He makes all the bad seem to fade away when we’re together. It’s surreal how safe he makes me feel, without even having to try.

When I see Zep and Rian, it’s going to take everything in me not to punch both of them square in the face—they deserve it. I don’t think I’d be able to get off more than just a quick jab on one of them before Lya or Thiago would hold me back, but it’d be worth it. Now that I think about it, Thiago needs a little punishment too for his part in this whole scheme.

Making my way down the stairs, my walk isn’t as confident as it usually is. I probably should’ve thought this out more, but it’s a little too late for that now. Clearly, they’re going to find out Greyson is gone. They’ll know that I’m the only one who could’ve let him go, but maybe I can throw one last Hail Mary and convince them to see it from my perspective.

In the living room, Rian is on the couch, running his hands through his hair, Thiago is pacing back and forth, Zep stands stoically, looking like he wants to beat the shit out of someone, and Lya looks just as mad.

Well, fuck. This doesn’t look good. And it’s only going to get worse when I tell them I freed their prisoner.

“Uh, hey guys, how did it go?” My voice is hesitant.

Rian looks at me first, shooting daggers in my direction. Shit, they must already know. They might’ve just gotten back moments ago, but the way he’s looking at me makes me think he knows.

“Are you just going to look at me like you’re ready for murder, or are you going to explain?” The more time I spend with them, the more I feel like Lya’s sassy attitude rubs off on me. Maybe I would have naturally been this way if I hadn’t been forced to be an obedient mouse for nine years.

“It wasn’t Sutton.” It’s Thiago’s voice that cuts through the tension.

“What do you mean it wasn’t Harvey? Who was it?” I look over at Zep, whose knuckles are cracked and covered in blood.Hmm. I wonder if that’s from tonight or from beating on Greyson?

“It was some scumbag named Genesis who was trying to buy young girls, not Sutton.” Thiago’s voice is sharper than usual, showing how tense he is.

That name sounds kind of familiar, but I can’t remember exactly where I’ve heard it. Maybe I’m just imagining that I’ve heard it.

“What did you do to him?” I feel like I’m sounding like a broken record demanding answers, but no one seems particularly eager to explain what went on.

“We showed up, set everything up, and waited. Once we’d been waiting for a while, the fucker finally rolled in fifteen minutes late. This jackass stepped out of his black Suburban and we instantly knew it wasn’t Sutton, based on what you’d told us. Still a piece of shit trafficker though. We beat the shit out of him, got a few answers, and we plan to deal with his boss after we figure out this Sutton situation,” Zep snarls from across the room. His arms are still crossed and his jaw is still clenched. He’s obviously furious.

“So did you guys leave him there or…” I let the question linger, because I don’t like thinking too hard about the idea of killing someone. The guy might deserve it, but still, it’s not something to be casual about.

“We aren’t typically in the business of killing people, Lainey. We left him alive, but made sure he was sent back as a message to his employer.” Lya looks at me with cold, expressionless eyes. Something deep down is telling me she’s keeping something from me.

“So what’s the plan now?”

“We don’t know. We have to regroup and figure something else out. Clearly come up with something smarter and better.” Lya’s avoiding my eyes now, just looking at her men.

“I could always try to go back in. Figure things out and get information from the inside?” I suggest, cringing slightly. The thought absolutely terrifies me, but it might be the only thing we can do to take down Harvey permanently. I’d thought about it before they came up with this plan, but it felt more like a last resort type of idea.

“Absolutely not. We won’t risk your safety like that.” It’s Rian who basically shouts the words at me. He’s the last person here I’d have expected to say those words. Maybe he doesn’t hate me as much as I thought.

“What other choice do we have?” I ask calmly.

“I don’t know, but that is definitely not an option. You’re not going back into that place ever again.” Rian’s eyes soften as he looks at me. He’s always had a bit of a cold edge toward me, so it’s honestly refreshing to see that underneath it all, he actually does care. Possibly because I look so much like Lya.

It takes me a moment to snap out of it and remember how pissed off I am at Rian, even though he’s being nice. He was a jackass using Greyson’s past against him, and that’s something I won’t forget.

I do have another idea, but it’s one I don’t think they’d go for. It involves Greyson and that’s already a touchy subject. I might need to pick my timing.

“We’ll figure it out tomorrow. I’m exhausted and I need a shower. Go get some rest and we can regroup in the morning.” Lya turns to walk out, pausing as we hear a loud banging noise coming from downstairs.

I look around and suddenly realize Zep is nowhere to be seen.How the hell did I miss him leaving?He’s normally as subtle as a tank, so it must’ve been when I was distracted by Rian’s kindness. My body tenses as I hear loud footsteps pounding their way back into the living room.

Just as I’m spinning around to prepare myself for the shitstorm that’s about to go down, I crash into a huge, muscular body. Looking up, I peer into furious blue eyes.

“Where the fuck is he, Lainey?” Zep is seething, his chest is rising up and down rapidly. I take a step back, but he grabs my arm.

“I suggest you remove your hand from my arm right now, Zep. Take a step back and calm down.” My voice is cold as ice as I try to rip my arm from his grip. He only tightens it, until Lya steps by his side, placing her hand on his bicep. The moment she touches him, he releases me.

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