Page 42 of Little Bird (Advantage Play 3)

Tossing and turning, I finally fall asleep a few hours later, the emotional day catching up with me. But that doesn’t mean I’ll forgive my brother for turning what should’ve been my happily ever after into a freaking nightmare.

* * *

A quiet knock against my bedroom door rouses me from my shitty sleep.

It’s the decibel that gets to me, though. I live in a house full of brash mafia men. None of them knock quietly. I’m pretty sure they don’t know how.

Tilting my head to the side, I unfold my legs from the bed and pad across the floor before hesitantly cracking the door open a few inches. When I see Ace, my best friend, the barbed barrier I’d been using as armor softens, and I invite her in.

“Hey,” I mutter. A fresh wave of tears threatens to escape, and I blink them back.

The pity that greets me makes my chest ache before Ace pulls me into a hug.

“I’m so sorry,” Ace apologizes into my tangled hair.

Shaking my head, I admit, “I hate him, Ace.”

“Shh…,” she coos before releasing me and making her way to my bed. Gingerly, she sits on the edge then motions me to follow. Once I’m seated beside her, she starts, “He’s not trying to hurt you, G.”

I laugh. “That’s bullshit, and you know it. He’s pissed that I snuck out and got caught. He’s punishing me—”

“That’s not true—”

“Yes, it is! You don’t know him like I do, Ace. You don’t understand our relationship. It’s always been rocky.”

“I….” Her face scrunches up, and I can tell I’m not going to like what she’s about to say. “I think you’d be surprised how well I know him, Gigi. You’ve been gone for two weeks. I can only imagine the hell you’ve been put through, but I want you to know that you’re not alone. Burlone spent years torturing me when I was a kid. If you need anyone to talk to or anything, I’m here for you. But like I said, you’ve been gone. Just like how I don’t know exactly what you went through, you don’t know what’s been going on here, either. Your brother and me? We connected. Hard. And I fell for him, G. I love him.”

I scoff, hating that I’m taking my anger out on her, but unable to help myself. “Good luck with that, Ace. He’s an ass.”

Her laughter surprises me. “He is an ass,” she agrees. “But he has a good heart, and he’s only looking out for you.”

“If he cared about me, he’d let me be with Dex,” I argue, my voice cracking as his name rolls off my tongue.

At the mention of my captor, Ace gulps and touches her side. I don’t know if it’s a subconscious reaction or not, but it still piques my curiosity.

“You’ve only known Dex for a short time, Gigi. I know you trust him and that he helped you, but maybe you don’t know him that well and should give it some time….”

“Oh, the irony,” I mutter under my breath.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asks defensively, flinching as if I’ve slapped her.

Unable to help myself, I accuse, “You just admitted that you’ve only known my brother for a short amount of time, but you guys are living together now, and you have the audacity to tell me that I don’t know Dex that well? Come on, Ace…you have to see the flaw in your logic.”

Sighing, she tucks her hair behind her ear and looks toward the ceiling. “You’re right. But you can’t blame me for having trust issues with Dex.”

“He sacrificed everything to help us,” I point out.

“Yeah, but he also beat the shit out of me right before that.”

“Wait, what?”

“I’m just saying…be careful. Give it some time.”

“No.” I shake my head. “What do you mean, he beat the shit out of you? You can’t say something like that and not tell me exactly what you’re talking about.”

Rubbing her hand along her face, I can see the guilt that keeps her from filling me in.

“Tell me,” I press.

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