Page 69 of The Last Ones Standing, Part Two

I smile and shrug. “Wishful thinking.”

She lifts her gaze to mine and narrows her eyes. I hold my breath, knowing she’s on to me. However, I don’t push to confirm.

She can’t be angry at both of us. Once Gio fixes things with her, I’ll come clean. My phone buzzes with a text, breaking into the moment and saving the day.

I signal for the waitress who served us. She comes over and starts to blush.

“Can I have the check and that third order I asked for?”

“Would you like me to wrap this up to go?”

“Yes, please.”

She turns to leave. I focus on my phone and reply to Gio’s text. He has a surprise waiting for Ny. The sooner we leave, the sooner I can tell her everything.

The waitress returns with the bill. I don’t miss that Nyla is lost in thought. It’s written all over her face.

“Come on. We can talk later,” I murmur as I toss a few bills on the table once our food is bagged and the other order is brought out.

I didn’t see Gio eat much today, and he hasn’t been a fan of the food at the Dollhouse in a while. Besides, when he’s focused, he tends to forget to eat. I ordered a third burger and fries to take back to him.

I grab the bag of food in one hand and reach for Ny’s hand with the other. She places her palm in mine, but not without hesitance.

She knows.

Chapter 27

Friends

Gio

I sit upstairs on the third floor in my office at the Dollhouse. By now, Bethany should be in hell, where she belongs. I flick my wrist out to look at the time.

It’s after one in the morning. I can’t help grinding my teeth. I look at the chessboard and the bottle of wine across the room and calm down. Jace and Ny should be here soon.

They’ll be seen by everyone downstairs, then we’ll spend a few more hours up here hanging out like old friends. At least that’s my goal.

The sound of heels clicking and heavy bootfalls tells me the two are outside my office doors. The doors open and Ny saunters in before Jace follows her and closes them behind him.

I take her in. She’s dressed in black jeans, knee-high boots and a black T-shirt with a black leather jacket over it. Her hair is pulled up into a ponytail.

Nyla is gorgeous, she doesn’t look a day over twenty-five. She also doesn’t look like a woman who just committed murder for me. I smile, her sister will make this better for Dante. He’ll be better for it.

I stand and move over to the chessboard, then wave a hand toward it and focus on her face. She gives me a stunning grin.

“Play me. This is where we find common ground. Let me open up to you. Let’s be the friends we were before it all became complicated. I have much to share.”

She nods. “Okay. I have no problem kicking your ass.”

I snort. “Still cocky, I see. Talk shit now, leave crying later, my little one.”

Her gaze goes to my lips. I bite back a smile as I look her over once more. She continues to grin and folds her arms across her chest.

The light in her eyes brings a bigger smile to my face, causing me to let my lower lip slip free of my teeth. Jace goes to move past me to take a seat on the couch, placing a bag of food on the table.

The moment he walks by, Nyla’s scent hits me. It’s like he’s bathed in her fragrance. I crack my knuckles at my sides.

“How did things go?” I ask as I take a seat on the floor in front of the table the board is on.

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