Page 26 of Vicarious

“No. The Bianchi family… I’ll never agree with what they do. But they’re not like my uncle. Or anywhere near as bad as my family. I left clues there to lead you and Adrian to them for a reason. I’m glad you came to them. I glad they were able to help you give the twins a safe home.”

Phae then makes her way over to me and pulls me into a hug.

“Thank you. For today.”

“It’s the least I can do,” I say, returning her hug.

And when I say it was the least I could do, I mean that. And it’s the most I’ll ever do. Because Bella is right. I’m not going to sit back and wait for Viper to see that he wants me over Phae. I did that before, and it didn’t work. This time, I’m going to fight for him. I don’t care if she’s still his wife. I don’t care if it makes me a homewrecker. I don’t care how cruel or immoral or wrong it is. I’m going to make Viper mine as much as I’m his. Phae’s feelings about it be damned.

12

Viper

The only thing I want to do when I arrive back to my estate is take a shower and sleep. That assignment was a lot more complicated than it was supposed to be. It can be exhilarating when a mark is smart. When they know I’m coming for them and prepare for it and fight back. It makes this job a lot more interesting and doesn’t leaving me bored, wanting and needing more to settle the bloodlust in my veins. But, fuck those targets can also be annoying.

For the umpteenth time I pull on my left shoulder at the tight pain there from where the boyfriend of my mark got a lucky hit. Other than that, it was easy. Just a stupid girl with aspirations too big to get into the crime business because her family pushed her out for her sex and took on way too much too soon. So she ran off with money and product. Normally, Pray might have let something so stupid and miniscule go. Would have let her family catch her, pay him back, and have them deal with her. But she was stupid enough to get entangled with the fucking FBI before her family could catch up with her, sealing her fate.

For now, only her boyfriend is an additional casualty and Pray is smoothing the situation over with her family. Or, at least, I assume he is. He’ll let me know if I have to kill the rest of the family too.

My only immediate plans are to take a shower and rest so my arm can heal. I already made a stop to my other estate to see Caleb. It was nothing that I couldn’t sleep off. Like usual. But when you’ve been shot in the chest and it just missed your heart, you can’t be too careful when there’s pain in your left arm, even at my age.

However, my plans are shot to hell when I see people walking in and out the house from what I’m guessing is the gazebo based on the direction.

“Adrian. You’re back,” Phae says with a bright smile and a hug.

“Yes.” Then, “You changed your hair.”

“You like it? Dele and Cres helped me choose it.”

“You met Cres?”

“Was I not supposed to?”

“No.” I raise my eyes from Phae and continue to watch people walk in and out wondering what the fuck is going on.

“They got here two hours ago,” Phae informs me. “Seems like this much work doesn’t need to go into one date. But Dele told me that you wanted to make sure it was nice when you called her and told her you’d be later than you thought and wouldn’t have time to oversee things yourself.”

Date. Fuck. I forgot all about that. And it’s certainly not something I mentioned to—

Fuck.

Dele.

I didn’t tell Dele about the date. I did let her know I’d be delayed. But that’s all.

Then how…

The only answer is that she found out from the woman standing in front of me. But of all the reactions I could have expected, it wasn’t that she would have planned and gotten the entire date set up for me. I was expecting her to be pissed off. Because I’m not blind to the fact that part of her hates the fact that Phae is here. Hates that I told her I couldn’t divorce. Hates that I can’t let Phae go right now.

So that only means one thing. Dele is up to something.

And when she’s up to something, it usually means I’m in for a world of anger, frustration, and incredulity with her.

“Where’s Dele?”

“Oh. She locked herself in her room a while ago. Apparently had some business to take care of and can’t be disturbed. She left the decorators and chef with very specific instructions, though.”

“Did she?” I ask aloud, though I don’t expect an answer.

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