Reaching over to her, I placed a hand on her thigh.
“Anything you want to talk about?”
She shook her head, then murmured, “Have you ever wondered where you’d be if we didn’t meet at the Glass Slipper Ball and you hadn’t saved me from all those Alphas?”
Studying Trinity with concern, I knew that those memories were still painful for her. I squeezed her thigh lightly and gave her a small smile.
“We can’t change the past, so does it matter what could have been?”
She shrugged. “Amy made me think of my time in the Institute and where lots of the other girls ended up. Some were sent to other Institutes, others to family, or sold to Alphas. It just makes me think how I would have ended up with my father, and he would have succeeded in selling me off because you wouldn’t be there to save me.”
Her voice cracked, and it hurt me to watch her put herself through the agony. I shuffled closed, wrapping her into my arms. And while I expected her to push me back, she surprised me when she melted against me as her breaths grew shallow.
“Trinity,” I murmured, my voice low and filled with emotion. Drawing in a deep breath, I gathered my thoughts before I spoke. “I just want you to know how much you mean to us. You are everything, and we’d do anything for you. You are the sunshine in my darkest places.”
“I know, Shadow,” she said softly, a fragile smile touching the corners of her lips. “And I feel the same way about all three of you… and Daniel. I wish he was with us.”
My heart soaring, I held her tightly, never wanting to let go, and wished Daniel could have been with us, too. Everything about Trinity made me feel as though we’d finally found our complete family. I couldn’t remember being happier. Just staring at her made me want to drag her into my arms and show her how much I adored her.
Staring at her gave me hope we could finally find true happiness… if we could just survive the targets on our backs.
“I love you, Trinity,” I said, barely above a whisper. “I will always be here for you, no matter what.”
“Totally unfair since I’m driving, but I love you, too,” Aspen interrupted.
“And me,” Viper announced.
Trinity giggled.
“I love how competitive you all are for my attention. I need to stop thinking about the past. We have to survive the present to have a future.”
She gave me a wonky grin and kissed me gently on the lips.
“I love you three so much,” she whispered. “You’re my everything.”
As Aspen drove the car quickly down the street, Trinity sat close to me, her in my arms.
I stared out the window, scanning the buildings for any sign of danger. Each car we passed felt like a possible threat, every pedestrian a potential assassin. Trinity’s hand gripped mine tightly, and I squeezed it reassuringly.
As we drove on, I thought of all the things I longed to experience with Trinity, all the places I craved to take her, and all the moments we’d miss out on if we didn’t survive. Shoving those thoughts aside, I focused on the task at hand. We needed to survive, and we had to do it fast.
By the time we arrived at Luxe Hotel, the tension in the car was thick. Aspen pulled up in a parking area across the street from the luxurious hotel. Thick, low branches of a huge tree shaded us, and I hoped it was enough to keep us protected.
“Nothing but the best for Axel’s mistress,” Aspen muttered sarcastically.
“So, are we just staking out the place or heading in there to ask questions?” Viper groaned. His hand gripped the door handle, leaning into it as if he was ready to jump out.
“Not just yet,” I insisted. “First, let’s watch who frequents this place, who comes and goes. There could be guards everywhere, especially if it’s a place Axel frequents.”
“So, we’re sitting ducks,” Viper growled under his breath. “At the least, I should scout out who’s around and if anyone’s watching us.”
“He has a point,” Trinity suggested, which took me off guard.
“See,” Viper said, already pushing out of the car.
He was gone before I could call him back. Damn stubborn ass.
“Well, there goes staying incognito,” Aspen rasped.