Page 62 of Mafie Kings

“So what’s it like living with the Kings?” Laney asks timidly, taking a sip of her coffee.

I sigh, adding sugar to my coffee. “If you want to talk about them, I'm going to need liquor,” I tell her.

She turns around, opening up the bottom cabinet to display a full bar worth of alcohol. “I thought you’d never ask,” she quips.

“Laney,” I chastise weakly, holding back a giggle, “it’s not even noon!” I explain dramatically like she is unaware of the fact that she just woke up for the day.

“It’s five o’clock somewhere, babe. Let’s get drunk!” She grabs some baileys and tips a generous amount into my cup. I pretend to be bothered, but on the inside, I’m loving this. Conversation without fear or planning. Getting to know someone for them and not as a target. Playful banter that makes me feel like a normal twenty-year-old girl. It’s everything I never knew I was missing in my life.

We drink and snack all day long, ending the day with a movie on the couch and more drinks.

My head is bubbly, my heart is light, and I'm currently draped over Laney’s legs as we laugh our asses off while watching Twilight, solely to make fun of the acting.

My phone alarm goes off, ruining our moment. I sit up, feeling the world sway as I check the alarm.

Shit. I need to video chat with my uncle.

“I’ll come back, I have to call someone from home,” I tell Laney.

“That’s fine girl, I’m gonna shower and attempt to hydrate. Want to sleep out on the couches tonight?” she asks.

“I would love that.” I’ve never done the sleepover thing, but maybe with Laney I’ll feel safe enough to sleep in the same room as her.

I make my way to my desk, grabbing a bottle of water from the kitchen first, in an attempt to sober up. I slap my cheeks slightly to help snap me back to reality. Grabbing the notebook from my bag and my tablet from my desk, I close my door. I decide to move to the large walk-in closet, hoping no one can hear me in here.

Shutting the closet door, I get comfortable before hitting the video call button. It hardly rings a single time before my uncle's face comes to view. “Little Warrior, I’ve missed you,” he says in greeting with a smile on his face.

“I’ve missed you too, Uncle,” I say, smiling. Seeing him reminds me so much of my father and the real reason I’m here.

“How is everything going?” he asks, his voice laced with concern. I move my hand to rest on the side of my face, where there’s still some bruising from the car accident, in order to make sure it stays hidden. I’m sure as fuck not telling him I technically died.

“Good, I actually have some information for you. I was able to sneak away the other night and get closer to our target. I planted some surveillance, and I was able to hear all of the details about a big deal.”

A menacing smile crosses my uncle's face, “That’s my girl, I knew you could do this.”

My insides twist, like I’m doing something wrong by giving this information to him, but I force the feeling away and read him my notes so he can jot them down. We talk briefly about classes before he calls it a night.

“I have a short mission to lead tomorrow, so I need to get going. I need to plan, but I’m glad you’re okay. I am so proud of you and your strength. Talk next week,” he says before hanging up.

Standing in the closet, I do a couple stretches before I head to take a shower.I grab my notebook and look around. The built-ins of the closet have a false bottom under the shelves. The molding is loose enough to wiggle free. I slip my notebook under the one in the far corner before replacing the molding piece.

Coming out of the closet, I grab the things I need for a shower from my bag and make my way to the bathroom. By the time I get out of the shower, the feeling is gone, but so is the lightness from before. I walk out to the couches carrying my pillows and blankets. When I get comfortable, Laney comes striding out of her room, bringing that lightness back with her.

I smile as I snuggle into the couch. I plan to find a way for us to be able to keep this friendship for a long time.

Chapter 31

It’s around eight in the morning on Sunday, when Damien lets himself into my room. I scowl at him, pissed that he stayed to watch the show Alexi put on with Evie. I wanted to step in. I should have stepped in, especially after knowing what that police chief did to her.

But no, I did what I normally do.I ran away.

She tried to push me away with the little water stunt and flirting with Bryce. She doesn’t know how much I watch her, though. How I could see the disgust in her eyes when he flirted back. Then Alexi thought he could stake claim on that mouth of hers like she belonged only to him.

Part of me feels like she deserved to be pushed to her knees for thinking she could flirt with another guy in front of me. The other part is disgusted I let it happen to her. That part is at the surface now, threatening to pull me under. I ran sixteen miles before stopping to throw up the acid in my stomach after seeing the way she looked at me this morning.

She felt betrayed, and she had every right to feel that way. I protected her after the accident, made her feel safe again with her doors back. Then, I let Alexi force her to take his cock like she was nothing more than his whore.

“Still in a shitty mood?” Damien asks, not seeming bothered by my attitude.

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