Page 34 of Thunder

My gaze moves to Thunder, who is eyeing me suspiciously. “Do I have to tie you to the bed?”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“I would and I will, but I was hoping to do that for other reasons and not because you’re about to go from the frying pan into the fire,” he says, standing with his legs slightly apart and hands on his hips. “Do you a solid, baby, when I tie you to my bed, let it be for the fun kind of reason,” he rumbles in his sexy, smooth voice.

Guard has a sleeping Gavin in his arms, with Ava beside him with Ryder in hers as they walk past us. He stops to say, “Tomorrow, we’re making plans. Those plans includeNostra Casa. Reno is going to know this guy. Get Rose caught up and get some sleep.”

With Thunder and me the only ones left, I say, “Caught up?”

“We’ll talk upstairs.” He takes my hand and pulls me to my feet, then secures a solid arm around me.

“I won’t disappear.” I let out a heavy sigh. “I thought about it. I’m scared, but I’m more scared for you. If anything happens to you because of me—”

“It won’t,” he says firmly.

“How can you—”

“Because this guy is desperate and showed his hand tonight. This means we’ve got more to go on. We know what he’s after, and we have a name.” He turns to face me, dipping his head to kiss me softly. “This isn’t about you. It’s about a desperate man who’s looking for a key that leads to some golden treasure, which he probably stole from his boss. We think the heat is on and he’s trying to find a way out of the mess he got himself into. Clarissa just happened to be part of that plan, and now that she’s gone, he doesn’t know where to look.”

I’m still highly confused, and it must be showing on my face.

“Let’s get settled in bed, and I’ll tell you everything. I’m not holding anything back. I wouldn’t do that to you. We’re a team, and partners say it like it is,” he says. His words cause a warm, gushy feeling in my belly. I lean into him, banding my arms around his waist.

Looking up at his beautiful face, his gaze meeting mine, I say, “All right, partner. I’m all in. We’ll see this through together.” I hope I sound more confident than I feel.

“That’s my Rosie.” His lips touch mine.

Oh, that’s nice. All of a sudden, I’m not so afraid.

* * *

Thunder told me everything that happened with this man, Aldo Capaldi. I’ve never heard of him and don’t recall Clarissa ever mentioning his name. Then again, there’s a lot about my sister I didn’t know about. I lie awake for hours in bed, trying to think back on ever being given a key.

After Clarissa’s death, the police gave us a bag with her clothes and what she had on her person when they found her. I don’t remember seeing a key or any jewelry. Then again, who knows how long she’d been in that alley before her death was reported. If she had been wearing jewelry, any vagrant or thief could have taken it.

Eventually, sleep takes over. It helps that I was lying in my man’s arms.

This morning, we’re meeting with Guard, Ghost, and Orion in Guard’s office. They’re already waiting for us when we knock. I’m grateful for the pot of coffee waiting for us. I didn’t get as much sleep as I would have liked and need the extra jolt of caffeine.

Pleasantries finished, Ghost is the first to bring up the topic of this mysterious missing gold key. “Any idea where Clarissa would have hidden it?” he asks.

I shake my head. “None. She sold anything of value for her next hit. I don’t remember seeing anything like that. I recall being handed a clear plastic bag after she died. It had some ratty clothes, a small purse, empty except for a lipstick, and her shoes, but no rings or that sort of thing.”

“Did she ever come home after she left?” Guard asks.

“No, not while I was there. I was taking courses in college and wasn’t home twenty-four seven, but my parents would have said something if she ever did show up at the house.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Rosie. Your parents might have been trying to shield you from that. Clarissa had a way of causing drama, even when she didn’t mean to. You could hardly stay in the same room as her in the end,” Thunder reminds me.

That is something my parents would do, just to keep the peace. I was tolerant of Clarissa’s bullshit for a long time, but near the end, I couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

“I did threaten to leave if they let her back in the house.” I bite my lower lip, closing my eyes. “I made them choose between two daughters.” An ache grows in my chest. “At the time, I was so angry that they would rush to her aid all the time, no matter how much crap she brought to our doorstep. I wanted it all to stop.” I look up at the three men, then slide my eyes to Thunder. “I didn’t consider how it would make Mom and Dad feel. I mean, how do you choose between your kids? I screwed up.” Maybe it’s the shitty sleep or the overwhelming realization that I had made it even more difficult for my parents, but a single tear runs down my cheek.

Thunder drags me from my chair and onto his lap. “Baby, you were dealing with an impossible situation. Your parents were struggling too. In the end, they took the hard stance and tough love approach. They’d already tried everything else. I know Penny and Erik pretty well, and regardless of what you said, they would have done what they thought was best for Clarissa.”

Guard says, “I get that this is hard for you, Rose, but we need to go through your house and look for anything Clarissa may have given you.”

“She never gave me a damn thing. She took and she took. She stole from me. I had to find hiding spots around the house where I could store my things. After my sixteenth birthday present went missing, I knew it was her, and I hid everything. Dad gave me pearl earrings, and a week later, they were gone.”

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