Page 55 of Mistress Mayhem

“We’re kind of in the middle of something—“

“Tell her we’ll come,” Cooper commands, and I turn to him with a glare.

Austin thumps his friend in the back of the head before turning back to me. “We’d be happy to see your parents. Maybe just tell her it’ll be about an hour?”

“Oh, that sounds perfect. I’ll see you all then,” my mom chirps before hanging up on me.

I shake my head, laughing as I set the phone back down. “Well, I guess that’s settled. She’ll see us then. Before we get ready, we should definitely talk...”

I trail off because I don’t know where to even begin. I chew on my bottom lip, and for the first time in almost a decade, I’m unsure of myself. I worked hard to turn myself into a woman I could be proud of, but facing down the three of them, I’m a terrified teenage girl again.

“It’s just us, angel. There’s no reason to be worried.” Fox reaches over to squeeze my hand in his. When he goes to pull back, I cling to him. A smile lights up his face as he intertwines our fingers. “Why don’t you tell us what you’re thinking?”

“I know all three of you have said you want to be with me and you won’t make me choose. I’m still struggling with that idea, but it’s what I want.” I hold up my hand as they all open their mouths. “But before we even talk about that, there are a few things you need to understand. The first is that I won’t give up being Mistress Mayhem. Yes, I outed myself to Lockwood, but that’s not going to stop me.

“I like what I do. I like making the world a safer place for everyone. I like making criminals pay for the pain they cause. I have a ton of employees who depend on me for this work every year. I know you won’t like me putting myself in danger, but if you can’t accept this side of me? There’s no chance for anything between us.” I glance between the three of them, unable to read what they’re thinking, and it’s driving me crazy. “Say something.”

Fox squeezes my hand again. “I would never want you to change who you are. Mistress Mayhem is a part of who you are now. I wouldn’t want to take that away from you.”

“And you know what the three of us do during Mayhem,” Austin agrees, leaning forward. “We’d be hypocrites to say you couldn’t do something you feel so passionate about.”

“I don’t like it, but that’s because I’m an asshole.” The corner of Cooper’s mouth turns up as if enjoying his self-deprecating words. “But they’re right. This is a part of you. We all accept that.”

To say I’m surprised by their easy acceptance is putting things mildly.

“Plus, you’re hot as shit covered in your victims’ blood,” Fox adds on, a maniacal smile on his lip. I snort before breaking into laughter. This is what Fox has always been able to offer me—humor in every situation. He’s always been able to read me—to know when I need just this. It’s just one of the reasons I love him.

“I love you,” I blurt, face flushing as I look around the table. “All of you. I always have, and it’s never been something I could forget. I wasn’t ready for what you were offering—not until they were all dead. Once I’d killed them, I knew it was time for me to start living my life. I just don’t know what that looks like. The one thing I do know is that I’d like the three of you to be a part of it.”

Smiles break out on all their faces.

“Thank fuck!” Fox stands up, using his hold on my hand to pull me to my feet as well. His lips crash down on mine, and I melt into his touch. Too soon, he’s pulling away and passing me to Cooper. Then it’s onto Austin. My body is thrumming with need, but there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it since we’re expected at my parents’ house soon.

I separate from Austin, putting space between me and the men I love. “Everyone, keep your hands to yourself. Since you decided we were going to see my parents, there will be no more touching.”

That pulls chuckles from all three of them but, they nod their agreement.

“Good. So we all want to be together, and we’re all going to remain killers on Mayhem.” I pause. “Where the hell are we going to live? I don’t even know where you live!”

“Come on, little one. Don’t freak out—especially when we have orders to not touch you.” Austin grimaces. “As for where we live, we live a few states over in a little town called Oak Vale.”

Cooper steps forward, stopping when I pin him with a glare. He laughs, holding up his hands. “But we don’t have to live there if you don’t want to. We’ll follow you anywhere, princess. We’ll live wherever you want us to live.”

“A small town sounds kind of nice,” I admit.

“It’s gorgeous there.” Fox grins. “When we leave Lockwood, you could come with us and see if you like it. We have a house there.”

I nod slowly. “I think I’d like that. And then we can just go from there?”

“That sounds like the perfect plan, princess.”

And it really does. I might not know what I want to do with my life outside of my Mistress Mayhem persona, but I know they’ll be there right beside me, and it’s the best feeling in the world.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Sage

Wesomehowmanagetomake it to my parents’ house within the promised hour, but only because they kept their lips and hands to themselves. They did try to tempt me on more than one occasion, but I wouldn’t allow myself to be distracted. I can’t wait to share the news with my parents that I’m done running.

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