Page 36 of H E R

He laughs and I see Jasmin pulling out the deep blue, old Expedition. Time for my next move. Dylancannotturn around. Slowly, I lean forward, and Dylan looks at my breasts, his eyes sweeping up to mine, and he licks his lips.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re trying to distract me.”

Fuck, he’s a detective, after all. I shrug and bend down to plant another kiss on Max’s nose while keeping my eyes locked on Dylan’s–holding him there.

“I came here to tell you that nothing changes. Moving to the neighborhood doesn’t make you one of us. You aren’t welcome here.”

I catch sight of my brother approaching us. He waves at me and I stand. “Except you, Max. You’re welcome anytime, aren’t you sweet boy?” I pat his head and walk to where Jule waits for me.

“I’m on to you, Niki.”

I don’t turn around. Instead I wave, wiggling my fingers at him. I know he’s looking at my ass, so I make sure to walk as seductively as possible, while at the same time ignoring the look of disgust on Jule’s face.

He pretends to gag and hands me my leather jacket. I slip it on and we walk out of the trailer lot. Once we’re out of view, we start running, and it takes us a total of ten minutes to make it to where Jasmin, Piper, and Macy wait. Jas scoots over and I take the driver’s seat. Once the doors are closed and Jule is buckled in, I drive us out of there. The windows are tinted enough that we’re not visible to those on the street. I take the highway to avoid the busy traffic in the city and gun it down.

We make it there in just over an hour, and I jump out to open the metal gate. The estate encompasses twenty-five acres and consists of four buildings, a swimmable lagoon, a stablehouse, and an avocado field. The main house is for Jasmin, Jule, and myself, though we’ve never stayed for more than a couple of days. It has six bedrooms and four full bathrooms, an enormous kitchen, two fireplaces, and an outdoor, fenced-in patio with an indoor pool.

Helena, Pedro, and their two kids live in another smaller house with an outdoor pool. I hired them a few years ago to take care of the property, and they’re the true reason it thrives. Helena used to be a nurse, and she helps out with any injured newcomers.

The next two houses are kept empty for visitors. They’re each similar in size, with five bedrooms and four full bathrooms, a kitchen, living quarters, and enclosed patios. The entire property is heavily gated, and we installed security cameras with motion and sound detectors. Both the main house and Helena’s house have a room with monitors to view the surveillance footage. Okay, maybe I took it too far. But a fucking killer was out there, and I didn’t want him anywhere near here. My father would be proud of the renovations.

Once we’re in, Helena and Pedro meet us at the next gate. This one is electric and requires a passcode to get in. We change it every so often. I park the car and Jasmin rushes to Helena and embraces her. Jule and Pedro shake hands and then hug.

“Junior, you’re enormous!” Pedro tells my brother.

“Helena, these two ladies will be our personal guests. They’ll stay in our home for now. Do you think you can help me get the two conjoined rooms ready?”

“Of course,mija. And supper is ready.”

I smile. I love Helena’s cooking and she knows it. She also knows we don’t ever get home-cooked meals. The makeshift kitchen in the trailer would go up in smoke. Aside from Noah’s breakfasts, I’ve been living off of beef jerky for who knows how fucking long.

While driving to the ranch, Piper asked to stay with us for the night. She didn’t want to stay in a new place all alone, especially an entire house, regardless of us being right next door. It would make this the first time someone other than us stays in our home. I would’ve put my foot down, but Jule is obsessed with being a host.

We’re readying the rooms when Helena suddenly stills. “I’ve missed you.”

She embraces me, and it feels a little like home, familiar. Helena was my mother’s best friend, the way Jasmin is mine. She’s the woman Jasmin threatened to leak my sexcapades to, although I know she wouldn’t have the guts to stab my back that way. Helena cares about us, and being here with her feels right.

She stares into my eyes thoughtfully. “You found someone.”

My brows shoot up and I clear my throat. “Yeah, I’m dating Noah, remember?”

“Hmm.” She grabs my face between her palms and peers into my eyes as though she’s searching for something. “No,notNoah.”

Oh, my fucking she-devil. I’m not getting into this. I shake off her grip and turn around. We make sure the Jack and Jill bedrooms are ready. We’d placed extra bedding and towels in the closet. The bathroom has extra toiletries and there’s a canister with water, as well as two glass cups, near the bedside table. Satisfied, I make sure the television works, and when I turn back to Helena, she’s gawking at me.

“What’s his name?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I leave the room and step into the hall that connects to the large living room.

The television is on and a freshly bathed Jule is splayed on the loveseat. He’s watching an episode of a reality TV show and he’s laughing. I grab a stool that’s at the bar counter separating the kitchen from the living room, and Jasmin hands me a plate. She too took a shower, and her hair drips onto the back of her shirt. She’s barefoot and I smile. My family is home. Soon we’ll be able to be here at all times, just like this.

“You’ll tell me soon enough,” Helena sings as she serves us freshly made hibiscus water.

Jasmin gives her a quizzical look, and I cock an eyebrow at her and shrug. Hopefully nothing else is brought up and I’m desperate for thoughts of any othersomeoneto vanish.

Helena looks over our shoulders to my brother. “Come and eat, Junior.”

Jule is still laughing and staring at the TV when he sits down. And it’s difficult for us to do anything else but enjoy our meals.

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