Page 93 of Kings & Carnage

Chapter42

Willa

We were sitting on the couch a week before Valentine's Day, the Kings playing video games while I read a book, when the Kings’ phones dinged, announcing a visitor at the front gate.

Now that the new security system had been added to the smart phone app, their phones were always beeping with one alert or another, but it was unusual to have an unannounced visitor.

Neo scowled and looked at me accusingly. "Expecting someone, Jezebel?”

Somewhere along the way, his once-annoying nickname for me had started to sound affectionate. I should probably have asked for a new one, but I was weirdly attached to it, a symbol of our strange journey from enemies to… whatever we were now.

"Just because I had one unannounced visitor doesn't mean they're all mine," I said, remembering our steamy moment in the kitchen when Claire had shown up.

Oscar picked up his phone and looked at the display. "Okay, this is weird. It's Alexa.”

"Alexa Petrov?" I asked. I had a flash of memory: Alexa's hand shaking as she applied lipstick, opening her mouth to speak and then changing her mind, arguing with the Knight at the Orpheum.

"The one and only," Oscar said. "She told the gate guard that she needs to talk to us.”

Neo stood. "Let her in.”

"I'm not big on bingo, but if I were, I wouldnothave had this on my card," Rock said.

I hadn't told them about my weird exchange with Alexa at Chasen's or about her altercation with one of the Knights at the Orpheum.

It hadn't been intentional — I just hadn't known what to say. In the moment, both situations had seemed undeniably strange, but when I tried to formulate the why of it, I came up empty.

It was just one of thoseyou had to be therethings and that didn’t seem concrete enough to mention to the Kings.

A couple minutes after the message from the gate, the doorbell rang and Oscar headed for the foyer.

"This should be interesting," Rock said.

Neo turned off the TV and game console as Oscar led Alexa into the living room.

At first glance nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Alexa was flawlessly put together, her makeup highlighting her perfect features, snug pants hugging her shapely thighs under riding boots.

Oscar must've taken her coat at the door because she was wearing a sheer blue blouse and I knew for a fact it was, as Reva would say, cold as a witch’s tit outside.

"Hey," Alexa said, her gaze taking us all in.

"Hey," Rock said. “Can I get you something to drink?”

She shook her head. "I think I just need to get this over with.”

Okay, thiswasgoing to be interesting.

"Have a seat," Rock said.

I tucked my feet under me to make room on the couch, but she chose one of the chairs.

"What's up?" Neo asked.

Her gaze slid to me, and I sat up straighter, preparing to leave the room. "I can go upstairs if you want to talk in private.”

She drew in a breath, as if gathering strength. "No. This is about you too. You should stay.”

I settled back onto the couch, anxiety tightening like a fist around my chest.

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