Page 22 of Hell to Pay

That she was using it for me, someone who definitely didn’t deserve it, was something I’d have to think about later.

“Young lady, you are correct.” My dad’s gaze was glacial. “You are a guest in our home. This doesn’t concern you.”

“And if you’re hoping for a white picket fence and a couple of kids, you should probably find another mark,” Luke said with a hateful grin. “My brother’s not the type.”

I stood without thinking and started to lunge across the table for Luke, but my mom’s voice cut through my rage.

“That’s enough! That’s…” She drew in a breath like that would help her get control of a situation that wasn’t remotely salvageable. “That’s enough. I won’t have you acting like animals at my table.”

I threw my napkin on the table and grabbed Lilah’s hand. “That’s fine. We’re leaving anyway.”

My mom stood. “Jude…”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I love you, but this was a bad idea.”

I led Lilah to the door as fast as I could. We shouldn’t have come. My dad and Luke didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as Lilah.

17

LILAH

I wentto my room after we got home from dinner with Jude’s parents. I doubted Nolan and Rafe had anything new to report on the hard drive — Gage and Storm would need time to break into it — and I needed some space to process the weird night.

The dinner had been hard for Jude. I could tell, even though he’d tried to act unfazed when we’d left. I’d asked if he wanted to talk about it on the drive home, but he’d said no. Then he’d reached for my hand and I’d been distracted by the sensation of his warm skin, the stroke of his thumb.

Jude’s dad was a real dick. And his brother wasn’t exactly a prize either.

Luke’s use of the word “mark” to describe me had stung, like I was some kind of gold digger looking to fleece Jude for money, but I was surprised to find I was more hurt by the way he and his dad had treated Jude.

He and Nolan and Rafe had saved my life. And yeah, I knew not all of their work was altruistic. They hadn’t tried to hide that fact. I knew they stole and did god knows what else, but somehow I thought there was more even to that part of the story.

I thought about the tattoo on Nolan’s chest:Do No Harm.

I’d already accepted the fact that Jude — and Nolan for that matter — weren’t the devils I’d thought they were. I would never give them a pass for what they’d done to me, even though I’d worked my way around to forgiving Nolan and Jude, but I couldn’t help feeling that they’d been trying to make up for it ever since.

How dare Jude’s dad — a pompous white-collar asshole who’d probably never done a single thing in his entire life that wasn’t self-serving — call Jude’s work “foolishness”?

Still, I’d been surprised by my response, by the words that had erupted so easily from my mouth in a situation where I once would have been afraid to say single a word. It hadn’t really been my place to say anything, but in the moment, my brain — or maybe my heart — had disagreed.

I’d been prepared for Jude’s anger when we’d left his parents’ house, but instead he’d pulled me into his arms next to the car and kissed me hard and fast on the lips with two words:thank you.

We’d driven home in silence and Jude had gone down to the gym while I retreated to my room to change my clothes. I couldn’t believe I’d worn that stupid dress for those assholes who treated Jude like shit. Except for Jude’s mom, of course. She’d been nice, and I felt bad that she had to deal with those two jerks all the time.

It was a relief to be in boxer shorts and a hoodie, to be home, which was, dangerously, how I’d started to think of the mountain house.

My savings account was almost empty, which meant I’d either have to give up my apartment or find another job or three. The future felt overwhelming, a shadow on the horizon without shape or color.

I had no idea what it held.

I used the bathroom, then put my hair in a ponytail. I avoided looking at the bandage on the back of my neck and started for the bedroom.

It was reflex to head to my computer even though I had no idea what to do with it now. Before Greece, I’d spent all my time trying to figure out Imperium Fratrum and research the missing girls from Blackwell. Now I didn’t dare log on to the dark web. Besides, what more was there to do? I’d gotten the invitation code, had cracked the website and almost disappeared off the face of the earth because of it.

Turned out, I didn’t get a chance to think more about it, because when I approached the desk, I saw there was a box sitting on top of my laptop.

I approached it cautiously, taking in the slim black velvet box, tied with a green satin ribbon. It was about the size of a paperback, and I looked around instinctively, like whoever had left it on my computer would appear out of thin air.

The velvet box looked innocent enough — pretty, even — but after what had happened in Greece I wasn’t taking anything for granted.

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