Page 66 of Pretty Lethal
Blinking back into the present, I notice Hadley watching me closely with an inscrutable expression. “You know it took me a long time to rely on Hawk or the guys when I started at Pac…”
“Yeah, but they gave you good reason not to.”
“They did,” she agrees. “Although even after I’d learned to trust them, I still found it difficult because I wasn’t used to relying on anyone other than myself. My whole life I’d been an island, and the thought of asking others for help—of admitting that I had weaknesses I couldn’t fix on my own—was terrifying.”
She graces me with a soft smile. “I think that’s why we’re such good friends. We’re both islands. Despite our very different circumstances, we were both raised to trust only ourselves, and that makes it next to impossible for us to trust those in our lives, even after they’ve proven themselves worthy.” She reaches out a hand to squeeze mine. “But, one of the biggest lessons I had to learn was that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a sign of strength.
“Hawk, Kai, and Wilder will do whatever they can to protect you. You only need to ask them, and they’ll help you. I know their testosterone-riddled brains tell them they need to be the ones doing all the alpha-macho bullshit, but ultimately, they want you to feel confident in yourself.
“I know the last couple of days has pained them. Seeing you shutting yourself away from the world—and I know you needed that time to heal”—she tacks on—“However, now you need to figure out what you need to do in order to face the world head-on, because I know you’re not the kind of girl who backs down from a fight… and I fear you may have incited a war.”
Chapter21
EMILIA
After Hadley is happy with the skills I’ve learned at the shooting range, we finally get the spa day I was promised, and surprisingly, I’m feeling a million times better by the time she drops me off at the brownstone later that day.
My skin glows with whatever oil they put on it, and my nails are a soft, pretty pink color that matches the varnish on my toes. I can’t believe I’m even thinking it, but it’s amazing what a day at the shooting range and the spa can do for your mental health.
Hadley’s earlier words have been playing on repeat all day, and I have a plan in mind that I intend to enact first thing tomorrow morning. Tonight, however, I just want to spend the night wrapped up in all my guys. I’ve been positively loving all four of us spending our nights together in the cinema room. I’d initially thought it wouldn’t work, having all four of us together overnight. I thought I’d feel suffocated, or they wouldn’t get along, and I appreciate this is probably a temporary truce where they’ve all agreed to be on their best behavior for my sake. Still, I’ll absolutely eat up every second of it before we go back to the schedule.
Honestly, I’m starting to resent the schedule. It feels as though it’s holding us back more than anything, although it’s a discussion we should probably all have together before we go changing anything.
Dusk paints the sky in beautiful shades of red and orange as I hurry up the steps and unlock the door, calling out, “Honey, I’m home,” as I step inside.
My words are met by the pounding of footsteps descending the stairs, and I can’t help but grin as three sets of legs appear, before I’m greeted by Wilder’s broad grin, Kai’s soft smile, and Hawk’s grumpy expression.
“What have you been doing?” I ask, looking at their dust-covered clothing.
“Trying not to take a hammer to Wilder’s head,” Hawk snarks, glowering at the man himself as I raise an eyebrow in question at Kai.
“No blood was spilled in the making of this video,” Kai jokes, making me laugh.
Wilder garners my attention when he jumps down the last four steps, reaching me first as he throws out his hand.
I eye the blindfold and he explains, “We have a surprise for you, but you have to put this on if you want it.”
“A surprise?” I question, flicking my gaze to Kai and Hawk before returning it to Wilder, a slow smile spreading across my face. “A good surprise?”
“No,” Wilder snarks with a roll of his eyes. “We thought you’d love a truly horrible, nasty surprise, so that’s what this is.”
I flick him in the forehead before stealing the blindfold from him and glancing at the other two, who are concealing secretive smiles. I grin like an idiot as I slide it over my eyes.
Wilder threads his fingers through mine and tugs me toward the stairs. I reach out blindly for the banister, fumbling up all of two steps before Wilder blows out an exasperated breath and hauls me into his arms as I emit a high-pitched yelp.
“Wilder!” I chastise as I bounce in his arms.
“What?” he responds excitedly. “You were taking too long!”
He carries me up two flights of stairs to the third floor, where I’m greeted with the strong smell of fresh paint. This only makes me more curious about what they’ve been up to in my absence.
Wilder carefully sets me on my feet, and I feel the other two on either side of me as Hawk begins a countdown.
“Three… Two… One…”
I push the blindfold up, drinking in the spacious room before me. It takes a second for me to realize they took down the walls of mine and Kai’s room, opening up the entire floor. The only wall remaining is that for the bathroom.
“I don’t…” My words trail off as I step toward the insanely large bed in the center of the room. There’s no way that’s a standard size. That’s gotta be custom-built; it’s so large. It could easily fit all four of us—possibly even Hadley and two or three of her guys too.
