Page 81 of The Chaos She Brings
I sigh, rubbing at my face. Then I glance at Nate, who's hovering near the doorway like he’s waiting to be useful again.
“By the way,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him. “Didn’t Carina tell Tess your spare room belonged to the dog?”
Nate has the audacity to grin. “She did. And yet you’ve been sleeping in here all week. Funny, that.”
“So Cupcake got evicted?”
“It was never his room, man. Carina has him in bed with us. It was just the excuse Carina gave to get Tess to stay at yours.”
I blink. “Wait—what?”
He smirks. “She figured you’d be too stubborn to ask her to stay otherwise. And let’s be honest… she was right.”
I mutter under my breath and glare at the ceiling before turning my attention back to Enzo.
“How long are they staying there?”
“Hopefully no more than a week. Papa is moving against theRussians soon.” His reply sets me on edge. Ineedto see her.
I mumble curses, but it won’t change anything.
She’s safe. That’s what matters.
For now.
27
I’m Mad At You
Nate to Kai: You’re allowed to be happy, you know. [delivered]
Tess
“Ican’tbelieveI’monly just hearing that you had sex!” Carina’s screech is so loud I swear I would’ve heard it without the phone.
“I kinda had a lot going on, Cari.”
She grumbles, the sound muffled but still somehow filled with concern. “Don’t even remind me. You’re gonna send me to an early grave with all this worrying.”
I clutch my chest dramatically, even though she can’t see me. “I knew you loved me.”
She scoffs. “Of course I do. Was that ever a question?”
“Well… I wasn’t sure a year ago. You used to reply to my messages about a fifth of the time.”
Carina laughs. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t in a good place then. And youwere… a lot.”
“How dare you?” I cry out with mock outrage. “I amnota lot!” (I am).
“You quite literally are, but whatever helps you sleep at night.”
The conversation stalls for a second before I ask, “How’s Kai?”
“Annoyed with Nate’s fussing. He’s like a mother hen. Honestly, I think Kai might kill him.”
“Has he said anything about me?”
There’s a tightness in my chest as I wait for her reply, a nervous ball of hope and fear.
