Page 164 of Indulge
“You asked her to resign and provide proof. She hasn’t.” Finn’s voice is low. “I’d say it’s clear cut.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I let it go. “She’s up to something. She’s after Rowan now.” I don’t like the way that sounds. Lyla’s the kind of rot that likes to wedge itself in and fester.
“Maybe she’s trying to stop your wedding. Maybe she fell in love with you,” Drago suggests, like it’s a half-funny possibility, and I want to knock him over the table. I give a tight laugh. “It’s not easy to fall in love with me. It’s not that.”
Finn shrugs. “If we fire her, we might startle her.”
“Maybe she’s just a psycho,” Steph says bluntly. I almost appreciate the lack of sugarcoating.
“I don’t want a psycho anywhere near Bella or Rowan.”
Finn’s face goes stony. “I can’t kill her in case she’s telling the truth.” His hands fold. “Even if it's someone else’s.” He has a point; we’re not murder-happy idiots. There are rules. There are consequences. I have some morals, however loose they look on paper.
“Let me dig deeper with Enzo,” I say. “No trace is a red flag. I’ll monitor Inferno feeds, see what she’s doing,” Drago adds.
“We can’t let Rowan hear anything until we’re sure. He doesn’t need that stress while he’s recovering,” I tell them.
“He’s recovering well, Reggie,” Drago says, like a warning and an observation. “But you both need to be on the same page, or this’ll blow up.”
I rub the back of my neck, feeling the itch of being pulled in so many directions—wife-to-be, brother, boss.
But, ultimately, Rowan and I have always been stronger together. And whatever Lyla is up to, I’m hoping it’s just a poor attempt to try to worm her way back into our bed and nothing more sinister.
“Yeah. I’ll speak to him.”
80
BELLA
There’s a weird feeling between the brothers at dinner. Neither of them has hardly touched their pasta. I slam down my cutlery, getting their attention.
“Look, is my cooking that bad? My brothers never used to mind it. Speak now or forever hold your peace.”
I glare between them.
Reggie remains expressionless. Rowan, he shifts in his chair.
“Bel, I’m sorry. I’m just exhausted from training with Con.”
I blow out a breath, sympathizing with him.
“Do you need a cuddle?” I ask.
He smiles. Pushing himself up and rounding the table to wrap his arms around me, placing a soft kiss on my cheek.
“I promise you, it’s nothing to do with you. Nor your cooking. You’re perfect, precious,” he whispers.
“I’m gonna head to bed. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
I frown, not liking him leaving. I liked it in Phoenix—with both of them. Although, I know that can’t be life every night. None of us will sleep.
“I-I can come with you?”
How is this going to work? A bed schedule?
He tips my chin up to him and kisses me.
“I’ll be back with you tomorrow. You need to get some proper sleep too. Night, beautiful.”
