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“So why not just give her half?” I asked. “Surely you can just gift her enough to make her go away?”
Not that I believed in bowing down to bullies, but this was her life at stake. And ours. We were worth a lot more than any financial sum.
“She wants it all,” Rose said with a huge sigh. “And I’d be happy to hand it over to her, but I can’t until I turn twenty-five. I have to inherit it before I can give it away.”
“And she doesn’t want to take that risk, obviously.” Bella said, “She’d rather just inherit the whole lot herself because she’ll be the only one left if you’re gone.”
“Yes exactly.” Rose agreed. “I wish I’d known what she wanted and how far she’d go to get it. I would have signed something for her years ago.”
“But we’d still be dealing with the assassins,” Bella reminded her. “So don’t think this is all on you. It’s not, hun.”
Rose nodded but had to wipe away the tears that fell onto her cheeks. “It’s still horrible.”
There was a long beat of silence, and the atmosphere shifted into something sad. I couldn’t have that. Not now. We needed to stay positive, and strong. Together.
“Well, I for one am glad I found Gabriel, and you all,” I declared, looking around the circle at the women. “I’ve always wanted a huge family. Hell... I adopted seven kids! And now... I have you three, and the guys. I feel very blessed.”
Rose sniffed and Bella reached over to me, squeezing my hand. “We’re so grateful for you Angelique.”
“So, what are we going to do?” Chrissy asked, the big question hanging in the air.
“We’re going to enjoy some lunch, then take a nap,” I said with a sigh. “I’m exhausted.”
The girls laughed and we chatted more about the house and the kids while we ate. The future was the opposite of certain. It was a dark cloud on the horizon promising rain.
But before mother nature hit us hard, we’d have to enjoy the calm before the storm. I’d found my new family, and I wasn’t going to let anyone take them away.
Chapter 2.
ROSE.
I was so nervous my hands shook as I picked up my cup of tea and brought it to my lips. Despite what everyone else said, I still blamed myself for bringing this hell down on all of us. If only my dad hadn’t married that evil woman.
“Does anyone else worry about the guys?” Angelique asked. “I mean... you know, they’re so vulnerable during the day.”
“Oh, I hate it.” Bella said, shuddering. “They tried to kill Rafael while he was in gargoyle form. He had PTSD for ages afterward. Still does sometimes.”
“I couldn’t imagine it.” I said, wrapping my arms around myself. “Being frozen but awake. Unable to move.”
“Like some sort of sleep paralysis,” Angelique said, then shivered.
Chrissy slumped further in her chair. “What do we do if they attack during the day? Do we have enough security to protect the guys?”
“We’ll make sure we do,” Angelique answered. “I’ll speak to Bill today and let him know he can hire whoever he wants. I’ll pay.”
