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He’s speaking in reference to the rat in our circle. Someone has been informing our enemies of our inner workings, our every move, and we need to figure out who it is before they come for us.
Ezra exhales and rubs his face. “Now that I have Maya back, that’s one less thing on my plate. We still have to do damage control for the shootout at the Black Card last night, go over finances for the restaurants, and—”
“Deal with Dom Carlo’s crew,” I remind him, voice dripping with malice. His eyes shoot to me, venom raging and burning in them. Not at me, but at the threat Dom Carlo poses to us.
Lee leans back in his chair and kicks one of his legs up on the seat opposite him. “We’ll deal with that bastard.”
Ezra just nods, deep in his own thoughts. Then, his eyes darken as he leans his elbows on the table in front of him. “When I find out who’s been working with Dom…” He whips a gun out of the waistband of his pants so fast I barely have time to process what he’s even doing. “Their ass is mine.”
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
MAYA
An hour and a half later,we finally land at the airport. It’s well past one in the morning, and I’m still so tired even after sleeping pretty much all day.
Ezra carries me out of the aircraft and into the car, a shiny black Rolls Royce, against my demands that he put me down. Lee and Jay follow behind us: the former in a black truck like he was driving Thursday, and the latter on a black-and-steel-gray motorcycle that roars into the night.
It only takes about ten minutes to get from the airport to Eastlake. The dazzling city makes way to lush greenery and scenic routes. I crack open the window and lean towards it, inhaling the familiar scent of the forest that was my home for a year. I didn’t realize I was going to miss being here, but now that I’m back, I can’t wait to get out and explore again.
If Ezra will even let me. I just know he’s going to keep me under lock and key this time, and the thought makes my skin crawl. I can’t be trapped in that house, in that room with no television, no books, nothing to pass the time but my own imagination.
“We’re home,” Ezra murmurs in my ear. I don’t know why, but the sound of that is comforting. And frightening.
We pull up to the grand, ornate gates of the mansion. The driver pushes the code into the box, and the gates open. We drive down the long driveway until we pull up in front of the house.
It’s still the same as when I left. The large, French Provincial-style home is painted in blacks, whites, and grays. It has ten bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, a six-car garage, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and hot tub in the back, and the largest kitchen I’ve ever seen in my life. Naturally, it’s my most favorite part of the house.
There’s also a movie room, a wine cellar, and a conference room where Ezra works and holds his meetings.
And, of course, the basement.
A shiver goes through me at the thought of that basement.
The driver comes to a stop before the grand front door. Ezra gets out and opens the car door for me, and before I have a chance to even take a step, I’m in his arms again.
“Iamcapable of walking, you know,” I point out.
He kicks the door closed with his foot and smiles. “I know. I just want to hold you.”
Despite myself, I smile, too.
Sighing, I lean against him, letting his citrus and smoke scent wrap around me. He smells like home, and I can’t help myself from snuggling closer to him.
When we enter the foyer, I notice the wood floors have been refinished since I was last here; they’re a much darker brown than before, almost black, and shiny as hell. Ezra turns to the right and begins walking down the long hall to my old bedroom. I lift my head to look up at him. He looks down at me and smiles again. We’re so close, I could kiss him with just a tilt of my head if I wanted to.
I do want to.
But I also don’t want to.
When we reach the door at the very end of the hall, he nudges it open with his foot and I flick on the light as we walk in. It’s the same as I left it. The bed is still made with my favorite gray down comforter and pillows, and the black ottoman sits at the foot of the bed.
Ezra sets me down with so much gentility, I want to cry. I missed that side of him, the side that made me feel safe, like my heart was safe with him.
“I’ll go turn on the shower,” he says.
I lay back on the bed, ready to go to sleep again. “I’ll take a shower tomorrow. I’m exhausted.”
He turns around, his brown eyes burning. “You’ll take one tonight. I don’t want you smelling like that dick you were dancing all over at the club.”
