Page 17 of Vengeful Devotion
She rolls her eyes. “You’re stubborn like your father.”
“You’ve been telling me that my whole life.”
“Well, it’s true. Your father was stubborn, but he wasn’t stupid. Right now, you’re being both.”
“How much have you learned about her in the little time she’s been here?”
“She doesn’t talk much. Why?”
“I noticed a scar on her arm.”
“Did you ask her about it?”
I nod. “She said it was from her childhood.”
“Then it’s from her childhood. Come on, Deck. You and I both know you’re no stranger to scars. What’s the big deal?”
She’s not wrong. But it’s that experience that tells me Gemma’s scars have nothing to do with some silly childish accident. A to-do list runs through my head and at the top of it is to figure out Gemma Rossi. I need to know what secrets she’s hiding. I open my mouth to ask my mother what else she knows, but I’m stopped by Balor bursting in the room. His face tells me what I need to know. It’s bad.
“One of the warehouses is on fire.”
My fists tighten with rage. What the fuck is going on? I stand, leaving my mother’s side and following Balor out of the house to the car Danny is already waiting in.
“What do you know?”
“The morning guard called me. He said there’s four bodies lying on the ground outside the building.”
“Fuck. Call the chief. I want him on this personally. Have Dean move all the inventory around a few of the LLCs. That should protect us if anyone feels like digging further.”
“We have the entire police and fire department in your pocket. Is that really necessary?”
“Just because we have that safety net doesn’t mean we should rely on it.”
He nods, turning his attention to his phone. I pull out my gun. As I run my finger over the smooth barrel, I pray for the people who started this war. They’ll need all the help they can get when I paint this town with their blood.
CHAPTERSEVEN
Gemma
My stomach is in knots.Francine is going to be so pissed at me. I failed to get those papers signed by Declan. She said they were important. I’m so screwed.
No one wants you here. You’re pathetic.
The slimy voice in my head is right. I can’t even handle one simple task. All I had to do was get those fucking papers signed, and I failed. What if she fires me over this? Tears bubble in my eyes. Francine is like the mother I never had. She’s been so great to me, and I let her down.
But the moment Declan touched me, I was lost. I couldn’t think about anything other than the feel of his skin on mine. At least until he started asking questions, then it was fight or flight. And I couldn’t get away fast enough.
My eyes travel down to the scar. An angry reminder of a painful lesson. Trust no one. Not even your own flesh and blood. Lia being my only exception. I pull the sleeve of my cardigan down. Those memories are not something I want to unpack right now. They’ll never be something I want to unpack.
I lean on Francine’s desk. My shaky hands grip the wooden edge as the door opens.
“Hi, Gem,” Francine says, her usual bright smile as present as ever.
For a second, I’m confused. She doesn’t look bothered at all. A tiny bubble of relief floats through me. Until it bursts when I see her holding the manilla folder I was supposed to give to Declan. She knows.
“I’m sorry.”
She furrows her eyebrows, following my gaze to the folder in her hand. “Oh. Don’t even worry about it, Gem. It’s no big deal. Declan said you left pretty fast and forgot the papers.”
