Custom Built (Fast & Fury #1) - Chantal Fernando Page 0,57

to know I’m not just a walking vagina,” I reply, shaking my head at him. Just how much of a playboy was he before me? Maybe he just liked a lot of casual flings.

The past is the past, though, and I’m the one who gains from his vast experience. At least that’s what I tell myself.

We all sit down, and Crow helps me set out all the food.

“This looks amazing,” Heidi says, checking out all of the options. “I can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.”

Of course she eats out every day.

We all dig in and Heidi tells us all about her vacation in Hawaii. “It was amazing. You guys should totally go there on your honeymoon.”

She definitely doesn’t have a filter, and I find myself laughing at some of her comments.

“Think we’re a little way off that,” I reply, arching my brow at Crow.

I would love to marry him one day, but we have a few loose ends to tie before we can even think of anything like that.

He just laughs in reply. “Hey, you never know.” I do love that he doesn’t freak out about it, though.

“Tell me everything about you, Bronte,” Heidi says, smiling warmly at me. “I always wanted a sister.”

And just like that, I know why Crow gives her everything. She’s warm and sweet and makes you feel good about yourself.

Hell, she can take my money, too.

Chapter Twenty-One

“I didn’t know you were so into baking,” I say to Nadia, watching her make up batches of brownies, muffins and pizza rolls. “Can you meal prep for me?”

“I’ve only just gotten into it,” she admits, whizzing around my kitchen. “And yes, I’ll make all of this for you and you can freeze it, just pull it out when you want them. How good is it?”

“Pretty damn good.”

“Where’s Crow tonight?” she asks as she makes dough from scratch.

“He’s at the clubhouse doing biker stuff. I told him I’m going to have a girls’ night, and I’m sure he wants to spend some time with his brothers,” I say.

Knock, knock.

“Who’s that?” she asks, washing her hands in the sink.

“I have no idea,” I reply, picking up my phone and logging into my security app to see who’s there. “It’s my uncle.”

After rushing to the door, I let him in and hug him as he passes me. “Hey. Is everything okay? You’re not usually one to drop in unannounced.”

I feel like I have to ask everyone this more than I should. Any time someone comes around now, I automatically assume that something has gone wrong, and with good reason.

“I got your voice mail about Jean dropping into your work and I thought I’d come and talk to you about it,” he says, and says hello to Nadia as he spots her.

“I was telling Bronte I think they need to place a security guard in front of there, because I don’t like how she just walked in,” Nadia says to him, frowning.

“I agree,” he replies.

“Yeah, you’re right. Crow mentioned the same thing. What do you think about what she had to say?” I ask as we all sit down on my couch. “Do you think she’s genuine?”

“I don’t know what to do about Jean. I think you should decide, and let me know.”

Me?

Shit.

I asked to be involved, and I guess this is him handing me the reins.

“What if what she says is the truth? She’s clearly not the best person out there, but I don’t know if she deserves to...die.”

There, I said it.

These people aren’t just going away on fucking vacation, they are being killed in retaliation for what they’ve done. And there’s no point pretending otherwise.

“Did you check up on what she said? We should check the records and see if the domestic abuse is true,” I suggest.

“Already did, and it is,” Nadia states, shrugging. “And she was married to him, and she does have a college-age daughter named Anne.”

“So everything is true, except we just don’t know if she’s lying about her involvement with Dad’s death. Can we find out if she really is moving her daughter to a different college? Maybe Jean will move there with her and we won’t have to worry about her anymore,” I say, thinking that would be a best-case scenario.

It’s clear I’m leaning toward having a little faith and trusting her. If everything else she said was true, there’s a chance all of it was. Jasper is a hundred-percent guilty, but with Jean, I don’t know if she is, so