had the girls round during the day?”
I smirk at my sneaky little sister. “You wanted her to relax.”
She gives me a sharp nod, looking smug as hell right now. “And what better way than to have Charlotte there, who can make the most anxious of people relax, and Hayden, who can’t help but force secrets out of people. Hope was just a bonus, and I think Evie relaxed more because of her. She was in her nurse’s uniform.”
“And Hayden never gives up until she has an answer,” I add.
Laughing lightly, Paisley’s eyes twinkle. “And because Hayden doesn’t give in until she has an answer,” she repeats. “She’s nosey by nature.”
Before I can stop myself, I have to ask, “Did she say anything else?”
“You like her.”
She doesn’t ask it like a question, more like a statement. I smirk, winking. “I like everyone, baby sister.”
“Eww,” she whines, smacking my arm. “I don’t mean like the other girls you use for one night. You like her as a person, which is different for you,” she states. “If it’s any consolation, I like her too.”
“I don’t really know her,” I answer defensively.
“But you know enough. Even holding back from us all, you can tell she’s a good person. But if I find out someone has previously hurt her, I’ll wring their neck and feed them to the pigs. She’s been through enough as far as I can see. No one’s that closed off without a good reason.”
I open my mouth, about to ask her to elaborate, when the arguing escalates behind us.
“We aren’t going to leave this unpunished, Jaxon. Lily is family, and she could have gotten hurt today,” Landon growls.
“Even you have to understand that,” Maddox snaps. “You made two different doctors look her over.”
Jaxon bangs his fists on the table, looking worn out and stressed. He always carries everything on his shoulders, like he doesn’t have seven brothers.
“She’s my wife, or have you guys forgotten that? I know exactly what happened today—I was there. I lived it. We went easy on Black because we couldn’t risk losing more business at the time. It’s the one reason we never understood his obsession. He clearly makes more profit than we do. Why he would want ours makes no sense. We stay small for a reason. We don’t want the extra headache another location would cause, and we like that this is a family business. It’s expanded over the years thanks to each and every brother bringing something new for us. Him coming at us nearly crippled what we built.
“But we can survive without our company. What we can’t survive without is our family, and whether you muppets like it or not, Lily is my family too. And we protect what’s ours.”
“So, you’re going to let him destroy your business? You aren’t going to fight back?” Maddox asks, his top lip curling at my brother.
Jaxon’s lips twist into a creepy smirk. “No. He was ruined the second he called that group to set fire to the house, but he signed his own death warrant because Lily was there, whether he knew that or not.”
Paisley falls into my shoulder and I catch her. “Woah, are you okay?”
“Paisley,” Landon yells, jumping up from his chair and rushing over to her, pulling her into his arms. “You need to take your insulin.”
“I know. I left it in the house,” she murmurs, her voice shaky.
The hard glint to his eyes sharpens on Jaxon. “This conversation isn’t over. It’s not just us two who want blood, it’s the entire family, so whether you like it or not, we’re going to help.”
They step towards the door, but before they can open it, it flies open, revealing the twins and, to my shock, Trent and Jacob, the youngest two of the Carter family. Jacob Carter goes to school with Colton and Theo, whereas Trent was a year above them before he left last year.
“Why the fuck do you smell of smoke?” Maddox snaps at his younger brother, Trent. The two look alike yet there is a softer look to Trent. Give it a few years and that will no longer be an issue.
Grinning, the boys all share a look, but it’s Jaxon who speaks up first. “What the fuck have you two done now, because I swear to God, I’m not in the mood.”
“So, you don’t want to hear that we sorted out your problem?” Theo, the cockier of the two speaks out.
I share a look with Eli, the blood draining from