out and I feel like such an idiot for getting so worked up. “Please don’t beat up any of my boys.”
He presses his lips into a tight line and gently shakes his head. “I can’t make any promises.”
I roll my eyes knowing he’s only teasing, though I should be worried for Sebastian after those comments he made earlier. On second thought, maybe he isn’t kidding. It’s an emotional night for us all and these guys usually talk with their fists. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone ended up in the emergency room.
I let out a heavy sigh and let him pull me back in. “Just no broken bones, okay?”
“Okay,” he promises. “That I can do.”
Chapter 2
What kind of rich, privileged bullshit fuckery is this?
The big iron gates slide open to reveal the most luxurious mansion in Bellevue Springs. I’ve never seen anything like it. Not even the mansions that surround us are as ostentatious or douchey as this, yet I can’t stop staring at it. It’s simply magnificent.
It looks like a modern version of a Victorian manor home with beautiful white pillars evenly placed across the wide span of the mansion. It’s absolutely stunning, something out of a fairy tale, and those stairs … holy hell. There are three levels of stairs just to reach the front door.
Where the hell are we? This place is ridiculous. My home back in Breakers Flats wouldn’t even fit the front gate inside of it. Not that we exactly have a home anymore. Those fuckers at the bank made sure of that. There's nothing quite like watching your home and everything you've built being taken away.
This place is ginormous. We don’t belong here.
“We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore,” mom mutters under her breath.
I shake my head, agreeing with her completely. We've been here a whole thirty seconds and haven't even heard a gunshot yet. I can just imagine the security team sitting on the other end of these cameras, turning up their noses at what they see before them.
This isn’t going to go well, but unfortunately for us, this is the only hope we’ve got. We’ve already lost our home, our car, and our dignity. What more do we have to lose? If we were to stay, we would’ve been on the streets, begging for food. Nic never would have allowed that to happen. He would have taken us in, but mom’s pride would have held us back, not to mention, her fear of putting us one step closer to his father’s gang. The last thing she wants is to see her little girl get mixed up with that. If only she knew just how close I really was.
When this opportunity landed on our doorstep, we had no choice but to scoop it up with both hands, hoping it didn’t slip through our fingers. The eviction notice from the bank was already on the fridge and quickly creeping up to its 28-day deadline. We only had a few days left.
“Are you sure about this?” I question as mom and I step over the boundary line to the massive Carrington estate. This shit needs its own area code.
“Of course I’m not,” she says, looking as though she’s ready to break into tears. “But it’s either this or working for those Black Widow thugs, so I chose the lesser evil. You don’t belong in either of those worlds just as I don’t belong scrubbing rich guys’ toilets. Your father would be rolling in his grave if he was looking down on us right now.”
I let out a heavy sigh. She’s right. We don’t belong here or there, but sometimes you do what you have to do just to get by. The people here wouldn’t understand something like that. These are the kind of people who were born with silver spoons in their mouths and money overflowing their gold-trimmed pockets.
If I were the one who had to make the decision, I would have taken the gang option. At least that way I would have been close to the boys and close to dad’s grave. Not to mention, someone needs to keep an eye on Sebastian. He's only one bad screw away from an STI.
My four boys. They’re the four loves of my life. Well really, Nic is … was, but the rest are all fighting for second place. Though if I'm completely honest, Sebastian might have that second place. He and I share a special, unbreakable bond. He's just as protective of me as I am of