Series: Webs We Weave Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 162520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 813(@200wpm)___ 650(@250wpm)___ 542(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 813(@200wpm)___ 650(@250wpm)___ 542(@300wpm)
“Ten minutes till.” He pockets his phone, then takes the knife from me. I let Rocky wrap the leather belt strap around my thigh. He positions the knife on the outer side of my leg.
As he tightens the buckle near the inside of my thigh, a flush coats my body. My pulse picks up speed, and I have a sudden flash of Miami.
His hands against my thigh.
His eyes meeting mine behind his lashes like now.
Ten minutes till. I shake out my feelings. “Why that late?”
“We agreed to let Hailey sleep.”
“He was with Hailey?” My brows spring, and I smile excitedly over at Nova. He acts far less interested in our brother’s romance.
“Yep.” Rock finishes holstering the knife to my thigh. “And so was Jake.”
My face falls before scrunching. “Wait, what?” Like, I know Hailey is having sex with both of them, but…not together. “Like all three were in the same room or the same bed?”
“I didn’t fucking ask, nor did I want to.” Rocky glares. “Let it go.”
“The juiciest part of tonight?” I make a face at him. “How am I just now hearing about this?”
“I’m sorry, I was a little more preoccupied with the fact that your dad is trying to set up Trent to marry my sister.”
“Mistake forgiven.”
He pushes my foot off the armrest.
Asshole. I stifle a smile right as Trevor arrives. He rubs his sleepy eyes, wearing expensive black joggers and a matching tee. “Get that thing away from me,” he mutters, recoiling from the gun noticeably sticking out from Nova’s slacks.
He tucks it farther behind his back.
Trevor collapses tiredly on the couch. “Wake me up when it starts.”
“You’ll know when it starts, shithead,” Rocky says, smacking his legs off the cushion so he can sit beside him. The countdown to five a.m. becomes more apparent.
My insides tighten. We stop having mindless banter. It’s quiet and uneasy until Oliver appears.
“Open sesame.” He knocks on the bookcase wall. It’s already swung open. Nova still guards the entrance, so as soon as Oliver tries to pass through, our brother stops him.
“What the hell?” Nova mutters.
My back goes pin straight at Oliver’s face. He has on dark sunglasses, and the side of his cheek is sliced red, the cut barely held together with butterfly tape.
“Was that not the passcode?” Oliver quips. “Abracadabra? Alakazam?” He waggles his fingers.
“Who cut you?” I question.
“Myself. Shaving.” He shows more of his cheek to Nova. “Stitches?”
Nova inspects it. “No. It’s not too deep.”
Oliver subtlely releases a breath. Not far behind him are Jake and Hailey. She aims right for her brothers.
All she says is “Tinrocks on the couch.” It’s a perception thing as much as maybe a comfort for her to be beside Rocky and Trevor.
Varrick will notice how we position ourselves in the room. It’s probably best if we just stay close to our siblings.
She sits beside hers. Nova isn’t budging from the doorway, so us Graveses end up spreading out. Oliver leans a relaxed shoulder on the wall. I choose a buttoned chair and tug down my shorts to hide the knife that peeks against my thigh.
“Jake should sit in the other chair beside Phoebe,” Hailey says. “Varrick already knows you dated.”
I think my mom was likely right that Varrick is also aware Rocky and I are together for real. He gave him a skeleton key to my room tonight. It’s kind of proof, isn’t it?
Still, I keep my distance from Rocky.
Hailey and I exchange cautious looks. Especially as she holds a one-eyed, floppy-eared lilac bunny. Her ugly bunny from Easter.
She stitched her prenatal vitamins into the back cotton. If she didn’t leave the stuffed animal upstairs, then maybe she’s afraid Varrick corralled us all down here to search through our rooms. Or to have the housekeeper do it for him.
I didn’t even consider that until now.
It’s fine. I don’t think I left anything important in mine.
“Sixty seconds.” Nova counts down. We have all considered the possibility of being stood up. We’ve considered how this could be a trap. We’ve considered everything.
We even contemplated storming Varrick’s bedroom to hold this “meeting” there, but we agreed it’s better if he believes we trust him enough to agree to his time and location as we would’ve done for the godmothers.
If it weren’t for Nova propping the secret door open, I’d be more panicked our dad planned to gas all of us. Take us out in one blow. But he really has no reason to kill us. It’s not like we plan to turn him in to the Feds.
We’ve been cooperative.
Nova crosses his fingers at his side, indicating to us that he sees Varrick. I really did believe this was a setup. Because I’m more shocked when my dad saunters into the dimly lit parlor.
He smiles back at Nova after slipping past him. I detect notes of appreciation…admiring Nova’s forethought? Guardedness? Caution?