Beautiful Thorns (Boys of Bellerose #4)(6)
Author: Jaymin Eve

 

“Tell them the truth,” I said back. “That Angelo was kidnapped by armed assailants and the rest of Bellerose are deeply shaken by the attack. That we request patience and privacy as we work through our trauma. The fans can’t argue with that, and neither can the label. Not after everything.”

 

“I agree,” Brenda said in a sad voice. “Do you need me to find you somewhere else to stay?”

 

I dragged my lower lip through my teeth, thinking, then glanced into the living room where Billie still sat in Rhett’s lap as he stroked her hair lovingly. “No, we can work it out,” I decided. “The fewer people who know, at this point, the better.”

 

“Good. Stick with Grayson; he’ll keep the rest of you alive. Good luck, kid.” Again, she ended the call without a goodbye, but that was standard Brenda, always too busy for pleasantries.

 

Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I grimaced at the video screen, then ran a hand over my hair. “So, what now?”

 

He turned off the monitor and faced me with a blank expression. “Now, we pack our shit and get out of here. I’ve booked us suites at the Plaza Royal for tonight under aliases; we can figure out a plan in the morning.”

 

I frowned, sensing something… off about his phrasing. “A plan to find Angelo?”

 

Grayson shrugged. “Sure. To start with. Then I think we start talking about the bigger picture—how to extract us out of this violent conflict. All of us. Ricci included. He’s one of us now.”

 

Damn right, he was. I should have known it’d be Billie who brought us back together. We were all hers now, the boys of Bellerose indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

four

 

 

 

 

 

BILLIE

 

 

Relocating from the messed-up house to a ritzy hotel in the middle of Monaco was a whirlwind of activity. Money got exchanged with every handshake, and by ten at night we were secured into the sub-penthouse of the Plaza Royal hotel—the kind of suite that came with its own indoor pool overlooking the water.

 

I tried to pull myself together enough to ask what the hell we were doing about Angelo, but ultimately, we were all too wiped out to get far. I hit the pillow hard, falling into a deep, blissfully dreamless sleep, and woke up the next morning feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. Bruises darkened my left side, adding to the myriad burns and scars I already bore from this life, and I winced as I toweled myself dry after a shower.

 

“How’d that happen?” Rhett asked with concern, tugging off his boxers to get into the shower himself.

 

I grimaced. “Angelo dove on top of me. This must be where I hit the floor.”

 

Rhett nodded his understanding, leaving the shower door open while he started to rinse. “Thank fuck for his quick thinking.”

 

“Agreed,” I murmured with a sigh. “I’ll take bruises over bullet holes any day.” I bit my lip, worry curling through me once more. I met Rhett’s eyes in the mirror, knowing he saw right through me. “Do you think he’s okay? Wilson wouldn’t hurt him too much, would he? Like… surely, if he wants to bargain with Giovanni, he needs to keep Angelo in one piece. Right?”

 

Rhett’s hesitation told me everything I needed to know. “I hope he’s okay, babe. He’s been growing on me.”

 

I forced a small smile to my lips. “Like fungus?”

 

He grinned back. “Just like fungus. I’m sure Gray and Vee already have answers for us.” He turned the shower off and accepted the towel I handed him. “It’ll be okay, beautiful Thorn. I promise.” His kiss on my lips was gentle and full of love, nearly making me cry.

 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Zeppelin,” I whispered with a lump in my throat.

 

He stroked a thumb over my cheek, his eyes on mine. “Then I’d better keep it. The last thing I’d ever want is to let you down.”

 

From him, I believed it. We dressed and made our way out to the enormous living area, where Jace snored on the couch. There were enough bedrooms for all of us, but he’d muttered something about keeping an eye on the door before we’d all gone to bed. I guess this was what he’d meant.

 

Grayson sat at the window, reading something on his phone, but stood up when I approached. His strong arms swept around my body, holding me tight as I damn near strangled him with my hug.

 

“How did you sleep?” he rumbled, tightening his grip as he carried me over to the couch. He sat down, pulling me into his lap, and I snuggled closer.

 

“Heavily,” I replied. “Do you have any news?”

 

“I do,” he confirmed. “Rhett, order us room service?”

 

Jace snored again, and I extended my foot to nudge him. “Wake up, Adams,” I said when he stirred.

 

He groaned, then focused sleepy eyes on me with a frown. “I had the most fucked up dream that your dad was still alive, Rose.”

 

I cringed. “Not a dream, Jace. More like a living nightmare. He’s alive, the head of a cartel, and also holding Angelo hostage. You awake now?”

 

Jace blinked at me, then scrubbed his hands over his face with a longer groan. “Okay. Yep. That all happened. I’m awake.”

 

“Hungry?” Rhett asked with the hotel tablet in hand.

 

“Fuck no,” Jace replied, sitting up. “But I’ll take a pancake stack and coffee.”

 

“Same,” I added, my stomach rumbling. We never did get to eat the pasta Angelo was making last night, and now my belly was reminding me. Gray still held me in his lap, and his hand slipped beneath my shirt to stroke my skin under my ribs, sending little butterflies flapping.

 

Rhett finished the order, then flopped down on the armchair opposite us. “Okay, what’s the news?”

 

“Vee’s contacts did some research into Wilson,” Gray said. “Or when this Wilson took over control. The original Wilson founded the group some twenty-odd years ago in Northern California but ran afoul of the local controlling gang and got chased out of the area. He then set up shop very quietly in Siena and spent several years working from the shadows to build his power base without alerting the Riccis.”

 

Confusion rattled through my brain. “The original Wilson wasn’t my father?”

 

“No. From what we can see, he worked for the original Wilson, laundering money through his mechanic business. Then around the time of the fire… things changed hands.” Grayson’s fingers stroked across my belly in a soothing way, and I tried really hard to absorb the information with detachment, like we were talking about strangers… which we kind of were.