Of course he did, another one of those things he did. He could fool the world all he wanted with his brooding attitude.
He was still sweet as hell.
Kind of in awe, I shook my head. “What did you use for meat?”
“Seitan.” Jax placed the pan in the center on an oven mitt, and when LJ frowned—he’d taken a seat next to me and hadn’t gotten served—Jax threw a hand at him. “Um, all this so isn’t for you, bro,” he chided before wiggling his eyebrows at me. “What do you think, December?”
He appeared very excited for my response so I sampled what he made.
“Dude,” I basically moaned. Grabbing another forkful, I shoved it into my mouth. “What the fuck?”
“I know, right?” His grin strong, Jax backed away, heading toward the kitchen. “Wait until you have it with chocolate almond milk. We only put regular on the table.”
“You know, you really don’t have to open and consume everything in the fridge? We’re checking out later today.”
Royal appeared from behind my chair when I turned, never failing to look hot as hell. He had his North Face jacket on, his cheeks flushed and red. I started to get up, but he came to me, a bag of groceries in his hands. He kissed my cheek. “Good morning, princess.”
I’d never not like him calling me that, calling me anything really. I just loved him saying my name. I loved loving him.
“Hey.” I pulled back. “You got groceries?”
“Got three more mouths to feed.” He wagged blond eyebrows. “Four if you count Knight’s gladiator ass.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Knight came around the corner in his big-ass puffer coat, and I was reminded by how he’d let me wear that once. He’d saved me, literally giving me the coat off his back. He came into the room with about three more bags to each one Royal had. Knight placed them on the bar. “I paid for all this shit so I eat what I want.”
The guys chuckled, Royal too when he stripped off his jacket. He put it on the back of my chair and started to take the groceries to the kitchen, but Knight told him he had it covered. He must have not been too mad at what Royal said because he not only put all the groceries away but set out place settings for the other guys. After he was done, he hung his coat and took off a gray hat from dark locks.
“I see you started without me.” Royal threw an arm around my front, smelling of heat and boy. He pressed his face into my cheek. “Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.”
“So is this how it’s going to be now?” Jax directed a fork at Royal. He’d taken his seat and started eating too. He grinned. “You being all ‘Kept’ and bitch ass?”
“December’s not Kept.” LJ pulled the words right out of Royal’s mouth and so quick Royal hadn’t even had to say them. LJ winked. “Clearly, look at her neck. You know she’s wearing his ring.”
“Yeah.” Royal hugged both arms around me. “She’s in. Obviously, since we took this trip.”
“So she knows everything?” Despite bringing in so much food, Knight didn’t eat any of it when he sat down. He folded his fingers. “She knows about everything?”
The tone of the room changed with the very words, and even though Knight had said them, his expression fell as well. Dark eyebrows narrowed, his eyes looking away, and nothing but the clanks and clamor of Jax’s eating filled the silence. Eventually, Jax stopped doing that too, just staring at Royal and me.
Royal pushed hands down my arms. “I told her why she and I are here and what brought me here initially.”
“So she doesn’t know who we think had something to do with it?” Knight was very blunt, but I could hold my own with him. I could hold my own with all of them.
I sat back. “He told me he had some suspicions but hasn’t said whom.”
All eyes shifted to Royal in that moment, and at that point, he took the empty chair next to mine. He spun it around, sitting on the back right next to me. “Remember when I said there was a private company that did your sister’s investigation? A company I thought I recognized?”
I nodded, and he placed a hand on mine, threading them together.
“Well, I later did after I found out what happened to Paige. I Googled and realized it’s one of my dad’s companies, Bankable Assets & Holdings LLC.”
The room spun, and I thought I’d throw up what little I’d eaten. The tofu turned into a mass in my gut, the bile charging up my throat like molten lava.
“Are you saying your dad…” I couldn’t even get the words out, swallowing hard. “Are you saying your dad did this to my sister? He touched my sister…”
“No, December. No.” He brought my hands in with his. “Fortunately for him, my fucker of a dad has an alibi.”
“He was with us.” LJ raised a hand off the table. “We were all called away to help with some Court business.”
“The Court has a gala every year.” Royal panned in my direction, frowning. “Senior members make a big deal about it. I’d been avoiding it, honestly. Dad nailed me that night.”
“Roped my grandfather in to help him do it,” Knight grunted. “They all make a big deal out of that shit, so we went.”
“We shouldn’t have gone.” The words were said by Jax. Done with his food too, he threaded his fingers. “She was alone.”
“She insisted on it.” Royal’s attention shifted to me. “Hazes are supposed to be done singularly, and even if they weren’t, Paige would have made us leave. She had to push me to leave in the end.”
In the end… the story came out again. He was there that night, they all were like I’d been told before.
“So he just covered it up?” I asked. “Why?”
Royal dampened his lips. “That’s one of the things we have no clue about. I assumed it was to protect me. I bet a lot of it had to do with me.”
He had done a haze that night, he and the other boys…
How fucked up.
I lowered my head, and my shoulders were rubbed, Royal on one side and LJ on the other.
“That’s not all, though, Royal.” Knight leaned forward. “Tell her everything.”
“Everything?” I looked over and Royal’s jaw moved.
He sighed. “There’s a lot to this, December. A whole fucking lot, and we’re still working it all out.”
“Enlighten me.” I needed to be goddamn enlightened. I needed the truth. “I told you I want to know everything.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking, December.” LJ grappled our attention, his mouth in a hard frown. “There’s a lot of pieces to this. It’s all dangerous.”
“Well, you’re in it,” I stated, and they confirmed with nods. My throat jumped. “Tell me everything. I’m going to be in it too.”
The room was silent again with no one eating. Royal eased his chair closer. “The minute I found out about Paige I wanted revenge. I wanted to find out whoever it was and end them. With my bare hands if I had to.”
I took his, squeezing them, and he did back.
He touched his forehead to mine. “I had this whole plan, Em. Even roped in Mira. I got close to her. That’s why I came with her to Paige’s reception. I needed her close. My only link to the sheriff’s office and finding out the truth.”