“Not for them, but I’m working with them to find those who are still loyal to Earl and who intend to finish what he couldn’t. I’ll protect Marcella no matter the cost.”
Gray’s mouth twisted. “Everyone’s saying she’s leading you around by the balls because she wants to use you.”
“Marcella doesn’t have reason to use me. Once her father saved her, she could have dropped me like a hot potato, but she made sure I was safe.”
“You love her?”
I’d been pondering that question myself even after I told her. I’d never told a girl I loved her before, and I wasn’t sure how to really know when you crossed the line between having a crush and really loving someone but giving up the life you knew for someone seemed like a pretty good indicator.
“I do.”
Gray nodded.
“Does Gunnar know who spread the rumors about me?” I wanted to change the topic. Talking emotions, especially love, with Gray made me uncomfortable. I preferred to keep my emotions and thoughts to myself.
“Gunnar stayed away from the Italians like I did. He barely escaped alive.”
I had been surprised that Gunnar had made it out alive, I had to admit, but his obsession with survival training must have come in handy.
“You think it’s safe for me to talk to the guys in the hut to see if they can tell me more?”
Gray nodded. “Gunnar’s really pissed at you, in case you’re wondering. More than the others anyway. So if anyone kills you, it would be him.”
Gunnar didn’t seem overly hostile, at least not more than could be expected. If I had been in his stead, I would have been pissed too.
“Who are the guys with Gunnar? He said Roland was there.”
“Roland came back this morning after running a few errands. We needed money, The others are just a couple of guys who left in the early days of Earl’s revenge quest. Richie, Kurt, and Bean.”
I remembered all of the guys, but I hadn’t talked to them in forever. “And none of them are going to put a bullet in my head?”
“Like I said, if Gunnar didn’t kill you, they probably won’t either. The people who want you dead aren’t in our group. But Earl still has many supporters, especially down in Texas. They might try to kill you and Marcella. You can trust my word, I’d never betray you,” Gray muttered. “You can leave if you think I’m leading you into a trap.”
“I trust you, Gray,” I said, but I had to admit I felt a hint of wariness. Maybe it was just my general distrustful nature. “You should leave here and come with me. I can take you to Mom. She’s worried about you.”
“I won’t come with you. There’s nothing for me to return to. I’m too old to move in with Mom again.”
I didn’t point out that he was still seventeen and thus technically supposed to live with Mom. We both had hardly ever experienced a standard family life, so why start now?
“You could come with me…” I wasn’t even sure where I’d live. I didn’t have a place to stay. Living in one of Tartarus’ old hubs seemed like a bad idea. I had money now but finding an apartment in the city would still take time. And I doubted Luca would allow me to sleep in Marcella’s room. The thought almost made me smile but at the same time the realization that I actually considered living under the same roof with Marcella scared the living shit out of me. Fuck, this was getting serious in my brain. Could I really do that? Especially with the additional complication of Marcella’s family?
“I won’t get anywhere near the Italians,” Gray muttered.
“Stay out of trouble, all right?”
“I think you should listen to your own advice. More people want you dead than me.”
I grinned bitterly. “I intend to find out who they are and eliminate as many as possible.”
Gray and I headed back to the hut. Gray entered first and disappeared from view for a couple of minutes. The low rumble of mumbling carried over to me before Gray reappeared. When he gave me a nod, I followed him inside. Bean, Kurt, Richie, Roland, and Gunnar sat around a rustic wooden table, bottles of beer in front of them. All of their eyes followed me as I sank down on a vacant chair.
“You have balls coming here after what you did. And I thought the Vitiello princess has your balls in her hands,” Bean said, flashing me a grin, revealing his missing front tooth. Earl had smashed it in and forbidden Bean from having it replaced. He was supposed to keep the gap as a reminder. Shortly after, Bean had become a Nomad, maybe two years ago.
“She does on occasion,” I said with a shrug.
“You sure she hasn’t cut them off?” Richie asked.