Don’t worry, Mom. I’m going to fix this. I’m going to save your girls.
I grab some clothes and quickly dress. Hygiene can wait until I’ve seen Della, insuring she’s okay this morning, though I know—deep in my gut—Sully stayed true to his word and kept her safe for me.
I make my way out of Scout’s room and toward the sound of voices. The scent of bacon in the air makes my stomach grumble. It’s disorienting seeing all three men, identical copies of one another, moving about the space together. Della sits on the counter, her pink cat resting in her lap, as she watches Scout cook.
I know it’s Scout because he just stands differently than his brothers, favoring his bad leg. Sully is easy to spot because he’s doing something on his phone, making a face of concentration, much like whenever he’d try to teach Della. Sparrow sits at the bar, eyes burning holes into me, actually having the audacity to be annoyed, like I’m the problem here.
I had no clue they were three different people, but now that I know, it’s so obvious. Last night, I saw Scout’s incredibly tattooed chest, and it makes me wonder if the other brothers have ink or not. I never saw them undressed, and now I know why. I’d have been able to determine who was who because it’s doubtful they all have the same tattoos.
Walking over to Della, I cup a hand beneath her chin and lift her head to meet my eyes. She’s not crying and doesn’t appear to be upset, but I ask anyway.
Are you okay? I sign, frowning at her.
Three Fords, she signs back.
Don’t worry. We’ll get out of here soon. I stroke my palm over her messy hair. Promise.
She shakes her head. I want to play with Heathen.
You can play with Heathen, but when it’s time to go, I need you to be ready. Since she ignores that statement, I grab her attention again, forcing her green eyes to look at me. Did they tell you their names?
Sully is the real Ford, she says with her hands, as though that’s obvious. Sparrow is the dummy. Scout is the maid.
I bite back a laugh. The maid?
She gestures at him cooking.
Smiling at her, I pull her off the counter and kiss her head. Go find Heathen, sis.
As soon as she scurries off to terrorize the poor cat, I edge to the corner of the kitchen where I can keep all three men in my line of vision. Sully has pocketed his phone and now studies me intently.
“Tell us what happened,” Sully says, his words directed mostly at Scout, but he’s looking at me.
Scout turns slightly from his skillet and smirks at me. “Landry ran away from her prison tower and I gave her a place to run to.”
My blood boils at his stupid answer. “I thought I was meeting Ty. How did you manage this anyway?”
“Ty’s my new bestie,” Scout says with a shrug and goes back to cooking.
I glower at his back. “That’s not an answer. Was Ty in on this? Did he betray me, too?”
“Your sweet little Constantine was clueless,” Scout replies with a dark chuckle. “He doesn’t even know he’s been played.”
“You said last night that I was part of a job. What job?”
Sully approaches, palms up as though if he makes one wrong move, I might bite. I might. He better walk carefully. Wisely, he stops a couple feet away from me.
“We do jobs for our uncle,” Sully explains. “It’s stupid, but he gave us a place in his family when our mother went to prison.”
“I thought she died,” I choke out. “You guys led me to believe she died.”
“She may as well be dead. Winston Constantine made it so she’ll never leave that hellhole,” Sparrow growls.
“Why is she in prison?” I shake my head. “Forget it. I don’t care. I want to know how I tie into your fucked-up games and why I’m here.”
Sully sighs, taking another step toward me. I narrow my eyes, warning him from getting any closer. “There’s this ongoing war between the Morellis and the Constantines.”
“So you’re Morellis?”
“Technically,” Sully agrees, “but legally, we’re Mannfords.”
Mannford.
Ford Mann.
Oh my God.
If I would have just googled Ford Mann, I might have eventually discovered the truth. I was too afraid of Dad finding what I’d search out, and when I had the opportunity, I was more concerned with finding an escape from my father, not researching my boyfriend.
Boyfriend?
Dumb girl. You were played by three evil twats.
“The Morellis hate the Constantines. We, specifically, hate the Constantines. So, when our uncle asked us to meddle in your dad’s life, since Winston Constantine was planning to do some business with him, we jumped at the chance.”
I sidestep Sully, unable to look at his face. My gaze finds Sparrow. “And it was in the plan to fuck me? I bet you guys had so much fun laughing at my expense.” Swallowing hard, I fight the tears forming in my eyes. “I feel so stupid.”