JARED-1(Lane Brothers, Book 4)(28)

“I told you I don’t know a freaking thing! Quit that, you Neanderthal!” she hisses when Bronx leans down and sniffs at her, his eyes closing in ecstasy.

I ignore the fanfare and make my way to her, ready and willing to use whatever means necessary to get her talking. Not violence. I hate violence towards women and would die before striking one.

I’m way too big to justify hitting such delicate creatures, but I will unleash the women on her ass, if need be.

“Start talking.”

Her eyes widen at my tone and she takes a step back into Bronx, seeming to settle a little at the contact. Interesting.

“I don’t know anything about that little bitch—”

“Ronny. You talk now or Ma’s gonna get on your ass, girl,” I warn, stepping to the side to let her see my ma and the dark scowl leveled her way.

Ronny swallows and mashes her lips together before nodding and wringing her hands.

“Paulie told me not to tell anyone this, on pain of death, but I’m so scared she’ll get herself hurt, and she’s like my best friend, you know,” she says tearfully, making Trace gasp and growl. “My only friend.”

The correction is done so fast that even Trace seems mollified as Ronny stands wringing her hands uncertainly.

“Let me get this straight. You and Paulie do not hate each other? You aren’t such a bitch to her as you pretend?” Ma asks and I stay silent, curious to hear what she has to say.

Ronny smiles softly and looks so sweet that she’s beautiful as the mask falls away to reveal real affection there.

“We do sometimes, but we get so caught up in this act that we forget, I think, and it takes a while to even stop thinking poorly of each other. I know that sounds strange, but we’ve been at this for so long now that it’s not easy playing our roles when we’re really best—when we’re friends,” she corrects when Trace snarls again.

The words penetrate but I need more to clear this fog as the truth starts screaming into my face.

Miah scowls and I know it’s hard for him to accept, because he’s hated and mistrusted Ronny since the get-go.

“More.”

Ronny swallows and nods once, moving closer to Bronx until she’s practically hidden beneath the guy’s huge arm.

“About eighteen months ago, Paulie and I went on one of our midnight adventures. We’d sneak out of Cleo’s house and into the woods to go searching for fairies. Yeah, I know that sounds lame, but we’ve done it since we were little and we still do, or did, every chance we got. It was our escape from the families and our reality, I think.” She laughs, making me smile at the picture of Paulie skipping around the darkened woods searching for something that doesn’t exist.

It’s so real that I almost laugh at her disappointment at not finding any, and I see Ronny smile fondly.

“Anyway, we were trying to creep down the back stairs that lead up to my room from the balcony when we heard Cleo and Jerry arguing. I didn’t care, but she did, and before I knew it we were hiding beneath the lavender bushes listening to them scream and rant about showing you all and getting revenge. Lynn was there, too, and she just laughed it all off and seemed not to care. Till Jerry mentioned Ellie here and all hell broke loose.”

Wyatt and Ellie both gasp and I see my brother pull her and Al closer as if protecting them from even the thought.

“Go on,” I say, feeling my impatience grow with the urgency riding me. “Get to the point!”

Ronny startles but takes a breath and goes on.

“We hid in the woods all night after that and we made plans to leave before things got worse. But they must have known…fuck, Andrew and Clyde saw us that night and told Cleo and we were caught. They didn’t want anything from me but silence, and they got that by threatening to kill Paulie if I said a thing. But they did want Paulie.”

“What for?”

“Deliveries and pickups. She’s so sweet and nondescript that it’s easy for her to blend in and slip through the cracks, you know. She was a mule, basically, between the drug lords and the money men. Cleo threatened her family and she went along to keep them safe. But she had a plan, our Paulie. She gathered evidence and smuggled some of the proof home.”

I growl, wanting to yell that there isn’t a plain, un-shining thing about Cupcake, but it’s not the time or place to ring the woman’s neck and I know it.

“We know that! Get to that phone call!” Jace yells before I can, his patience obviously at an end.

I hear Bronx growl and step closer before Ronny puts a hand to his chest and halts him.

“I heard Jerry and Frank talking. They said that the deciding vote would be cast today and that it was all up to whatever Cleo’s proxy said.”