Page 43 of A Violet Obsession

“I’m sorry,” she whispers again. “I’m used to handling things alone. It’s all I know how to do.”

“Except you’re not alone anymore.” I steal a glance at her when she doesn’t answer, and attempt to control my breathing before I speak again. “I’ll put a man outside Dawn and Trevor’s. Rhodes can take Emma to a hotel,” I say, reaching for the burner.

She lets out a heavy exhale. “I thought I was protecting you. All of you. I realize how stupid it sounds now saying it out loud.”

It’s after midnight when I pull up to Brady’s building in Midtown. Parking close to the elevators, I tell Lily not to get out yet. Rounding the hood, I open her door and try not to scowl when the orange menace gives me a superior smile as Lily gets out of the car with it in her arms. Then again, after her takedown of Voss, maybe the cat has the right to brag.

As the elevator car ascends, Lily struggles to fix her disheveled hair with an arm full of squirming cat, her expression growing more frustrated by the second.

“Give it to me,” I sigh.

“Her.” She corrects, and then dumps the animal in my arms. She pulls her hairband from her hair and starts to braid her hair.

“Leave it down.”

The cat and Lily both turn their heads in surprise, Lily still trying to work her fingers through her curls.

“It’s a mess.”

“It’s not.” What am I doing?

Her mouth falls open when I pluck the band out of her fingers and slide it onto my wrist.

“What are you doing?” Her hands go to her hips. “Give that back.”

“You can have her.” But when I try to hand back the cat, Hera immediately sinks her claws into the front of my shirt. “Lily, take the damn cat.”

She gives me an arch look as the elevator dings, coming to a stop. “I wouldn’t fight with her. She can be mean when she doesn’t get her way.”

“It’s gotta be the hair,” I mutter, stalking towards the security panel mounted on the wall across from the elevator in the small entry area, and pressing a button. “It’s me,” I say, when Brady answers.

When Brady opens the door with his gun resting against his leg, it occurs to me I should have called first.

Too late now.

As we step into the open living space, I find more people than I expected. Liev Kovalyov, a vor for the Kovalyov Bratva, also has his gun out and is standing between the door and Brady’s wife Elizabeth and his own wife Sera, who is one of my closest friends.

Lily steps back abruptly, her back bumping my chest and Hera. “These are my friends,” I say quietly, guiding her inside the large apartment with gentle pressure on the small of her back.

My eyes meet Brady’s. “I need a minute.”

His gaze goes to Lily’s marked face, and then he jerks his chin toward the hallway.

Thankfully, the demon cat cooperates when I hand her to Lily this time. “I’ll be right back,” I reassure her. “You’re safe here.”

I turn and give Sera a look. She raises her eyebrows at me, but I know she got the message. Go easy.

“Lily is my sister’s best friend,” I explain to Brady as soon as we’re alone. I give him a quick overview of what’s happened over the last twelve hours. “Can I put her in one of Elite’s safe rooms until I figure out what to do?”

Brady crosses his arms and nods, leaning against the desk. “Do you want to bring your sister in?”

“No, she should be okay in a hotel for the night.” I make a face. “I’ll deal with her in the morning.”

Brady nods. “I’ll be in first thing, and we’ll come up with a plan.”

I thank him and return to retrieve Lily. I’m relieved when I find her smiling, though the way Sera’s looking at me, I have a feeling they were talking about me.

Great.