Pick us back

chapter 11

Julian didn't hesitate. He closed his laptop with a sharp, final click and turned his chair to face her. The blue light from the screens still flickered in his eyes, making him look colder, older than he had at the shop. Marcus and Ezra went dead silent, their bodies tensing like they were bracing for an impact.

Julian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Ten years ago, we weren't just 'kids' from the neighborhood, Nova. Our fathers—yours included—were part of something in LA. A circle. We grew up together. You were the one we were supposed to protect. You were the heart of the whole damn operation."

He took a slow, jagged breath, his gaze never leaving hers.

The night your dad died? It wasn't an accident. It was a hit. The same people who came for him came for us. We were forced to run, to go underground in LA, to become the 'bad news' you see now.

But your mother..." Julian's lip curled in a sneer. "She was the leak. She took the payoff to disappear with you, to keep you hidden so we could never find you. She told us you were dead, Nova. For ten years, we believed we'd failed you."

For ten years while you were hidden from us she abused you.. she used her 'payoff' for drugs Julian's fists his hands , it was never meant to be that way love..

Marcus stood up, moving into the light. The blood was gone from his hands, but his knuckles were still raw. "We didn't come to Maryland for 'peace,' darling. We came because Julian found a digital trail. A bank account in your mother's name that shouldn't have existed. We came to see if it was true. To see if you were still alive."

Ezra stepped up beside Marcus, his voice a low, pained rumble. "The minute I walked into that shop and saw those red curls, I knew. I didn't care about the tattoo. I just needed to see if you remembered us. But she'd scrubbed us from your head, hadn't she? She made sure you forgot everything so you wouldn't ask questions about the money she was spending."

Julian stood up and walked toward her, stopping just outside her personal space. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, tarnished silver charm—a tiny, detailed bee."You dropped this the night the house in LA burned," he said, holding it out in his palm. "I've carried it for three thousand days. You aren't just a girl we met in a shop, Nova. You're the reason we survived the streets. We spent a decade becoming monsters so that when we finally found you, no one—not your mother, not those dealers, no one—would ever be able to take you away again."

The room felt like it was shrinking. The "bliss" of the tattoo shop, the "demon" at home, the "gods" in front of her—it all merged into one terrifying reality.

"So when I say you're ours," Julian whispered, his voice dropping to a dangerous, possessive level, "I mean it. We've already lost you once. We aren't making that mistake a second time."

Nova looked at the silver bee in his hand, then at the three men who looked ready to kill the world for her.

The silence that followed was heavy, the air thick with the weight of a decade's worth of secrets finally brought to light. I stared at the small, tarnished charm in my palm, the cold metal biting into my skin—a physical piece of a past I'd been forced to forget. It was the missing puzzle piece, the reason why my soul had felt so restless in that shop, why the "bliss" was never quite enough.

I looked up at the three of them—Julian's clinical intensity, Ezra's raw protectiveness, and Marcus's dark, possessive devotion. "I believe you," I whispered, my voice barely more than a breath. "I have so many questions... but I can't do this yet. I need rest. I need to be alone."

Marcus nodded slowly, his jaw tight. He stepped back, clearing a path for me. "Ezra, show her the room at the end of the hall. It's the most secure."

Ezra didn't say a word. He just placed a gentle hand on the small of my back, guiding me away from the blue glow of Julian's screens and toward the back of the house. He led me to a heavy oak door that looked like it belonged in a castle. Inside, the room was a stark contrast to my "hole" at home.

The Comfort: A massive bed with high-thread-count sheets, a stack of thick blankets, and pillows that actually looked like they'd hold my head.

The Security: There were no windows here either, but instead of feeling like a cage, it felt like a vault. The walls were reinforced, and a small monitor on the bedside table showed the perimeter feeds—Julian's digital eyes watching the world.

The Debt: On the nightstand, Ezra had already placed my roll of $13,670, stacked neatly as if it were the most precious thing in the room.

Ezra stopped at the threshold, his eyes lingering on the cut on my cheek that Marcus had cleaned so carefully. "The door locks from the inside, Nova. We're right down the hall. If you hear a floorboard creak that isn't us, the alarm will tell you before they even reach the gate."

He hesitated, his hand lingering on the doorframe. "Sleep. We'll be here when you wake up. We aren't going anywhere this time."

I nodded, the exhaustion finally pulling at my limbs like lead weights. I watched him close the door, the click of the lock echoing through the silent room. I crawled onto the bed, still clutching the bee necklace in one hand and the cold roll of cash in the other.

The "demon" was gone, but the "gods" were in the hallway. I closed my eyes, and for the first time since my father died, the darkness didn't feel like a threat. It felt like a shield.

I fall asleep clutching the necklace to me. Knowing my life is about to change forever, is it for the good or for the worst..?