by James Tate
"How'd she do with her ankle surgery?" Kody asked, peering over at my phone when Archer killed his character again.
"Sounds like it went good," I replied, showing him the smiling picture of Bree and Dallas with a big bunch of flowers. "She got the flowers we sent."
Kody made a thoughtful sound. "They look good together."
Archer tossed his controller onto the table and slouched back on the sofa. "Bree and her flowers?"
Kody rolled his eyes. "Bree and Dallas. I wouldn't have picked those two as a match, spoiled rich brat and gangster ex-con. But they work."
I smiled, agreeing, but Archer just scoffed as his fingers massaged my calves. "Please, they were destined for each other. Sheltered rich girls can never resist an inked-up bad boy. Right, Princess?" He shot me a smug look, and I jabbed him in the ribs with my toe.
"Arrogance is a bad look on you, Sunshine," I replied in a tart voice, leaning my shoulders into Kody as he looped an arm around me.
Archer grinned. "Don't lie; my arrogance is hot as hell."
I rolled my eyes but didn't deny it. "Well anyway, that reminds me, Bree's worried about Dallas and his obligations to the Wraiths. I told her I'd talk to you guys about it because I can't think of a solution."
Archer cocked a brow at me as his thumbs rubbed a particularly sore spot above my knee. "You think we can get Dallas out of his oath to Charon?"
I shrugged. "He is your uncle, and you've got him under your thumb, don't you?"
Archer shook his head. "He's my uncle by blood only, and he's nowhere near under my thumb. He just has enough self-preservation that he won't piss me off."
I sighed, understanding. "I get it. You don't mess around in his business, and he steers clear of yours. But there has to be some way to help Dallas out. He's likely to end up getting killed before his baby is even born."
The guys exchanged a look, then Archer grimaced. "I don't know that we need to be borrowing trouble right now, Kate."
My sound of protest was cut off when Kody added, "What about a trade out? It's happened before."
Archer frowned, thinking, then shook his head. "We have no one to offer, and Moore wouldn’t be any better off with the Reapers. Worse, even."
Kody sighed. "Good point. Zane would jump at the chance to make an example out of him. I'm guessing that's what Ferryman is doing too. Dallas has made it way too obvious he's loyal to MK over anyone else."
I cringed. "I can imagine that's a pretty big no-no in gangs."
"Yeah, you could say that," Archer murmured. "Leave it to me; I'll have to think about it, okay? I still don't fucking like Moore, and I trust him even less. But I can see Bree's happiness is important to you..." He ground the words out like it caused him physical pain to be a nice person. It was cute as hell.
Grinning, I slipped out of Kody's embrace and climbed on top of Archer to crush my mouth against his in a grateful kiss.
"Thank you, Sunshine," I whispered when our kiss ended, my arms still tight around his neck and his banded around my waist. "I promise, Dallas and Bree deserve our help. We need more allies anyway, right?"
Archer grumbled a noise but kissed me again in response.
"You guys keep that up and we're gonna have to test Archer's willingness to share again," Kody warned, giving me a sly grin when I looked over at him.
Archer huffed, then shocked the damn pants off me. "I'm not against the idea," he muttered as he dipped his face to kiss my neck.
I swallowed a gasp of surprise and shook my head. "You're in a rare mood, Archer D'Ath," I commented with a laugh. "But it'll have to wait. Our lovely wedding planner is calling in around twenty minutes, remember?"
Archer sucked lightly on my neck, making me groan. "So what you're saying, wifey, is that we need to make you come in less than fifteen minutes? That's easily doable."
I laughed then pushed back from him with my hands flat on his chest. "Did you get fucking body snatched or something?"
"Also, we don't even have fifteen," Kody added, checking his phone. "Zed's on his way over now to discuss floorplans and artillery."
Archer let out a long sigh, then ruffled his fingers through his ink-black hair. "Fine," he growled. "To be continued."
My brows flicked up, but I nodded anyway. I sure as hell wasn't saying no when he was in a sharing mood. My pussy was already damp in anticipation of later.
"If we're expecting company, I better get dressed," I said with a sigh, then reluctantly climbed out of Archer's lap. I was wearing just a baggy T-shirt—one of Kody's—and hot pants underneath—good enough when it was just the three of us, but probably not acceptable for company.
I hurried up the stairs, and the doorbell rang before I reached my bedroom. By the time I’d changed into jeans and put a bra on, I'd already missed half of the discussion with Zed. Not that I fully understood what was going on anyway.
They all sat at the dining table with blueprints of our wedding venue—a non-denominational chapel on the north side of Shadow Grove—spread out between them. They were discussing choke points and lines of sight, and within around two minutes they'd totally lost me. Which was fine because I wasn't going to make them sit there and explain it all to me. I didn't need a crash course in the tactics of an ambush. I just needed them to know what they were doing.
I had one role at this wedding.
Bait.
I tuned back in when Zed nodded his head at me. "What precautions have you put in place for your girl?" His question was aimed at Archer, even if his cold, assessing gaze was on me. "She can't exactly wear Kevlar. First fucking clue that the wedding is a sham, when the bride arrives in a bulletproof vest."
"I'm glad we agree on that point," I murmured, giving Archer an I-told-you-so look.
He rolled his eyes and exhaled heavily. "We're still working on it," he admitted reluctantly. "For now, we just need to focus on ensuring all vantage points are covered by our men so there's no opportunity for Kate to be shot by a ranged weapon. Clear?"
Zed jerked a nod. "Clear. We want to bait the trap, not throw food to the rats." His phone vibrated on the table, and his brows twitched up. "Excuse me, I need to take this. Boss doesn't like voicemail." He rolled his eyes, then brought his phone to his ear. "Hades."
That was all he said in greeting, then he listened in silence as Hades spoke on the other end. Eventually, his eyes flicked up at Kody, and a grin arched across his lips. "Yes, sir," he finally said into the phone, "I'll tell him."
He ended the call and cleared his throat.
"Tell me what?" Kody asked suspiciously.
Zed smirked. "Hades watched surveillance footage from the car crash. Wanted to tell you that your aim has improved vastly over the years, 'cause you used to be a lousy shot."
Kody scowled. "I was not."
Zed glared. "You fucking were. Remember when you shot me?"
Archer snickered a laugh. "I forgot about that."
Kody was sulking now, though. His arms were folded tightly over his chest as he glared back at Zed. "It was only a graze, you big baby. Steele has since fine-tuned my skills."
"How is he doing, anyway?" Zed dropped the teasing edge from his voice. "That was a close fucking call."
"Too close," I murmured, shuddering as I remembered the light fading from his eyes right after the bullet struck his chest.
Archer grunted his agreement. "He was lucky, that's for fucking sure. I sent an extra guy to tail his ass while he's with his parents for Rachel's memorial."
Zed grimaced. "I forgot about that. I'll send a donation in Hades’s name when I get back to the office." He gave me a tight smile, then pushed his chair back and gathered up all the papers from the table. "It's a good plan, boys. Just work out how you're protecting your girl on the day."
With a nod, Zed left the dining room just as my phone rang. I grimaced when I read the display.
Heaving a sigh, I answered the call and clicked the speakerphone button. "Hi Alyssa," I greeted my wedding planner.
&n
bsp; "Madison Kate!" She all but sang my name, and I cringed. "My beautiful bride! Are you getting excited? There's only two weeks to go!"
Archer gave me a smug grin across the dining table, and I flipped him off. Kody had gone to see Zed out of the house and reset the perimeter alarms, so I decided to share the fun.
"I'm so excited," I fake-gushed, giving Archer a wicked smile. "Actually, I have you on speaker and Archer is here too. Say hi to Alyssa, honey."
He extended his middle finger back at me. "Hi Alyssa," he said, though, holding my gaze. "I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this day. It feels like I've been waiting to make this gorgeous girl mine for years."
There was a thread of total sincerity to his statement, despite the act we were putting on for our wedding planner, and my insides turned to mush.
Alyssa squealed in excitement on the phone, then launched into a whole spiel about various spreadsheets she'd created to help manage all the details of our big day.
I tuned her out for the most part because Archer was eye-fucking me across the table and making it damn near impossible to concentrate. I only tuned back in when I realized Alyssa had asked a question that required my response.
My cheeks heated with embarrassment. "Sorry, I missed what you said there," I admitted, "the line broke up a bit." Lies.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm driving, so maybe I went through a patch of bad reception," she replied with a small laugh. "I asked about your bridesmaid? I know your best friend was in a horrible accident, but did you have the name of her replacement for me?"
I blinked down at the phone, my mind blanking. I hadn't even given it a second thought since our first meeting.
"I'll email it over to you," Archer smoothly offered. "Did you need anything else from us Alyssa?"
"Oh yes, let me think." She hummed a tune for a second, then snapped her fingers. "Right. Rehearsal dinner—"
"We're not having one," Archer cut her off with a firm voice.
"Oh." Alyssa sounded totally gobsmacked. "But—"
"I'm sorry; I should have told you sooner. But we have an intimate family dinner planned. My girl hasn't seen her father for several months, you see? So we just want to make the night before our wedding a really special family moment. You understand, of course."
I couldn't fight the smile creeping over my lips as Archer reached over and ended the call on my phone.
"Family dinner, huh?" I asked him with narrowed eyes.
He shrugged. "What better wedding present for my bride than a pound of flesh?"
I groaned, letting my eyes roll back. "You say the sweetest things sometimes, husband."
An evil smirk played over his lips. "Come over here and I'll show you just how sweet I can really be." His eyes flashed, and his hand moved under the table as he leaned back in his chair.
Fucking hell. With an offer like that... I didn't even bother pushing my chair back. I just climbed directly over the table and into his lap. We could spare a couple of minutes for a quickie.
Or a not so quickie, as it turned out.
24
Later that night, Steele called me. I grabbed my slices of cold pizza that I'd just swiped from the fridge and told the guys I was going to my room. As much as I was loving having the whole day with Archer and Kody, I wanted to talk to Steele alone.
"Hey you," I murmured, answering his call on my way up to my room. "I thought I might have heard from you sooner than this."
His heavy sigh gusted down the phone. "I'm sorry, Hellcat." His voice was thick and his words slightly slurred. "I wanted to call... You're all I can think about."
I closed my bedroom door behind me and made my way over to my bed. "Max... are you drunk?"
He yawned. "Yup. Super drunk. Told you I would be."
My heart hurt for him. This weekend with his parents was clearly painful, and I badly wanted to be there.
"Steele..." I trailed off with a sigh of frustration and flopped down onto my bed. "Can I ask you something?"
He hiccupped. "You can ask me anything, beautiful."
"How come your parents never came to the hospital? You almost died, Max, and they never even came to see you." I swallowed heavily, knowing I was picking at an open wound. I wanted to understand him better, though. I wanted to know what had happened between Steele and his parents that they cared so little for him because I couldn't imagine how it was even possible when I loved him so hard it hurt.
Steele let out a small groan, and I could picture him running his hand over his face. "The short answer? They're bad people. It's why I don't want you meeting them, Hellcat. Maybe they're not bad enough to deserve a bullet to the head and a trip to Benny's... but I don't want them in our life."
Our life.
Sorrow rippled through me at the bitterness in his tone, but I understood. Apparently none of us had much luck in the parent department. Maybe that's why we all fit together so well.
"Can I play for you?" Steele asked, changing the subject. "My dad tried to force me to play at the memorial earlier, and I told him to get fucked. But Rachel used to love when I played for her... Can I play for you tonight instead?"
"Of course you can," I whispered, getting comfortable against my pillows to listen.
There was a short pause, I imagined while he was getting to a piano, then he hiccupped again and groaned. "Mixing wine and spirits was probably a bad idea," he mumbled, almost to himself. "Or maybe it was the half bottle of tequila. Something like that. Eh, anyway. I'm in the hotel lobby," he told me with a short laugh. "Apparently I don't care who else hears me play so long as I'm playing for you."
When he started playing, I sucked in a gasp and bit my lip. "Max..." I groaned. "I know this tune."
He gave a small laugh, his breath heavy like he was trying to balance the phone between his shoulder and ear while he played. Apparently being drunk hadn't impacted his coordination.
"I should hope so," he murmured back. "I finished writing it, though. Even gave it a name... first time I've ever named one of my own songs. Usually Rachel named them."
My chest ached at the sorrow and pain in his voice as he spoke of his dead sister. It was no wonder why he'd had his back ink done to honor her memory.
"So, what's it called?" I asked gently, wrapping my arm around myself like the hug I wanted to give him.
He huffed a short laugh. "Release."
I laughed. "Seriously?"
I could hear the grin in his voice as he replied. "Absolutely. I couldn't have thought of a better name to reflect the emotion behind this piece if I tried."
I grinned like an idiot up at my blank ceiling. I held fond memories of the release I'd found when he first played this tune for me over the phone.
This time, though, I just lay there and listened, absorbing every note, every keystroke, every raw emotion that Steele poured into his music in a way I'd never heard before.
Angry male voices interrupted the serenity of Steele's music a moment later, though, and the song cut off abruptly as the phone line clattered like he'd just dropped his device.
I sat up in a panic. My ears strained to hear what was being shouted, but couldn't make out the words. All I could hear were raised voices from at least two men, then a woman's scream.
Fuck. Fuck. Max was in trouble.
"Max!" I shouted, despite how futile it was when he clearly wasn't holding his phone anymore. "Steele! Hey, what's going on? Max!"
A second later, the line clattered again, and a heavy sigh reached my ears, followed by a muttered curse from Steele. "Sorry, Hellcat," he murmured with a groan. "Apparently my father needed a lesson in manners."
Cold anxiety washed through me, mixed with relief. It wasn't an assassination attempt, only his dad. Fuck me.
"What happened?" I asked in a strangled whisper, my pulse still racing.
Steele made a hissing sound, like he'd hurt himself. "I knocked his ass out," he mumbled. "If that doesn't send the message that I'm done with this family, I don't know what wil
l."
Oh shit. Steele's voice practically dripped venom and despair, like he could hardly believe he'd finally been pushed that far. He was hurting so damn much, and I should have been there for him.
"Come home, Max," I whispered, my voice choked up as tears for his pain streamed down my cheeks. "Come home to us, please?"
"Yeah," he said on another heavy sigh, like the weight of the damn world was on his shoulders. "Yeah, I'm leaving now. I'll be home by morning, Hellcat."
The relief that his words brought me was staggering. If I hadn't been sitting, I would have fallen. "I love you, Max," I told him, my voice firm and my words heartfelt. "I fucking love you. Come home safe."
"I will, Hellcat," he murmured, his breathing labored as I guessed he was making his way back up to his room. "I love you more."
With that declaration, the call dropped out. He'd likely just stepped into the elevator, but it didn't matter. He was coming home, and he loved me. That was all that mattered.
* * *
After my phone call with Steele, I couldn't sleep. After way too long tossing and turning in my big, empty bed, I gave up and climbed out again. I couldn't sleep alone anymore, and I was kidding myself to think otherwise.
Tucking my arms around myself, I padded down the hall and checked both Kody’s and Archer's rooms, finding them empty. Curious—because it was well past midnight—I went to find them.
First place I checked was the gym. Sure enough, Archer was in there with his music blasting as he rained blows on his BOB training dummy. He had another big fight coming up the week after our "wedding," provided we all lived that long. It was no surprise to find him squeezing in a late-night training session.
"Kate," he grunted when he spotted me. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" He lifted the front of his shirt to wipe sweat from his face, and I tried really hard not to drool.
"I'm fine," I replied with a smile. "Just couldn't sleep. I won't interrupt you, though. Keep going."