“If it comes down to that, I’ll do it for you,” he mutters, and I watch his eyes change in a way that shows how serious his statement is.
“He drugged her,” I whisper to myself, knowing down to my gut I’m right. “The only one who got close to her. She fucking trusted him.”
“Fuck,” Zack hisses, and I know he sees it now too. Eva wouldn’t do that shit. She wouldn’t. I saw the worry in her eyes when she found out what happened. Justin ran her check and it came back clean, no red flags. Lane has been playing the good guy, playing me, and playing her. I close my eyes, hating that I need to fucking tell Maggie about this shit. She’s already on edge; this shit will likely push her over.
“I can’t be here with her. With him here, I can’t risk something going down, not right now.”
Stepping closer, he drops his voice. “This is the safest place for her.”
“He’s sleeping down the hall,” I remind him, narrowing my eyes. “Right down the fucking hall.”
“Right next to me,” he says calmly, and I shake my head in frustration. “I’ll let Pika and Aye know what’s going on. No one will allow anything to happen to her.”
“Why the fuck didn’t I see this shit earlier?” I ask myself aloud.
“No one saw it.” I know he’s right, but even knowing he’s right, I want to put her ass on a plane and send her somewhere safe, where I can deal with this shit without her being in the middle of it. “We’re watching him. He has eyes on him, and Lane isn’t stupid. Even if what he’s done is stupid, he’s not a dumbass He won’t take a chance.”
“Fuck,” I clip, when I really want to roar my frustration.
“I know this situation isn’t ideal, but right now, we need to roll with it. When he makes his next move, I’ll make mine and put an end to it.”
“No, fuck no. I don’t know what his plan was, but he drugged her, could have fucking hurt her. He makes a move, I’m putting him down,” I rumble, letting the weight of my words sink in then continue. “We don’t show our hand, don’t change shit, and when I talk to Maggie, I’ll tell her to keep her guard up, but to play it cool. We don’t know his plan, but we also don’t know if he’s taking orders from someone else right now.”
“You think Paulie’s in on this shit?” he asks, and I shrug, having no fucking idea if he is, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he has something to do with it.
“Paulie has deep pockets. Money makes people do crazy shit, so it could have started out as him taking an order then turned into him wanting Maggie. Right now, I’m walking fucking blind, but I’m not willing to risk Maggie in this fucked-up game. When you talk to Pika, Aye, and Teo, you make sure they know that Lane isn’t fed anything he can pass along to someone else.”
“I’ll talk to them.”
“I’ll talk to Mags.”
“Your woman’s crazy. She may try to take him out herself,” he mutters, and I catch the smile in his voice.
“Don’t say that shit. You know she will, and that’s the last thing we need right now.”
“True, but it could be fun to watch.” He laughs, but I don’t find anything funny about this, not right now. My woman is strong, but she is going to be hurt that someone else she trusted is not someone worthy of that faith. “We’ll get this sorted,” he mutters, reading me, and I nod.
“Fill the guys in tonight. When Kai and Kenton get in, tell them we’ll talk in the morning. I’m going to talk to Maggie then, too. She needs sleep, and I want her to have at least one good night of it before more bullshit is piled on her that will keep her from resting easy,” I tell him then storm into the house, making sure to keep my face impassive as I nod at the guys, who are still sitting around the table as I pass.
When I make it to the room Maggie and I are sharing, she’s still out, but now she’s tucked a pillow to her chest with one leg out of the covers and thrown over it. Getting undressed, I shut off the light, get into bed, and pull the pillow from her grasp, shoving it behind my head.
The second I’m settled, before I can pull her into me, her body moves. Her leg slides over both of mine as her arm moves across my waist, and her head nestles into the crook of my arm. I never did this shit with a woman before Maggie. The idea of having someone so close all night would have annoyed me. Maggie didn’t have the option of sleeping any other way. I wouldn’t allow it. I not only want her close; I need her close.
Running my hand through her hair, I stare at the clock across the room, the green lights reading a little after ten. It’s early. Kai and Kenton will be in soon with their women. We were supposed to start talks tonight, but that shit will have to wait. Tomorrow is going to suck in more than one way, and I want to give Maggie one more night of just this—her in my arms, the world outside of us not creeping in.
Closing my eyes, I let out a breath, thinking that if her parents want to be there when we get married, they’ll have to meet us as soon as we hit town when this shit is done. Because I’m pulling over at the first wedding chapel I see.
With something to look forward to, I smile and fall asleep.
Chapter 11
Maggie
Locked up
WAKING WITH MY cheek pressed to Sven’s chest, my hand resting over his heart, and my leg over both of his, I blink my eyes open slowly. Looking past my hand and the expanse of Sven’s chest, I see lavender walls and beautiful dark furniture. Blinking again, I realize I slept through our arrival at Kai’s house and had been put to bed without ever waking up.
“You awake?” Sven asks, shifting my hair out of my face and off my neck and settling his hand on my back.
“No,” I whisper, wishing I wasn’t, since I know that once we leave this bed, I will have to deal with everything going on outside of it, including the fact that Sven and his friends are going up against one of the biggest monsters in Vegas. A monster that put out a hit on him, and succeeded in shooting him in the chest not even a month ago.
“Wish I could let you sleep, baby, but we have some shit to talk about, and I want to make sure you’re good before we walk out of this room,” he says, running his hand down my back and settling it on the curve of my waist.
Lifting my head, I place my chin to his chest and meet his eyes then ask, “What is it?” seeing the worry he’s trying to hide as he scans my face.
“I’m gonna ask you something, and I want you to really think about it before you answer.”
“Okay,” I breathe, a little scared by the tone of his voice and the way his body has gotten tight under mine.
“There is no right or wrong answer, and I swear, baby, no matter my reaction right now, I’m not pissed at you, okay?” he asks as his hand on my hip squeezes gently.
As I try to sit up, his arm holds me closer, keeping me in place, and he jerks his head no. “You stay right here.”
“You’re freaking me out,” I whisper, trying to catch my breath that has suddenly turned choppy.
His face softens and his hand comes up to run along my jaw. “Has Lane ever said anything to you, made you feel uncomfortable in any way?” he asks, and my body stills.
“Don’t,” I whisper, shaking my head and knowing what he’s alluding to.
“Maggie.”
“I would never—”
“I know that, baby,” he cuts me off. “That’s not what I’m after. I need to know if you have ever noticed him acting strangely when you’re around?”
“What’s going on?” I ask, Lane has never made me uncomfortable, but so much has happened over the last few weeks that I wouldn’t notice if he was acting strange.
Rolling us, he settles his body over mine and his hands move to hold my face as he dips his closer. “I’m going on my gut. I have no proof right now, but I think he’s the one who drugged you.”
“You thought it was Eva,” I remind him.
He nods then mutters quietly, “I did, but now I don’t.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I need to find ou
t.”
Licking my lips and studying his jaw, I repeat, “You…you think he drugged me?”
“I do,” he agrees softly, and I look into his eyes and know he’s the one person I can really trust in this whole world, the one person who will never lie to me or lead me astray.
“Why?” I ask again, and his forehead drops to rest against mine as his fingers move along my jaw.
“No idea, baby. Zack said Lane flipped yesterday when we were upstairs. Last night was the first time I saw something in his eyes I didn’t like. Right now, it’s just a feeling, but my gut has never led me in the wrong direction before, so I’m going with it.”
“He’s here,” I say softly, and his face moves away from mine. “I…what am I supposed to do?”
“One: don’t be you.”
“What?” I frown and he smiles.
“You know I love you, but you cannot do anything that will lead him to believe we’re on to him.”
“But—”
“No.” His thumb covers my mouth. “I didn’t tell you this so you would form some ridiculous plan, one I would most likely have to rescue you from. I’m telling you so you’ll keep your eyes open. If you’re in a room with him alone, you make your escape. He corners you, again, find an escape. He says anything, does anything, you tell me or one of the other men in the house immediately. You do not engage him.” He pauses, dropping his face closer, along with his voice. “Ever.”
“I won’t,” I whisper.
“Good,” he whispers back, and my hand timidly moves to the scar on his chest and I run my finger over it, changing the subject.
“I slept through meeting everyone last night.”
“The only ones here when we got here were Kai’s men, Pika, and Aye. Everyone else showed up after I came to bed.”
“Oh,” I mutter, and he smiles then bends lower and runs his lips across mine softly.
“Morgan gets a phone call today,” he tells me, something I mentioned a few days ago, and I’m actually surprised he remembers. I know he and Morgan didn’t get off on the right foot. Plus, her ‘talk’ with him didn’t exactly make her his favorite person.
“She gets released in two weeks,” I mutter, running my hand through his hair. Nothing in life is ever guaranteed, but I have a feeling Morgan staying clean is going to stick. I couldn’t go see her for obvious reasons, but my parents had seen her and said she was looking healthy and happy. She gained weight and was coming to terms with some of the things she had done, and the counselors were helping her get down to the root of the problem while helping her find other ways to cope with her feelings.
It was no surprise to me that the doctors told her what I had told her a million fracking times—that being around Amy is no good for her—and that until she has a better hold on her sobriety, she needed to stay as far away from her as possible. I can’t wait to see her for myself to tell her how proud I am of her.
We had a few phone calls, and when Sven was in the hospital, she wanted to check herself out of rehab to be with me. I felt like I had my sister back, and more so, I felt like I had my family back. My parents, who hate Vegas, stayed with Sven and me the week after he was released from the hospital. They took care of everything while they were with us, from groceries, cooking, and running errands, to dealing with the club when someone needed to be there. I didn’t even ask them for any of it; they just gave it, no questions asked.
“She can stay at the house,” Sven says from above me, pulling me from my thoughts, and my eyes go to him.
Dropping my hand to his shoulder, I feel my face go soft as I ask, “Really?”
His head tilts to the side and he studies me for a second before saying, “Of course. She needs a place to crash. As long as she’s clean, she’s always welcome.”
“Thank you, honey,” I whisper, watching his eyes go soft as I run my hand down his back. “I think her plan is to say with Mom and Dad for awhile. I don’t know if she’ll go back to Vegas.”
“Smart,” he mutters, dropping forward and kissing me once more.
“I’m proud of her,” I tell him, something he knows, and his face goes softer. His thumbs move over my cheeks as he mutters, “You should be.”
“Thank you again for having my back.”
“Always, Maggie,” he whispers, and hearing the sincerity in his tone, I lift up and press my mouth hard to his, needing him to know how much that means to me. By the time we pull away, we’re both breathing heavily, and I know it’s time to get up and face the outside world again, even though I wish we could hide away.
TAKING A SIP of coffee, my eyes take in the room. The house, like the room Sven and I stayed in last night, is beautiful, with high vaulted ceilings, huge picture windows that look out over the desert, and furniture that is not only comfortable, but also well made and gorgeous.
Scanning the room again, I stop and watch Kai hold his son, Maxim, close to his chest as he feeds him, and then I watch as his eyes soften and a smile twitches his lips when Myla throws back her blonde head, laughing at something Frank says to her. Kai and Myla fit perfectly; she’s the soft to his hard, and you can tell just by watching him that he knows what kind of beauty he has in his grasp and that he would die before allowing something or someone to take that from him.
Pulling my gaze from them, my eyes land on Autumn and I smile, and she returns it then tips her head back toward her husband, Kenton, when he leans over the back of the couch. He bends toward her, placing his mouth close to her ear so he can whisper something to her. Watching a smile form on her lips, I curiously wonder what he said, and then I watch her mouth soften and her eyes pull back to meet his. His hand moves to her lower jaw and his mouth drops to touch hers.
Dragging my eyes from them, I take another sip of coffee. I learned from Sven when he introduced me to everyone that his best friend, Asher, is also Kenton’s cousin. I could see this, since I had seen pictures of Asher and knew that he was very good-looking, just not as gorgeous as Sven. Though I’m sure me being in love with Sven has some effect on that decision, still, the family resemblance was there.
“You okay?” Sven asks, taking a seat next to me, and I turn my head to look at him.
“Yes, everyone is really nice, and Myla and Autumn are both very sweet,” I tell him quietly as he places his hand around the back of my neck so he can pull me closer.
“They’re good women,” he mutters back just as quietly.
“Kai and Kenton are both really nice too—a little scary, but really nice,” I confide, and he smiles then leans in to press a kiss to my forehead, not replying to that comment. “What is going to happen now?” I ask on a whisper, pulling back to search his face. Having eaten a huge breakfast with everyone laughing and joking, this whole thing feels like a few friends getting together for a weekend of hanging out. It doesn’t at all feel like the men in this room are going to be discussing and taking out a man even the FBI fears.
“We’re letting you guys settle while we wait for Justin.”
“Who’s Justin?”
“Remember I told you I had a friend follow you to your parents?” he asks, and I nod. “That was Justin.”
“I never met him.”
“Nope, but you will. He should be here in a bit,” he mutters as his eyes go past me over my shoulder. I watch them narrow slightly, and then he pulls me closer by the back of my neck so he can kiss me. It’s not a soft kiss; it’s a kiss that has me almost dropping my coffee as I fall into him.
When he pulls away, I look at him, and his eyes hold mine for a second before moving back over my shoulder. Using my coffee as an excuse, I lift it toward my mouth then look to my right, where his eyes are pointed. Zack and Teo are standing near Kenton, and both of them have their eyes to the left. Turning that way, I watch Lane’s retreating back as he leaves the room.
“What was that?” I ask Sven.
His eyes come to me and he shakes his head, but I can see annoyance there as he mutters, “Nothing for you to worry about
.” The whole ‘don’t worry your pretty little head’ act is going to get old quickly. Even knowing the reason behind it, I still find it annoying.
Pulling my eyes from him, I scan the room and find Myla watching me. I smile at her, and she smiles back, but her eyes move from me to the door behind me, and I wonder if she saw what just happened with Lane. Then I move my eyes from her and see Autumn with the same curious look on her face. When her gaze comes to me, I know she’s trying to tell me something; I just have no idea what it is.
“You girls are not getting involved,” Sven rumbles, and I jump, turning my head to look at him.
“What?”
“You are not getting involved,” he repeats, and I hold his stare then snap, “I know that.”
Shaking his head, he rolls his eyes toward the ceiling. I have no idea what that means, so I ignore it and go back to drinking my coffee.
*
WATCHING A MAN walk into the room looking like one of the Vikings from the show on TV, I sit back on the couch and hold Maxim closer to me. Sven, Kenton, and Kai disappeared an hour ago, leaving the girls and me alone so they could go “talk”. When they left, I asked Myla if I could hold her son, and she instantly handed him over. I couldn’t remember ever holding a baby, but holding him, looking into his sweet tiny face, seeing how small and delicate he is, I know I want that for Sven and myself—more now than ever before.
“Um…” I mutter, looking at the guy and wondering if I should ask him who he is or how the hell he got inside.
But Autumn gets up from her seat, runs across the room and into his arms, and cries, “Justin!” as she slams against him.
Relaxing back in the chair at his name and the way Autumn greets him, I hear him mumble, “Hey, Sweetcheeks,” as he dips his head, placing a kiss on her cheek. Then, his huge arms wrap around her in a tight hug as he lifts her off the ground.
“What’s with the beard?” she asks, tugging on the end of his bushy facial hair that matches the rest of his appearance. He’s hot—in a scary kind of way, but no less hot.
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