I smirk.“Becki already is bruised.Bleeding.Probably pregnant after tonight.”
He laughs softly and then sighs like the weight of the county is on his spine.
We smoke in silence for a while.
He glances at me.“You claimed her?For real?”
“She claimed me right back.”
Legend nods.Accepting that truth.
I almost tell him about Martin’s last words.About Old Man Montgomery.About Paradise Falls.About the money and the reason girls might’ve been disappearing long before Crowley sharpened his first sermon.Even about my masks.But Becki is finally home.
I’m finally allowed to keep her.
And Sophie may now be the only thing Legend cares about enough to kill for.
So, I keep my mouth shut.
For now.
Morning crawls in too fast.The clubhouse smells like coffee and fried bacon.Brothers argue over who lost what in last night’s bets.
I head to the bar.Sophie is there.Hair tied up.Dark circles under her eyes.But steady.Steel wrapped in satin.
She sees me coming and stiffens.
“Morning,” she says.
“Sophie.”
We stare at each other for a long moment.
“I know about your father,” I say.“How he’s involved in this sick shit.”
Her whole body freezes.I knew it.My hands curl into claws.Biting my lip, I close my eyes.
When I open them, she’s livid.
“Stop,” she says sharply, pointing.“Right there.”
“Sophie.”
“No.”She steps closer, voice low enough that no one else can hear.“You got what you wanted.Becki.Free and clear.No punishment.No exile.You keep her.You protect her.That was the deal.”
I hold her stare.I don’t look away.
She lowers her voice.“You open your mouth about my father, all of that changes.”
I reach out a hand.A deal sealing.A threat.An oath.
She hesitates.Then she takes it.
But I do not let it end there.
“Becki knows too,” I say.
Sophie’s jaw clenches.Hard.
