“From that new place that just opened up?” Nova asked, perking up. “I’ve been wanting to try it.”
“Yeah. The prospects will bring it down from the gate when it gets here. I have a feeling it’ll take a while to cook that much food.” Mom’s fingers moved to my hair. “Make sure you pack up a plate and bring some to your Gran.”
“I will,” Nova replied with a smile. “But she’s out with her friend tonight, so who knows when she’ll be home.”
“Partying hard?” I asked.
“I think they were going to a craft fair or something,” Nova said with a laugh. “But who knows after that.”
“I want to go to a craft fair,” I complained, leaning into my mom’s hands. My scalp tingled as she ran her fingers through my hair.
“Stop whining,” she ordered. “This’ll be over soon.”
“You can go home, you know,” I said, looking up at her. “There’s no reason both of us have to be stuck here.”
“Not happening,” she replied calmly.
I let out a sigh just as the door behind the bar opened and men started filing out.
“If you start asking questions,” my mom warned softly. “You’ll put him into the position of having to tell you that he can’t answer them.”
“Or feeling like he has to lie,” Nova added, rising from her seat. “My deal with Rum is that he can’t lie, but if he tells me that I can’t know—I drop it.”
I nodded and watched the door, waiting for Bas to emerge. He came out talking to my brother. They rounded the bar together, then Gray turned and walked out of the clubhouse while Bas headed toward me.
“I lost a million games of cards,” I announced as he got closer. “Nova thinks I wasn’t paying attention.”
Mom scrubbed her hand softly at the back of my head, then walked away, patting Bas on the shoulder as she passed him.
“You’ve got a lot on your mind,” Bas said as he reached me. “Come with me?”
I looked back toward the table only to realize that Grandma and Nova had both disappeared.
He led me back into the bedroom we’d been using and sat at the edge of the bed, pulling me in between his knees.
“Why do I think this is a conversation I’m not going to enjoy?” I asked cautiously.
Bas laughed. “It’s nothin’ bad.”
“Spill it,” I ordered, sliding my hands up his arms to his shoulders.
“I gotta go out of town for a few days.”
My stomach lurched and then felt like it somersaulted.
“I can’t ask where you’re going,” I said, holding his gaze. “But I probably don’t need to.”
“You’re gonna stay at your parents’ house,” he continued, his hands tightening on my hips. “You’ll have guards out front and back, plus your dad’s gonna stay home while I’m gone.”
“I guess that’s better than having to stay here,” I conceded.
“When I get back, it should be over. We can get back to dealin’ with regular life.”
“And moving in together,” I reminded him.
“And movin’ in together,” he confirmed. “Maybe don’t tell your pop that until after I’m back, yeah? Don’t want to walk into an ambush.”
I grinned. “No promises.”
