I turn to face Wren. “I’ve got this. Trust me to do what I do, remember? And I’ll bring all the equipment home so that you can do what you do.”
There are little frown lines on their forehead. “You’re just going to steal Mika’s set up?”
“We are.”
“Would arguing with you change your stance?” Wren asks.
I squeeze their hand. “Thank you for looking out for me earlier, with the call to King,” I say, knowing I didn’t answer their question. “It was quick thinking on your part.”
“I think there might be times in our relationship when I hate you.”
Unhurried, I take their hand, lift it to my lips and kiss their knuckles. “Why’s that?”
“You’re about to use that as a metaphor that we each know how to problem solve in certain situations to our best advantage. And you riding out into an unknown situation is something you are more skilled at than me, and I should just shut up and go back to the ranch house quietly and wait for the electronics.”
“Gee, I wish Ember was that fucking reasonable,” Atom says.
Wraith laughs. “Told you that you should have gone for one of the quiet ones.”
Smoke slaps a hand on Wraith’s back. “Yeah, but some of us like an untamed spirit.”
I try to ignore the fact everyone is listening to us and focus on what Wren needs right now. “Maybe that’s sort of what I’m saying. But what I mean is, I’ll go to do the first half. Find Mika, grab all their devices, and bring them back to you. And then, I’ll sleep while you tear them apart and find the information we need.”
“Fine,” Wren huffs.
“Then, can we get Wren back to the ranch house, and the rest of us to the clubhouse so we can figure out how to go find this Mika?” Grudge says, and then he turns to Wren. “You ever call the national president on me again, I’ll shoot you where you stand.”
But I can’t help the smile that dances on the corners of my mouth when Wren stands up tall, looks him in the eye, and says, “Then don’t threaten either of us ever again, and I won’t have to.”
31
WREN
If I slam my phone down on the kitchen counter of the ranch house, it’s by design. Because if I don’t take it out on my phone and a lump of marble, I might hit someone or say words I can’t take back.
I hate the idea that action is happening without me, even though I understand why I’m here. Jackal and Shade offered to stay behind to add an extra layer of protection to the prospects cruising outside of the house.
“They don’t mean any offense by it,” Shade says, stepping behind me to put coffee in the filter before setting it to drip. The man is built like a tank. Short hair, wide shoulders, thick calves.
Jackal steps around the other side of the kitchen island. I can’t explain it, but I get tanned-vampire vibes from him. Maybe it’s the long dark hair and the slight widow’s peak. “It’s human nature to want to protect someone you love.”
Shade huffs. “So why don’tyoulisten to me more often when I’m trying to keep you safe?”
A wide grin breaks out on Jackal’s face. “Because who’s going to look after you if I’m not there?”
It takes me a second to realize what they are saying, confirming what I thought I knew.
“I wondered if the two of you were…”
“Going soft in our old age?” Jackal says, openly looking over at Shade in a way he usually tries to hide.
The corner of Shade’s mouth tips like it might just break into a smile, but it doesn’t. “I’d say we’re relying on the code that you won’t out us.”
“God, no.”
Shade moves next to Jackal on the other side of the counter. “Anything happens while you are here, anything at all, you can count on the two of us. A ride, a place to stay while you regroup. Our home is a safe space for you.”
“Thank you.” I reach across the counter and grab a hand each. Jackal’s fingers are soft around mine. “The rest of the club doesn’t know?”
