Damian’s mom looks proud of her boy then spins on her kitten heels, rolls the corpse and pushes something into its ass.
TumTum spits tea everywhere, coughing like he’s dying. “Jesus Christ,” he wheezes, eyes wide.
A beep sounds out and Nancy nods once, then removes her thermometer from the body.
“A little warning would have been nice, darling,” our Prez says drily.
“Darlin’ ain’t my name.” She ignores Dex’s smirk as she looks at the thermometer. “Well, between his body temperature and the conditions in his home I’d say he’s been dead goin’ on 18 hours.”
“That easy, huh?”
“Easy as slippin’ past a fool.”
Dex smiles. “Alright then. Anything else we need to know?”
She fixes first Dex, then the rest of us with a stare, “What do I look like? A medical examiner? I’m just a simple businesswoman.”
I roll my eyes and try to cover my smile. “Ain’t nothing simple about you, Miss Nancy.”
“Got that right.” She winks as Damian groans behind her. “Now, if you don’t mind, I got work to do.”
Dex nods once, all business. “What do we owe you?”
“Ain’t nothing. Just take care of my bebe, and keep him outta trouble.”
“Will do.” Dex glances around the room, “I’m calling church when we get back. Let’s ride out.”
I follow my brothers out, and I can feel the weight of their gazes.
“Shit’s about to hit the fan boys,” Saint murmurs.
“Yup. Right when we got this Hitchens shit going on,” Omen adds.
“I know which shit I’d rather be facing.”
They nod, agreeing with me. I’ll take 100 men like Hitchens before I’d want to wade back into Eden’s Keep bullshit. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s coming for us, whether we like it or not.
Loyal
I never thought the sound of motorcycle pipes would ever be soothing, but for some reason, hearing their roar getting closer and closer settles something inside me. It means that the men should be home, and with them, Vex.
Ever since the meeting with Sniper and Justice I’ve been feeling out of sorts. Isn’t it odd that I was fine taking on the twins and their safety, but once Eden’s Keep rears its ugly head I am hurtled back to a time I thought I had moved on from. It seems that your body does remember everything. Every slight, every hurt, every danger.
The door opens and there he is, dark hair a mess from the wind and where he’s been running his fingers through it. His gaze is wild, but only to me. To everyone else he looks calm andcollected, but I’ve known Vex since we were children. I know his tells. The way he holds his mouth, how he sets his shoulders, the way his fingers flex before they clench. His body is telling me that whatever is going on, it’s not good.
His eyes land on me and I’m moving toward him without thought, almost as if we’re magnets. My cute sneakers that I chose myself meet his heavy, scuffed boots and he wraps his thick arms around me, burying his nose into my neck and holding me as if he’ll float away if he doesn’t.
“Eden’s Keep?” I whisper, trying to contain the slight tremor in my voice. He doesn’t reply, just nods and tightens his arms as Dex yells, “Church, including prospects.”
Heavy footsteps stop next to us, and I lift my head to meet Dex’s gaze. “Loyal, do you mind joining us please?” I nod my head, taking a deep breath. My gaze finds Joe’s over Vex’s shoulder where she sits on the couch. She wraps her arms gingerly around the girls, giving me a nod that they’ll be OK with her. Jason moves slightly closer, as does Nell and her little girl.
Vex stands to his full height and cups my face in his hands. “Thank you, pretty girl. I needed your strength. You can have mine when you need it.” He presses a gentle kiss to my lips, then entwines his fingers with mine as he leads me to Church.
Dex looks around the room, waiting for everyone to take their seats before banging the gavel. I’m a little proud of myself when I don’t jump at the sharp sound as it echoes through the room.
“For those of you who aren’t up to speed, Vex and Damian went to return the dog he brought here. Instead of an easy trip to Bellefont and back, they instead found the dog’s owner brutally tortured and murdered with the Eden’s Keep symbol painted on the wall.”
I suck in a breath. Sniper had told me and Justice that the owner had been murdered, not tortured and murdered.
