Chapter 42
Zane
After we rode in circles for forty-five minutes, trying to lose our tails, we brought Les back to the cabin. We had just gotten her to listen to reason after we trapped her in the car, then Dex called, and all hell broke loose. She yelled and screamed about us leaving them, threatened to castrate Ryder if he didn’t let her go when I jumped to the front seat and told me I would never lay a finger on her again.
Since we got back to the cabin, she hasn’t said a word, which is even scarier. I would much rather her give me hell. She’s pacing from one end of the small cabin to the other.
“Il mio sole,” Ryder says, trying to talk to her again. She lifts her hand to halt whatever is going to come out of his mouth. He flops back on the couch. “Fuck, she’s pissed,” he says under his breath.
“No shit,” I snort. “Beautiful. They said they were fine and on the way. Why don’t you sit down?”
“Why don’t you kiss my whole fucking ass?” she mutters, still pacing. At least she’s talking.
“Pull your pants down, and I’ll kiss that gorgeous ass all night long,” I joke. She whirls around and narrows her eyes.
“You’ll never see my ass again.”
“We did it for your own good. The guys are fine,” Ryder saysgently. “Please sit down.”
I was impressed with how he handled everything in the car when she was raving. Before that, it would have been an all-out war between them. This time, he kept his cool and tried to talk to her. I need to make sure he knows that when Les isn’t glaring daggers at us.
“The guys aren’t fine until they walk through that door!” she yells, jabbing her finger at the front door.
I watch Ryder closely. He takes a deep breath. “We didn’t want to leave them,” he says calmly. “But you are always our priority.”
“What about Holden? Did you suddenly forget that he didn’t do this shit until a day ago? Is he not a priority?” I know she’s lashing out because she’s scared. I hate it, but she’ll work it out in the end. She always does.
I open my mouth to stop the fight I see brewing when Ryder raises his hand to cut me off, looking back at Les. “Don’t do that. Don’t make me feel like shit because I left him behind,” Ryder says evenly. “Every one of them is important to me, and you know that.”
I see the moment Les realizes what she implied; she opens her mouth, and the front door bangs open. Dex, Holden, Gage, and Leo all walk in, and her eyes narrow all over again.
“Shit,” Gage mutters. “Pretty girl…” he says pleadingly, making me snort.
“Don’t pretty girl me, Gage Lawson.” She props her hands on her hips. “What the hell were you thinking running in there like that?”
“We were thinking we were going to take care of that asshole,” Dex answers, jerking his hoodie off with a fist at the back. “We were thinking we were going to keep you safe. What wereyouthinking when you thought we were actually going to let you run in that goddamn place after what happened in the car?” Ryder and I exchange a look, his eyes as wide as mine. I’ve never heard Dex say anything out of the way to Les.
“I would have been fine,” Les answers, waving that away.
“Bullshit,” Dex snarls. “That wasn’t fine.” Gage, Leo, and Holden’s eyebrows hit their hairline, all three creeping around Dex to sit in the living room.
“I can handle myself, Dex.”
“You don’t think I know that!” Dex yells. It booms through the living room, bouncing off the walls. “You shouldn’t have to all the time! That’s why you have us.” He advances toward her, taking slow, measured steps. “I thought you stopped breathing in my arms. Do you have any idea how that made me feel?”
“I…” Les starts, and Dex raises a big hand, cutting her off. This should be interesting.
“Then, just because that’s not enough, you think we’re going to let you run into a building right after that.” He’s now so close to her that she has to crane her neck to look up at him. “That shit is in the past, Baby girl. You might as well get used to it.”
She puts her hands on his chest like she’s going to shove him away. He takes three big steps forward, making her walk backward, her back hitting the wall. He grabs her wrists in one hand and pins them to the wall above her head. I watch her face for any sign of fear; when I don’t see any, I decide to let this play out. The big man has something to say; maybe he can get her to listen.
“You don’t have to be in the middle of every problem. You don’t always have to put yourself in danger,” he says, his nose touching hers. “Let us do what we promised to do. You have several fucking crews more than capable of doing it. Let them do it.” She tugs her arms, trying to break his hold, and he stretches them further. Her eyes are wide, and her chest is heaving, but not from fear.
I look at the other guys to gauge their reaction, and everyone is watching this like it’s the best show ever.
“It is my job,” she says breathlessly.
“Your job,” he snarls again, “is to lead. You’re the best goddamn leader this family has ever seen. Being a leader doesn’t mean you constantly worry the men who have vowed their lives to you, vowed to protect you, vowed to love you.” He doesn’t want Les to stay home and hide; none of us do. We just want her to think about herself before she runs into some shit she can’t get out of. Or run into something where we lose her for good.
