Jesse’s eyes moved to the girl in my arms. “I’m assuming you want to stay.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry, Jesse.”
Hurt flashed in his eyes, and I couldn’t blame him for his disappointment. I just wish he would find another girl to care about. Kaylor had too many damn men in her life. “Don’t apologize, Bubbles.”
Carson snorted from his position pressed against his car as Jesse passed by. For once, Kaylor’s best friend and I were in agreement, but Carson still had a lot to answer for.
A murmur passed through the Vipers, anger and grief and relief all tangled into an indistinguishable knot. Some of them spat on the ground. Others just stared, faces ruthless.
“We’ll take care of the body,” Lucian said gruffly, his voice rough with decades of cigarettes and shouting orders. “He may have betrayed everything we stand for, but he was still one of ours. We take care of our own.”
My father put his gun away. “And how can I be assured nothing will trace back to my crew, that there will be no blowback?”
One of the younger Vipers curled his lip. “We’re trusting you with an heiress. The title is hers if she ever decides she needs it, as is our protection. We don’t abandon our own.”
My father’s mouth curved faintly. “Let’s call her what she is. Collateral damage.”
Over.
My.
Dead.
Body.
“You’re not using her,” I barked loud enough for both sides to hear me.
Lucian gave me a short nod. He agreed. “No, we’re not.” When Lucian spoke again, it was directed at me. “We’ll be checking in on her.” His chin dipped toward Kaylor, eyes never leaving my face. “Making sure she’s alive. Not being dragged into more trouble than she already survived. As long as she’s happy, we won’t have a problem. Understood?”
I nodded once, meeting his stare. “Crystal.”
Kaylor leaned into me, trusting and warm.
Raine tugged Maddox back by the shirt. “Come on,” he muttered, his head jerking toward our SUV. “We’re done here.”
The Vipers moved past us toward Rusty’s body, giving us a wide berth but making their presence known. Someone produced a tarp, heavy plastic that crinkled as it unfolded, from one of the cars.
Carson stood tense at my back, watching everything with disbelief.
“We’re leaving,” I murmured to the girl in my arms.
Kaylor didn’t resist when I guided her toward Carson’s car, my hand on the small of her back. She moved on autopilot, feet carrying her forward mechanically. She slipped into the passenger seat, and I circled to the back, positioning myself where I could keep eyes on Carson.
Mason, Maddox, and Raine piled into the SUV parked behind us while my father headed for his own black sedan parked at an angle. He was already on the phone, the device pressed to his ear as he slipped behind the wheel.
Jesse stayed with the Vipers.
With his father’s body.
As Carson started the engine, I twisted in my seat, glancing out the back window to see Jesse kneeling beside Rusty one last time. Hisshoulders were hunched, head bowed. Then the trees swallowed him, darkness closing in like a curtain falling, and I couldn’t shake the thought gnawing at the back of my mind.
The trouble wasn’t over. Not fully.
Rusty might be dead, but tonight, the lines between enemies and allies had blurred beyond recognition, bleeding together until I couldn’t tell where one ended and another began. Kaylor’s world and mine had collided with a force that would not let us walk away untouched.
31
KAYLOR
