Thank fucking God.
For Kaylor’s sake. She couldn’t afford to lose anyone else.
“Careful what you say next.” Brock folded his arms across his chest, his brows bunched together. “That’s my cousin you’re speaking of.”
“No one said anything about being in love,” I grumbled because I didn’t like the way the words sounded in their mouths.
Raine flashed a sideways grin and crossed the room to claim the other armchair, settling in. “At some point, brother, you’re going to have to face the truth. A girl like Kaylor won’t wait around forever while you sort out your feelings. If you’re not careful, some guy with his shit together will sweep in and steal her right out from under you.”
My eyebrows shot up, and something cold and territorial slid through my chest. “Is that a warning or a threat?”
“It’s whatever you need it to be,” Raine replied. “I’m just stating facts. You think she doesn’t have options? A girl like that?”
Brock crossed the room in three long strides and dropped heavily onto the opposite couch, his body moving like every muscle ached. “I’m not sure how I feel about this conversation.”
Maddox leaned forward, the flickering flames catching the angles of his face. “We’re not done, right? Just because she’s home safe, we’re not going to let this asshole walk free, assuming he’s still walking after tonight.”
My jaw clenched so hard my molars ground together. “No. We’re not done. Not even close.”
“He will pay,” Brock vowed, his eyes going cold and flat.
“Maybe you should let us take it from here,” I offered. “I know revenge is the Elite’s specialty, but getting directly involved could create complications at home for the four of you. You have families, people who rely on you.” I paused, letting that sink in. “I give you my word that Rusty won’t go unpunished. The Ravens will see to it personally.”
Fynn, Micah, Grayson, and Brock exchanged looks, a silent conversation between people who’d known each other for years. They did have families waiting at home, reputations built over decades, people depending on them to stay out of trouble, but the burning in their expressions said they understood what had to be done, regardless of the cost.
Our crews were more alike than either of us might want to admit.
“We’ve never once backed down from a fight,” Micah said. He pushed off from the mantel and moved to join the circle properly. “We’re not about to start now, especially not for something like this.”
“Suit yourself,” I said with a shrug. “But I won’t lie to Kaylor. I need to make that crystal clear right now. When she asks me, and she will ask, I’ll tell her the truth.”
Fynn lifted his beer in a mock toast. “We don’t expect you to lie for us. That’s not how family works.”
Grayson cut in. “But what happened tonight stays between us. It doesn’t go any further than this circle. Do we have an understanding?”
“We’re not narcs,” Maddox said, the corners of his mouth twitching upward despite the serious nature of the conversation. “Give us some credit.”
“What about Kaylor?” Micah asked as he fixed me with a direct stare. “How can we be sure she won’t go telling the girls? Or her friends? She’s been through trauma—people process that by talking. It’s natural.”
“She won’t,” I insisted, matching his stare with enough intensity that he nodded slowly. I glanced over at Brock, needing him to understand this was a promise I intended to keep. “I’ll talk to her. I’ll make her understand the danger of this getting out before we’re ready to move, but she’s going to want revenge.”
Brock kicked off his shoes. “You know my cousin better than most. If she’s anything, she’s stubborn as hell. She’ll fight you on being sidelined, but I trust you to keep her safe, to make her see reason.”
We sat in that circle, two crews who had bled together and bled for the same cause.
“Now that that’s settled…” Brock’s lips lifted at the corners. “We can get to the good stuff. There’s nothing sweeter than payback.”
I caught Brock’s eye. “I couldn’t agree more.”
By the timeI climbed back into bed, muscles protesting the movement as the night finally caught up with my body, I was more than ready to sleep like the dead for hours. The lamp still cast its soft amber glow across the walls, painting everything in warm tones.
She looked impossibly small wrapped in my hoodie, the dark fabric creating a cocoon around her slight frame. Her face was partially hidden by the oversized hood of my sweatshirt, but she started tossing before I’d even pulled the covers over myself, her legs tangling in the blanket with increasingly frantic movements. The fabric twisted around her calves and thighs, small whimpers escaping her lips. Her eyes moved rapidly behind closed lids, the muscles around them twitching. She was caught in the throes of a nightmare, trapped in some hell her mind was forcing her to relive.
I shifted closer, positioning myself beside her trembling form. Her head shook back and forth. My hand came up slowly, cupping her face to keep her still, but she fought against me until my thumb brushed across the dampness collecting at the corner of her mouth. Sweat or tears, I couldn’t tell in the dim light, but my touch quieted her. I needed to wake her up without doing more harm than good. The last thing I wanted to do was frighten her more.
I leaned down and pressed my lips to her temple, feeling the heat of her skin and the rapid flutter of her pulse beneath my mouth. “You’re safe, little raven,” I whispered in her ear. “You’re home. Come back to me.”
But she only twisted harder, her fingers clawing at the sheets as the fabric bunched under her nails.
