Kane shifted, like he planned to stay within reach.Marci looped an arm loosely around my shoulders, careful of bruises.
“Come on.”She steered me toward the bar.“Manville awaits.We’ll bring her back in one piece.”
Kane looked at me, eyes steady.“I’ll be in the back with Atilla.If you need me, send one of them.”
I nodded, throat tight.
His hand squeezed mine, quick and grounding.Then he disappeared down the hall, and the air changed.Less heavy.More conspiratorial.
Marci slid a mug toward me.“Coffee.Cream?Sugar?”
“Little cream.No sugar.”
Casey poured.Solena swung one leg with complete indifference to anyone watching.
“Okay.”Solena’s grin turned wicked.“Basics.When someone stays longer than a day, we get them set up.Clothes.Toiletries.Everything.”
“I wasn’t expecting to move in,” I said carefully.
“None of us were.”Marci’s tone carried history.“We improvise.”
My stomach twisted at the thought of them spending money on me.“I can’t --”
Casey held up a hand, her smile gentle but firm.“Nope.Don’t finish whatever sentence involves the word ‘burden.’We’ve recycled those speeches so many times we could recite them in our sleep.”
“I don’t have money to pay you back.”Heat crawled up my neck.
Solena’s eyes widened like I’d just told the world’s worst joke.“Good thing we’re not a store.You’re under club protection.That means no wearing the same underwear for a week.”
I snorted so hard my coffee almost shot out my nose.“Oh, my God.”
Casey leaned back, satisfied.“Look at her.We broke her.”
Marci cut through their teasing at once.“You sleep?”
“Some.”I traced the chipped rim of my mug.“Nightmare.Kane talked me down.Stayed until I fell asleep again.”
Casey’s grin softened.“Yep.He’s hooked.”
“Hooked?”I frowned.
Solena answered without mercy.“Doomed.That man watched you come in bruised and scared and turned into a guard dog.”
“He’s just being kind,” I blurted out.“He’d do it for anyone.”
“All of them would,” Marci agreed.“But he did it for you.And the way he looks at you?Sweetheart, you’re not a paperwork problem to him.”
Heat pooled low in my belly -- half embarrassing, half terrifying.“It’s too soon to talk about… any of that.”
Casey cocked her head.“Too soon or too scary?”
“Both.”I exhaled before I could stop it.“I don’t know what to do with a good man.The last guy I dated was controlling.Before that were teenage disasters.”
Marci nodded.“I get that.Trust comes from actions, not words.Watch what a man does when it costs him something.That’s how you know.”
Solena leaned forward, voice sharp.“Which brings us to rules.Not Atilla’s rules.Ours.”
“You have your own?”I tried to joke, but my curiosity snapped upward.
