He shook his head. “Stay where you are.”
Liliana froze. I curved an arm around her shoulders and stared Nash down, tracking his every move.
He held up one hand and pulled out a chair with the other. “I come in peace, Mats. Take a breath.”
Peace was relative. Cam wasn’t here, Saint either. Or Alexei. They’d driven home last night in Alexei’s car, leaving their bikes behind. Nash could play the grey man all he liked; it wasn’t him I was worried about.
Nash turned his attention to Juana, scanning her up and down. “Weapons?”
“A blade,” she said. “Strapped to my ankle.”
“Hand it over. What about the girl?”
“I have a pencil,” Liliana snapped in Spanish. “I’ll stab it in your eye if you hurt my dad.”
“Lili.” I tapped her nose. “Behave.”
Nash didn’t speak Spanish, but he got the gist and held out his hand for Juana’s knife.
She passed it over. He took it and tucked it into his belt before fixing his gaze on me. “I’m gonna need to trust you that she’s not carrying anything else. Can I trust you, Mats?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know if she has anything else, but Liliana’s clean.”
“Liliana.” Nash repeated the name, filing it away. “She’s your daughter?”
“How can you tell?”
“Cos I’m pretty sure she just threatened to kill me.” Faint humour warmed Nash’s handsome face before it evaporated and his features darkened again. “Cam’s on his way. I ain’t told him shit except your wife and kid showed up like they were being chased by feds. He’ll want the truth when he gets here, whatever that is. Don’t think I need to warn you what’s gonna go down if you can’t give it to him, brother.”
It wasn’t a threat, not from Nash. But my kid made this noise in her chest that was all me, and if I hadn’t been scared for her life and mine, I’d have laughed.
I didn’t laugh.
I pulled her close and blocked Nash out, thinking about nothing but Liliana’s soft hair and warrior courage until even she wasn’t enough to drown out the fury in Embry’s face.
No disbelief.
No am-I-even-awake-right-now negotiation.
Just pure betrayal, and that was my boy all over. He saw the meat of every man and took them for who they were. By their actions, not their words, and fuck me, he could hold a grudge.He’s gonna hate me forever.
I’d love him longer.
Vehicles sounded in the yard.
I jerked my head up, tracking Nash as he went to the window and peered around the blind. “They’re here.”
“All of them?”
“All of them. You ready, or you need a few minutes?”
“We’re ready.”
Nash nodded and left.
Liliana squirmed in my hold. “Who’s coming? Is it Embry?”
“He’s already here. It’s Cam and Saint. And Alexei.”
