I swallowed the fear that crept up my throat and nodded. “I won’t. I promise.” The last thing I wanted was to make things worse for any of these people who had stepped up to keep me safe when they didn’t even know me. “I promise.” I repeated the words over and over to myself until they were true.
I’d asked for this help, and it was too late to back out.
Chapter Nineteen
Vandal
“We need to be ready for anything.” Slate let out a heavy sigh, raking his hand through his hair. “Halloran is officially in Nevada and heading to the Vegas Metro area along with several of Diego’s men. Possibly more.” His tone was more serious than usual, the only sign he was actually worried.
“Considering those assholes shot at me I think we can say he’s found her and he’s not alone,” I muttered.
“They want her alive, that’s how you got away,” Diesel said without hesitation. His voice was calm, deadly fucking serious. “They can’t have her. We need to be proactive because we can’t wait them out anymore.”
No shit.
Damn right they couldn’t have her, but they didn’t know that yet and even if they did, it wouldn’t stop Sombra Negra. This moment here was the beginning of some shit, not the end of it. This was where it all got really fucking serious and they would stop at nothing to get to her. It would be me and my brothers standing between Macy and danger.
“I’ll keep her at my side until this is over,” I said. As if I had any fucking choice.
“Oh no,” Gio drawled, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “What a sacrifice.”
A few chuckles broke the tension, and I welcomed it. Humor kept our morale high and we needed it in moments like this more than ever.
Diesel’s lips twitched but he nodded, gaze fixed on me. “Keep her close and keep your eyes open. If anything feels off, speak up immediately.”
“Of course,” I said, even as my heart kicked hard against my ribs. The idea of them getting close enough to see her face again made me see red.
“We’re not on lockdown yet,” Rocky began, his tone serious. “But we’re damn close to it so keep your heads on a swivel, people.” He pushed back from the table and stood. “Heads on a fucking swivel.”
The meeting ended heavy. No yelling. No jokes. Just the kind of heavy silence that foreshadowed bad shit to come. Chairs scraped back, boots hit concrete, and we all fanned out to do what the fuck needed to be done.
Keep Macy safe.
I found her where I’d left her. Sitting off to the side with her arms wrapped around herself while she stared at nothing in the distance. She looked so fucking small like that, isolated from the cluster of women nearby. Not unwanted, just lost inside her own head.
I hated it.
“Hey,” I said quietly as I came up beside her.
She startled, gasping like she’d been rescued from drowning. “Oh, hey,” she replied, trying for a smile she clearly didn’t feel. “So,” she sighed. “What’s the damage?”
I didn’t answer, not right away. Instead, I took her hand and pulled her gently to her feet. “Come on.”
She didn’t argue.
We walked out the back door and past the covered picnic tables, the swing set and slide built for the kids. We kept going until the concrete gave way to grass that stretched out towards the dark horizon. The night air was cool, heavy with the scent of sage and dust.
I exhaled hard and scrubbed my free hand through my hair.
She stopped and turned to me, dark brows bunched with concern. “What’s going on, Drew?”
I let out another sigh, a longer, heavier one because there was no easy way to say what needed to be said. “Halloran. That fucker talked to the bus driver.”
Her shoulders stiffened because she knew exactly what that meant.
“The one that dropped you off in Vegas,” I said just so we were on the same page. “He confirmed that he let you off in Vegas and Halloran passed that news along before he left Colorado.”
She went very still again. “That’s how they made it here so quickly.”
