I nodded. “Yeah,” I confirmed. “They were hoping for an easy grab, but they didn’t know who they were fucking with. Slate is trying to figure out how they pinpointed your location.”
She sucked in a shaky breath. “So, they’re coming. This is happening.” Neither were questions, more like inevitabilities.
“They’re coming,” I said in response.
She swallowed hard. “Is it too late to just leave?”
Her words made something inside me snap and I grabbed her arm, spinning her because I refused to let her look away. “Don’t even fucking joke about that Mace. You hear me?”
Her eyes widened but she didn’t pull away.
“I just got you back,” I said, my chest heaving and nostrils flaring like an angry bull. “And if you think I’m letting you go that easy, you’re as crazy as those fuckers who think this is gonna end well for them.”
Her gaze searched my face, serious, sharp, and full of too many emotions to name. “You sure?” she asked quietly. “This seems like it’s going to get… messy.”
I smiled, and it felt feral. “I’m so fucking sure,” I said, putting my forehead to hers. “I’m not letting you get away. Not again.”
I didn’t tell her how far I was willing to go, but she knew. She had to. Right? I didn’t tell her how much blood I would spill to keep her safe. How I’d burn Diego and every last man under Sombra Negra to the fucking ground if that’s what it took.
She inhaled slowly, then let it out just as carefully, like she didn’t want to ruin the moment. “If you’re sure, then I’m here for it.”
Relief slammed into me so hard I almost staggered.
“But…” she continued, holding up a finger, “I’ll listen, but I have conditions.”
I huffed out a laugh. “Hit me with ‘em.”
She met my gaze, so serious her eyes were a deep, intoxicating shade of violet. “If this gets to be too much, you tell me. If it’s too dangerous for your brothers and their women, their families, you let me go.” She was so fucking serious, and I knew what she wanted to hear but I just couldn’t give it to her.
“That doesn’t work for me.” I gripped her shoulders because I had to touch her, to be connected to her. “This is what we do. Damn near every woman here was under our protection before they joined the family. It might get messy, and it will sure as shit get bloody and all that shit, but this is what we do, and we’re damn good at it. Trust me?” My heart raced and I realized in that moment how much I needed to hear the answer.
She stared deep into my eyes, searching for a lie or any insincerity before her shoulders finally relaxed and she nodded. “Of course I trust you,” she let out a sigh. “That’s never been the question. But it would kill me if showing up here like this fucked up your life in some way.”
“Not even possible,” I muttered, pulling her close before I dropped a kiss to her forehead. “If you leave,” I whispered in her ear. “I will come after you.” It was a promise and a threat, and I smiled to myself when my words—threat or promise—made her shiver.
Chapter Twenty
Macy
“This is where we’re staying?” I stood just inside the small room tucked into the back of the clubhouse, frowning at the bed that would be a tight fit for two, the dresser that wobbled a little, and the old school green door that looked straight out of another decade. “Why?”
“Because my spot’s been blown,” Drew answered easily, like he was explaining an easy concept to a child. “They know about it, which means there’s probably someone sitting on it right now, watching. Waiting for us to return.”
He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close. “And as much as I would love to go home and fuck you until you scream yourself hoarse,” he added dryly, “I’d really like to avoid getting a bullet in my head while I do it.”
I shivered at his dirty words, fear raced down my spine even as white-hot heat coiled low in my belly. “So,” I began slowly. “We’re staying here.” It wasn’t a question, more like a statement of fact that I needed to get accustomed to.
“Is that a problem?” he asked, a smile in his voice even though his eyes remained sharp.
“No,” I answered quickly. “I’m just… surprised is all.”
Drew tightened his arm around me. “It’s cozy,” he said. “But I think we’ll make it work. Won’t we?”
I laughed and tipped my head back to look at him. “We’ve slept in worse.”
He nodded, his gaze holding mine. Something unspoken passed between us, something familiar and steady, and intense. It hit me all the way down to the deepest parts of myself. “How about some food?” The question flew out abruptly, as if he’d surprised himself too.
I blinked, unsure what to make of the subject change but ready to roll with it. “Food sounds great,” I began but a yawn took over. “But I think I need a few hours of shut eye first.” My body was suddenly really heavy, the adrenaline of the earlier fear was quickly fading. “I have a feeling it might be hard to come back for a while.”
