He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “What, sweetheart?”
She hated to break the moment between them, but then Kaia rose in her head. Heaving in a breath, she released his wrist and stepped back. “I need you to talk to Tio.”
Surprise crossed his face, and disappointment too, before his eyes narrowed. “What did he do? Did he touch you?”
“Diesel, listen to me.” She placed her palms on his hard chest and her belly tightened, kind of like when she touched… Heat rose in her cheeks, her face flaming. Had Tio seen one of those videos of her?
“Motherfucker,” he snarled, mistaking her reaction.
“Wait, it isn’t what you think.” It was bad, but notthatbad. “You can’t go in there like a fucking bull ready to gore him. The peace agreement, remember?”
He clamped his fingers around her wrists. “You have two fucking seconds to tell me.”
“First, Easton…you should thank him,” she started, refusing to show how nervous his anger had her. “He, uh, he talked him down.” He growled and she winced. She was fucking up so bad. “Uh, convinced him to leave.”
Instead of keeping him in suspense because he was unhinging right in front of her fucking eyes, she told himsomeof what happened. It didn’t help the flaming fucking inferno she saw building inside of him, and on the verge of exploding. If she told him Tio had seen her videos, he’d go inside with guns blazing.
“You can’t kill him.” Unfortunately. “I just want you to warn him away from us, especially Mattie and Harley.” She wouldn’t have minded a little protection herself, but she needed to talk Diesel down. “I can handle myself.”
Not. If Rule’s attack had taught her anything, it was that a lot of guys were just stronger thanher. He knocked her the fuck out and then got her into the pool, when she had to have been deadweight.
“He shouldn’t have said a motherfucking thing to you, Rebel.”
“I was sitting on his fucking porch. I guess he thought he had a right.”
Diesel released her and shoved his fingers through his hair. “And I beg to differ. Youthinkyou can handle yourself. Motherfuckers like that are uncontrollable menaces.”
“Just ask him to stay away, especially from Mattie and Harley. They’ve had it way worse than me.”
“His death will be much simpler.”
“It won’t be. It’ll jeopardize everything. Aren’t you looking forward to peace and the way things were up until a year ago?”
“Not at your expense. I’m sure Uncle Christopher would feel the same way.”
“Yeah, but Uncle Johnnie wouldn’t. He’d use this to vote Daddy out, and then what’ll happen?” Rebel already knew because she understood club life, more than anyone gave her credit for. “Death. Death and destruction will happen. If we’re lucky, it’ll be Uncle Johnnie and his friends, but what if it isn’t? What if it’s our uncles and cousins? Daddy and CJ? What if it’s you?” she whispered.
He was silent for a moment, then took her face between his hands. “Would my death matter to you so much?”
She nodded.
“Then you forgive me.”
“No.”
He laughed. “You’re a little fucking menace yourself.”
“And you’re still a fucking psycho.”
Smiling, he dropped his hands. “I’ll give him a warningthis fucking time. For you, but if that motherfucker breathes your way again, he’s fucking dead.”
After everyone greeted each other, Christopher and Cleaner glared at each other, while Tio and Diesel did the same, the women retreated to the kitchen to help Celia finish the dinner and the motherfuckers followed Bash to the den. The kids were left to decide but almost all of them followed Christopher and the men.
Those who hadn’t been swabbed in advance were swabbed and then the tech, Abel, disappeared into a small office, promising to call Kendall when all the results were in.
Christopher had been in the house twice before since Bash purchased it, but only in the hallway and the kitchen. Unlike the dark, depressive décor the last time Christopher saw it, it was bright, airy, and modern.He almost wished he hadn’t put it up for sale. In a car, it wasn’t that far from the club.
It would’ve been perfect for Diesel. Unfortunately, he couldn’t go back in time and undo that shit. Besides, it was the beginning of Megan’s investments.
