Despite everything, a twinkle of humor dances in her eyes, a shadow of a smile also playing over her lips. Lips still swollen from my kiss. I take one last look at her, and I fucking vow that nothing is going to happen to her.
Ever.
“Stay here, darlin’. I’ll be right back.”
She nods solemnly. I wait until she sits down on the edge of the bed, her arms folded around herself protectively, as if she could ward off all the evil shit going on around her. I leave before I have time to dwell on that because it only makes me see red, and when I see fucking red, I want to storm that piece of shit’s house, his office, whatever I have to do to find him, drag him out, and beat him fucking senseless for using his daughter like this.
A few moments later, I yank the door open to find Edge waiting on the porch. His face is shadowed, and when his lips are thinned out like that, and his hands are at his sides, clenching and unclenching like he’s going to need to go for his gun, I know that it’s bad.
“What the fuck is going on, brother?” No matter how pissed off I look, Edge’s used to that shit by now. He doesn’t even blink.
“It’s the Sinners. Wraith was spotted in town today and you probably already know where. Up at the Harris house. He might even still be there.”
I curse under my breath.
“Yeah. That pretty much sums it up.”
“I already know what his game is. Just found out for certain.”
Edge’s eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. “Yeah? So what the fuck are we gonna do about it?”
“Don’t know,” I finally concede. “But we sure as fuck better figure it out. I have to send her home to that piece of shit. Have to—to keep her safe. We better get a game plan together fucking stat.”
Edge nods because he knows exactly what is at stake. “You want me to send Tracker after her when she leaves?”
“Yeah. He won’t be seen. Have Brick and Shadow tail the rest of the fuckers until they’re sure they leave town.”
“And Leah?”
“I’m getting her out of here,” I say, with more confidence than I currently feel, but I know I am going to figurethis out. Get her out of Helena and somewhere safe before shit goes down.
Edge claps me hard on the shoulder. “With ya, brother. Whatever you need.”
“I know,” I say grimly, because I do.
Edge has my back. All my brothers do. I might be heading straight for the eye of the storm, but at least I won’t be alone.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Leah
Of course, as soon as I walk in the door, my father is waiting for me, a living, breathing pariah. I feel myself folding in like a crumpled wad of paper tossed carelessly to the floor.
He comes at me, looming larger than his six feet, an insidious shadowy figure from the worst nightmare. He doesn’t have to fold his arms or even frown at me to instill terror in me, which sucks because I would like to think I am stronger than that.
Tomorrow night. Just hold out until tomorrow night.I repeat the words over and over, a litany in my head.
I force myself to drag in deep breaths to calm myself. I hold my head up high. I don’t want to show fear. I have realized that people like my father feed on it. They suck it deep inside of them, living off it like a regular person needs food and water to sustain them.
“You were with him.” It is a statement of fact because it’s obvious that I wouldn’t be anywhere else.
“Yes. I was.”
“And he believed you?”
I look him right in the eyes as I lie to him. I am, after all, his daughter, and this part of me should be good at it. The black parts that he put there himself. “Yes. Of course, he did.”
“You told him to meet you at the tower two nights from now?”
