I throw my arms around my brother, holding him close. “Don’t ever run again.”
“I won’t. I’m gonna clean things up even more. I’ll find something stable and get my life right.”
When I let go of Boone and look at Wraith, he’s watching us with a serene expression. My brother is right. If I want this with Wraith, I have to figure it out. I have to fight for it.
“After you eat, I can take you to a guest room,” Wraith says. “You can shower and rest and then we’ll figure out the next steps to stop your former boss.”
“Are you gonna kill him?” Boone asks.
Wraith glances at me briefly before nodding. “Yes. His whole crew is going down. I’m no saint, but we all have our limits and sex trafficking is one of ours.”
“Did you get in trouble for helping me?”
“No. You helped us see a blind spot. You would’ve never been in our sights if we had done a better vetting job. My boss appreciates it.”
“So… I… helped you?”
The broken hope in his voice makes my chest tighten.
“You did, Boone. You helped. We’re gonna do better now. Make sure we’re on the right side of things as best as we can be.”
“That’s good,” Boone says. “That makes all of this worth it.”
“It’ll be because of you those kids are saved. You should be proud of what you did. Maybe not the best method, but at least you took a stand.”
Boone laughs softly. “Noted.”
A bunch of guys file into the kitchen, their conversation halting quickly when they see Boone and me.
Surprisingly for a group of murderers, they all look like pretty normal, albeit extremely attractive, men. One of them stands out more than the others. He’s ethereal, beautiful in his masculinity, with his hair piled in a messy bun on top of his head. The man I’ve seen Wraith with before has his arm around the beautiful man’s waist, and when he smiles at me, it feels like I’m the only person in the room. Now that’s a skill.
“Uh, Boone and Pax, my brothers.”
“And me,” the pretty one says. “Colson.”
“You’re still my brother.” Wraith winks at him.
“You’re so pretty,” Boone gushes at Colson, drawing a surprised look from me and a growl from the man clinging to Colson.
“Thank you, sweetie,” Colson says, rubbing his man’s back. “This caveman here is the love of my life, Specter.”
“Boone,” he says, meeting Specter’s eyes. “I meant no disrespect.”
“You’d think Specter would be used to it by now,” Wraith says.
“I’m used to it,” Specter grumbles, pulling Colson a little closer.
I feel like a museum exhibit as all the men take us in, then the leader enters the room. Even if I didn’t know it was him, I would know by his demeanor and the way the others react to his presence.
“We have another guest,” Shadow says.
“Shadow, this is Pax’s brother, Boone, a.k.a. Patrick. Boone, this is our leader, Shadow.”
Boone seems frozen in place, clearly intimidated by the imposing man.
“Welcome,” Shadow says. “Any new updates, Wraith?”
“We found the target.” He gestures to Boone. “Or rather, he found us.”
