Winter laughed. “Nut jobs, man.”
“Seriously,” Memphis muttered under his breath, but clearly amused.
Syx chuckled and jumped into the pile to make matters worse.
Black didn’t move at all, other than a slight smirk.
Law took another sip of coffee.
Boston got an elbow free, tried to leverage up—Rip shut it down immediately, weight shifting just enough to pin him again. Micah twisted out halfway, breath catching on a laugh he didn’t want to give.
“Help?” Micah yelped to Black, long hair a tangled mess.
Black stepped forward and easily lifted Micah out of the fray.
The movement slowed on its own.
Boston was still grinning as Rip finally let him go, the fight bleeding out of it as fast as it had started. Syx laughed and brushed his hands down his own jeans.
The room found its balance again, easy as breathing.
But it didn’t fully settle.
Boston kept talking, but the edge shifted. Less noise, more point. Someone asked something real. Rip answered without looking up. Memphis added something that wasn’t a joke this time.
It tightened from there—no clear start, just Daniel Voss settling into the middle of it.
Rip pushed up off the floor, dragging a hand over the back of his neck as he dropped back onto the couch. “We waiting on them or starting without them?”
“Give it time,” Law said. “Mac and Noah are next door.”
Rip leaned forward, forearms on his knees now, attention shifting.
“When are they getting here?”
“Within the hour.”
Rip nodded. “Good.”
Memphis tipped his head. “We know Voss has reach. Question is—how much?”
Law glanced at Sage, who was very familiar with Voss.
“Enough to make this messy,” Sage said.
Law shot them all a look. “So, we don’t rush this.”
The men stayed busy then, cleaning weapons. Metal on cloth, quiet, steady—familiar. Boston sharpened a blade, and Micah used the whetstone when he was done.
Law turned to Sage. “Have you heard from Ashley?”
“Yeah, Rook made it through the night. It’s still touch and go. Oh, and she thanked us for having Erebus on site.”
“That’s good. I talked to Savage earlier. Erebus will stay on them until the end.”
“Thank you,” Sage said softly.
Law linked their fingers and gave a half smile.
