She laughs, completely unapologetic. “Sorry, Big Daddy.”
“Ohmyfuckingod,” Jasper groans, causing Beau to belt out a laugh. “Joe!”
“Right. Sorry.”She’s not.
I even notice Lawson and Lincoln fighting smiles too—tiny twitches at the corners of their mouths that say this chaos is one they’re more than familiar with.
“If Sebastian can figure out where Grayson and Caleb are,” Lawson says evenly, “then we should be able to handle the rest. We’ll let you know if anything changes.”
“And all of you are okay with… doing what needs to be done?” Enzo asks.
He doesn’t elaborate. He doesn’t have to.
The room goes quiet.
Lawson, Lincoln, Jasper, and Beau glance at one another—something unspoken passing between them—before every pair of eyes lands on me.
My throat tightens.
Never, in a million years, would I ask them to kill for me. To take another life because of me. And yet…
I know there’s no point in telling them not to.
I’ve lived amidst violence for most of my life.
I’ve seendeathfirst-hand more times than I’d like to admit.
I’ve spent a few nights wondering if it would be a better companion than the life I was living.
And I know the look in a man’s eyes once they’re resigned to the fact thatdeathis theonlychoice.
I’ve seen it in their eyes since the moment I woke up.
The pain.
The fury.
The feral, desperate need to protect what they love.
Me.
So, instead of speaking, I meet each of their gazes and give a single nod.
Whatever happens, I’m with you.
“We are,” Lawson answers for all of them. His voice is rough, but steady. Just like him.
“Alright then. I should be able to track them down within forty-eight hours,” Sebastian says. “Based on what I’m already seeing, they’re not exactly the brightest bulbs.”
“That’s a fucking understatement,” Beau mutters.
“Keller, on the other hand, might prove to be more difficult,” Sebastian continues.
“We’ll take whatever you can give us,” Lawson replies.
“I’m on it.”
“Thanks, Sebastian.”
