“Yes, but not in the same way.” The truth sank in my stomach like a leaden weight. Although I blamed Angelo for everything he did to the townspeople, my family, and Tommaso, the need to take vengeance was different. He didn’t claim me, he didn’t dictate my life and my friends for over six years, and he didn’t hold the same confusing mix of pleasure and pain as his son held.
I despised him, and he had made me uncomfortable every time I saw him, but he wasn’t the one who held my strings, directing me to perform and taking from my body and sanity. He was firmly the enemy, not someone who had carved a place for themselves in my life, convincing me he was the only option.
“We’ll take on this fight together.”
I tightened my grip on each of them and held my breath, hoping I could keep that promise to them. I wouldn’t let my pride get in the way. This was what we were fighting for—a life together, full of peace, love, and happiness.
Iplacedahandovermy mouth just as a yawn broke free. Thankfully everyone made it back unscathed, and Angelo didn’t have us followed. That hadn’t stopped me fromwatching the feeds until the hearse pulled up to the front of the church an hour later and the casket was carried off. I didn’t want to know where he was being put to rest. I wouldn’t trust myself not to deface his tombstone, and I wasn’t sure I could live with myself if I stooped that low.
“I’m coming with you,” Merrick huffed, attempting to twist out of bed. A grimace quickly replaced his glower as he twisted the wrong way.
“That’s exactly why you aren’t.” I pulled the blanket back over him, frowning in concern as I lifted the collar of his shirt to check the bandage on his shoulder. I barely resisted the urge to rip it down the middle at the glimpse of rippling muscles.
“I should never have let you go out today without me,” he grumbled, eyeing the closed door like it had personally offended him. “If it weren’t for my former traitorous friends—”
“Sebastian and Zane were only looking out for you,” I said, and flopped back onto the bed, settling myself in the crook of his uninjured shoulder. “Besides, if you get yourself hurt tonight, you’ll have to spend even more time trapped in this room.”
“You make a good point.” His eyes narrowed. “But I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt because I wasn’t there.”
“I’ll have Spade with me, and you know he’d rip out anyone’s throat for just looking at me wrong.”
We’d split into teams of two, with others nearby in case we ran into a larger group. Spade and Kellan fought for the entire ride back to the house over who would be paired with me tonight until I told them neither of them would come with me if they didn’t stop fighting. Kellan had reluctantly relented since he got to be with me this morning, saying that he would stay nearby should we encounter any trouble.
“That’s true.” Merrick chuckled and rested his cheek against my head. “How’s your leg doing?”
I grimaced, not wanting to admit the truth. “I honestly didn’t feel the pain until we got back here.”
I knew I only had adrenaline to thank for that, which was another reason I needed some rest before tonight. Merrick’s bed was the first place I’d thought to go since I’d grown so used to having him by my side over the last week. Each of my men were my safe haven, and it knocked me a bit off-kilter not having all three of them with me today. I’d never admit that to Merrick. He’d mow everyone down who tried to stop him from coming tonight if he knew the truth, even if it put him in danger.
“Did you—”
“Kellan already gave me ibuprofen when we got in.” My Kellan always could read me like an open book, a truth I sometimes hated, especially when he could see the pain I tried my best to hide.
As if he’d been outside the door just waiting for one of us to say his name, the man himself strode in, his black curls rumpled as if he’d mussed them by ruffling his fingers through them in frustration. He was only wearing a pair of striped pajama bottoms, letting me ogle his chiseled, bare chest.
Kellan shot me a wink, and I hastily snapped my jaw closed, relieved I hadn’t started literally drooling over my artistic love.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Merrick growled, pulling me closer to his side as if he thought Kellan was about to steal me away. He shifted as though he was going to take off his shirt, but I wrapped an arm around him, not missing the smug grin he tossed Kellan’s way.
“You monopolized our girl for the last week; you’re lucky I’m not carrying her out of here and into my bed.”
Kellan slipped under the blankets and cocooned me in his strong arms, making me wish I’d chosen a more revealing sleep set myself. Instead, I’d thrown on a pair of sweatpants and one of Spade’s black T-shirts, needing to wrap myself in theintoxicating scent of his cologne. It was dark yet floral, just like my violence-loving man with such a kind and battered soul.
“Has Spade come back?” I chewed on my bottom lip and nestled my face into Merrick’s hard chest so neither of them could read the disappointment I was surely not hiding very well.
He’d kissed me tenderly before leaving me in Kellan’s arms, his shoulders hunched slightly as he turned on his heel and stalked off to his 1970 Dodge Challenger and peeled back out the gate before it was closed behind us.
“Not yet.” Kellan’s voice was strained. He raised his brows and glanced at Merrick over my head. “He’ll be fine, little devil; we’ll make sure of it. Now sleep.”
I exhaled the breath I’d been holding and soaked in the warmth of my two men, silently vowing to fix this tonight. Spade couldn’t avoid me then, and we’d be getting to the bottom of what had him withdrawing into himself. We were a family, and we had to be there for each other, or the Barones truly would win this war.
Chapter Six
Spade
“Hopin,sugar.”Igrinned up at my girl as she bounced out the front door. Her wide smile when her eyes locked onto mine nearly had me falling to my knees.
Kellan closed the door behind them, and she rushed down the stairs, her pink pleated skirt ruffling around her thighs. Fuck, for once I wished we didn’t have to go out tonight. My sugar craving was hitting the roof today. My fingers itched to slide up those bare legs and cup her delectable round ass as I pulled her onto my straining cock.
