Page 63 of Hide Little Traitor

“Ryker,” Chloe and Kingston snap at the same time.

My brother turns slowly, his eyes burning with barely contained fury.

They’ve been making jabs at each other ever since he joined us, and it was only a matter of time before they came to blows.

“What? It’s true. Some of us can admit to our feelings for members of the opposite sex.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Damon growls, his hands fisted at his sides.

“Don’t like the truth when it smacks you in the face, Lombardi?”

“Ryker,” Chloe says gently. “Don’t.”

“It’s okay, Siren. I just want Grumpy here to admit he’s jealous he’s never tasted your pretty pussy.”

“Jesus Christ,” Kingston mutters, tugging Chloe back against him, I’m assuming to shield her from the fight that’s about to break out in front of us.

“Chloe has more than enough men in her rotation.”

Damon barely gets the final word out before Ryker’s on him.

I may have accepted that Chloe needs more than one of us to feel whole, but it seems my brother is yet to come to that realization.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

DAMON

NOW

Pain blooms across my already sore cheek, but I welcome it.

Being stuck with the people in this room is my worst nightmare, and if the only thing that makes it tolerable is when one of them hits me, I’m okay with that.

Soon enough I’ll be back at the compound, and this will be a distant memory.

Even as I think it, my chest tightens.

Betraying my brother and Chloe doesn’t become an easier pill to swallow with time.

If anything, the longer I spend with them, the more my plan falls apart. Getting them away from Ryker and Kingston is going to be next to impossible, especially considering how they each track her every move like she’s their reason for breathing.

Another fist hits my jaw this time, and I grunt. The fresh bruising from the message my father sent makes this a whole new level of uncomfortable.

“Can’t handle the truth, Ryker?” I growl, blocking his next blow with my aching arm.

I have no excuses for why I threw myself in front of that bullet for Chloe.

I’d like to say it was instinctive, but I can’t think of a single other person I would do the same for. Including my brother.

“Can’t handle that your perfect siren has been handed between the three of you like a fucking joint at a high school party?”

I’m being an asshole. Even more so than usual.

But keeping Chloe at arm’s length has never been more important than it is right now.

I can’t let her get close, because it won’t be long before I hand her over to my father to kill. The more I push her away now, the easier that pill will be to swallow.

Or at least that’s the hope.