Page 28 of Rough Patch

She cocked her head to the side and stared at him. It was one thing to lead a few meetings, to collect rents and to take control in their bedroom but questioning her in front of Kye was wrong. “Go.”

He glared for a moment, then turned and stalked out. When the door slammed behind him, Fiona sat back in her chair. “I’m tired, Kye, and I don’t feel like playing right now. So if you could just tell me why you’re here, I’ll probably hate you a little bit less.”

He chuckled. “I like that you’re very direct. Your honesty’s always been one of the best things about you.” She shot him a withering glance. He didn’t wither. But he held up a hand. “Fine. Grier’s in trouble.”

Why the fuck did Kye have intel she didn’t? She lived with Grier, slept with him every night, and he hadn’t mentioned one damned thing. If he’d told Kye and not her… “What does in trouble mean?” Oh, God. Please nothing that the club would hate him for. She couldn’t go ten rounds with each of the guys over him. Not now.

He shrugged. “I don’t know exactly. All I know is a rough biker type showed up in Belize asking around about him.”

“You used to be a rough biker type. Now you look like you’d rather ride a wave than a Harley.” Grier had looked the same when she’d brought him back and she would have smiled at the memory but a stab of electricity shot through her stomach. Instead of speaking further, she opened the drawer for the folder where she stored the mug shots of Tyler Sedotal and Willy Carr she’d pulled up. She swallowed hard and prayed her voice would come as strong and angry as she needed. She pushed the photos across the desk. “One of these guys?”

He looked at the pages she handed him, and she hid her wince behind a deep breath and thought of her happy place.

“I could ask but the answer’s going to take a while. I’ll have to go back to Belize and talk to the locals he talked to.” He shrugged and tossed the pages back on her desk, but he tilted his head, and his face pinched. “You okay?”

She nodded and swallowed against the very persistent ache in her belly.

His eyes went wide. “Should I get Grier?”

“No, tell me the rest.” She put her hand over her stomach, waiting for the pain to pass.

“Fiona.”

She smacked her hand on the desk. “Goddammit, Kye.”

“Fine. They wanted to know if he’s been there, if he has a place, if there’s anyone he’s close to.” He stood and walked around to stand beside her. “Fiona, when’s your baby due?”

“In a couple of weeks.” The pain subsided, and she shoved his hand away. “How long ago were they there?”

“Last week.”

Fuck. She waved him away. “Stop hovering over me and get back in your chair.”

He laughed and walked around her desk to his seat. “Eli was grumpy during labor, too.”

Grumpy? She wasn’t grumpy. She was her normal sunshiny self. And if she was even a little grumpy, it was a hundred percent his fault and had nothing to do with…

“Shit!” Another sharp stab, and this one stole her breath.

He rocketed to his feet. “I’m getting Grier.”

“Kye, I will kill you if you open that door.” She inhaled a couple of short breaths. “Please. Tell me the rest.” He didn’t open the door, but neither did he turn toward her. She pulled her gun from the drawer, and he turned at the sound of the metal slide pulling a shell into the chamber.

“You’re gonna shoot me.”

“Dreamed of it since you took him away, and I’m not in a very stable mood right now. Tell. Me. The. Rest.” She kept the gun pointed at him even as she bent to try to ease the pain in her back.

“I don’t know, Fiona. I know he’s in danger. They made threats and I got on a plane. I’ve been waiting for him to leave all day and he didn’t so…” He pleaded with his eyes. “Fiona… come on. Let me get Grier.”

She dropped her pistol-holding hand to the desk and held on to the edge with a white-knuckled grip. “Yeah.”

A second later, Grier’d swept her into his arms against his chest and carried her through the club to deposit her into the passenger seat of her car.

He took a couple of sideways glances at her as Kye climbed in the backseat and the rest of the guys followed on their bikes. It was a parade of Screaming Demons behind her car and damned if she cared. When she realized she was still holding it, she handed Grier her gun.

He smiled, but she saw the fear in his eyes, fear mirrored in her gut. “Good. I was afraid you might shoot me.”

“Probably why you should keep it. Because if this gets worse, I might.” She ended with a smile, and Kye laughed.