by Tate James
I snorted a laugh, almost choking on my drink. "Total loyalty? You? Is this a joke?"
Rex's smile slipped from his face, and his brow furrowed. "I know we've got our history, but I am loyal. Not once broken our deal in four years. You damn well know I protect the women in my life."
That I couldn't argue with. The whole reason he'd gone to prison in the first place had nothing to do with the Timberwolves or his role as enforcer. In fact, it was because of Demi and Stacey, and that was why she’d lobbied so hard for his safety on his release.
Rex and Demi had been a political marriage. Demi was a born Timber, and Rex had been my father's right-hand man. Meanwhile, Demi had been secretly dating pretty, innocent schoolteacher Stacey, and Rex had a whole-ass family with a woman three states away. When Stacey had been attacked by the father of one of her students, Demi had turned to Rex for help.
Rex had helped.
In a twist of fate, though, that man had been a cop, and Rex had gone to prison. Although in hindsight, that had saved his life when I’d gone on my killing spree.
"Why?" I demanded, despite Zed shaking his head at me. "Why do you want back in? You've got a good thing going with the garage."
Rex scoffed. "You know why. I'm not a young man anymore, Hades, and I've got my boys to think of. Only an idiot doesn't seek shelter in a storm, and girl, you're the storm. What safer place than in the eye of it?"
I weighed the sincerity of his request, but he was right about one thing. I needed more Timberwolves who were beyond reproach, people who would never in a million years flip for Chase Lockhart. Rex, despite his sins, was one of those people.
"Fine," I agreed, ignoring Zed as he ran a frustrated hand over his face. "But only you. Your boys need to earn their places and prove their loyalty, same as any new recruit. Understood?"
Rex nodded quickly, his jowls wobbling. "Understood, boss. Appreciate it. I'll head on downstairs and let you catch up with Persephone." He hauled himself up off the couch and gave us a broad grin. "Good thing I never got rid of this bastard, eh?" He lifted his sweaty shirt up, showing us his hairy belly and the huge Timberwolf tattoo covering most of his chest.
I bit back a smile. Fucking Rex was too damn jolly for a retired serial killer. "Fuck off with your belly, Rex. You need to take a few more dance classes to trim that up. I expect you to work in my Timberwolves."
Barking a laugh, he gave me a salute. "Yes, sir."
When he was gone, Zed gave me a long look. "I hope you know what you're doing there."
I huffed a sigh. "I don't. But I think he will be an asset."
Lucas ruffled his fingers through his hair, his eyes on me. "I don't know the whole story with Rex, but from what I've seen, Demi trusts him. And she doesn't seem to trust real easily."
Zed blew out a long breath. "That's true enough."
Glancing down to the main bar, I spotted Seph and Demi sitting together, giggling about something. It gave me a weird, unfamiliar kind of warmth to watch them together. Circumstances could definitely have been better, but I was glad Seph was spending so much time with Demi.
A wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I covered my mouth as I yawned.
"We should get home," Lucas said, watching me with worried eyes. "Doc said he’ll stop by tomorrow to check on you."
I nodded. After a week of day-naps, all the activity today had me wrecked. So I finished my drink, then led the way downstairs with Zed and Lucas flanking me like my own personal guardian angels. Or devils.
Seph looked over at me with a wide smile as I approached, and I found I was actually disappointed not to spend more time with her. But it really wouldn't be a good look if I fell asleep somewhere, and my shoulder was screaming at me for being out of the sling so long.
"Hey, brat." I grinned back at her. "I need to take off. But I think Lucas grabbed me a new phone, so I'll text you the number later, okay?"
She nodded her understanding. "No worries. We can hang out another day. Maybe just us?" Her eyes widened with hope, and I found myself quickly agreeing.
Another hug stunned me, then Demi gave me a reassuring smile as I left the Club. When we stepped out into the parking lot, I was surprised to see the sun setting and quietly patted myself on the back for lasting almost the whole day without napping.
Just before we reached Lucas's car, I spotted a black Dodge Challenger idling further down the parking lot.
"Just give me a minute," I murmured to Lucas and Zed, continuing past our Mustang toward the Challenger.
The driver rolled his window down as I approached, and I recognized Rex's second-oldest son behind the wheel.
"Little cousin," I purred with cold violence behind my smile. "I'm sure I don't need to spell this out for you, but it'll make me feel so much better if I do."
Rex's son swallowed hard, peering up at me with wide eyes. He was roughly the same age as Lucas, but goddamn, they were just worlds apart. This boy was just that. A boy.
"If you or your brothers lay a single finger on my little sister... if you even look at her the wrong way... I will personally take a knife to your balls and turn them into a Christmas ornament. Then I'll cut your chest open, reach into the cavity, and rip your heart right out to play tennis with." I flashed another toothy grin. "Clear?"
The boy nodded quickly, looking about six shades paler than he had when I approached.
"Good," I murmured, patting the top of his car. "Nice chatting with you."
As I walked away, a voice crackled from the car speakers.
"Holy shit, was that her? Did Hades just threaten you, bro?" Then peals of nervous laughter. "Do you need me to bring you some clean pants or something?"
"Shut the fuck up," the kid muttered back, rolling his window up and cutting off any further sound. But I'd heard enough.
I returned to Lucas and Zed with a satisfied smile on my face.
20
Returning to Zed's house sparked a whole mess of conflicting emotions within me—particularly when we passed the entry gate for Chase's house. In the end, though, when I got back up to "my" bedroom, I was relieved to be back. I was home.
Zed came up behind me as I stood in the doorway to my room and rested his hands lightly on my hips.
"If you don't feel comfortable here, we can go somewhere else," he told me softly, his lips brushing a kiss across my bare shoulder. I'd taken his jacket off in the car, and my skin pebbled in response to his kiss.
"No," I sighed. "No, this is perfect. It feels familiar. Safe."
I felt Zed's nod, and he kissed my shoulder again. "I'm going to take a quick shower, then get dinner started. Any requests?"
"Pizza," I groaned. "Make me pizza, please?" For all the delicious, nutritious meals he'd made for me at Foxglove, I just badly wanted some greasy cheese.
Zed laughed, his breath warming my skin. "For you? Anything. Give me an hour."
Stepping fully into my bedroom, I yawned again and headed for my closet to find something comfier to change into. I'd barely just kicked my heels off when Lucas arrived with my sling in his hand and a stubborn look on his face.
"I know," I groaned. "Just help me change, and I'll put it on."
Lucas did as I asked, helping me wriggle free of my sheer top and strappy bra. As his hands skated down my bare back, I couldn't stifle a small moan, and he froze.
"Is this okay?" he asked, his hands hovering at the waistband of my jeans. My back was to him, my bad arm pressed to my chest, so he couldn't see how hard my nipples had just gotten at that innocent touch.
"Yeah," I replied. "Sorry, I'm just... tired." Wow. Lamest explanation ever.
Lucas must have bought it, though, because he continued undressing me a second later, his long fingers undoing my jeans and helping me wiggle them down my legs.
His hand smoothed down my thigh, almost like a gesture of habit, and for a moment I thought he would push things further. I stiffened with the thought, unsure what my reaction would be if he did. Had Chase robbed me of intima
cy without fear? Would I ever know if I didn't try?
But Lucas didn't take things any further. He just reached for the T-shirt I'd grabbed out of my closet and pulled it over my head for me.
"Thanks," I mumbled, threading my arms through the sleeves. I sat on the edge of the bed to put my comfy sweatpants on, then let Lucas strap my sling into place. I sighed at the relief it offered my shoulder, and he gave me a hard look.
"You need to wear this, Hayden," he scolded.
I smiled up at him where he stood between my knees, checking the Velcro of the neck strap. "I needed not to show any weakness on my first day back in Shadow Grove."
He heaved a sigh, but I knew he got it.
"Hey." I reached up with my good arm, placing my hand on his cheek. "I'm getting better, I promise. Every day I feel more like myself."
He turned his face, pressing a soft kiss to my palm. "No one expects you to be the same, babe. However long you need, we'll be here. All three of us."
I pushed to my feet, looping my arm around his neck as my heart thumped hard in my chest. "I know. And I fucking love you for it. But I need to regain myself, for my own sanity. I won't let that bastard fuck me up long term. I refuse."
Understanding shone through his eyes, and he studied my face. "How can I help?"
Pulse racing, I grasped onto my paper-thin courage. "Push me," I urged him. "Challenge my fears, and help me erase them."
A small, worried frown tugged at Lucas's brow, but I knew he wouldn't refuse me. Slowly, so slowly that I had plenty of time to change my mind, he cupped a hand around the back of my neck and dipped his face toward mine.
He hesitated a split second before our lips touched, but I didn't pull away. I wanted him to kiss me. So when he closed the gap, I leaned into him, pushing myself to kiss him back.
Ever so softly, he deepened the kiss, his lips coaxing mine to part so his tongue could slip in. A deep shudder ran through me, but I held him tighter when he would have pulled away.
Eventually, though, he gave a low groan and shifted his lips to kiss my cheek. "I have to stop," he confessed in a whisper. "I don't want to push too far or too fast."
I almost told him that was exactly what I wanted. But his hard dick brushed against my body, and my brain short-circuited briefly. And not in a good way.
Lucas saw it instantly and peeled himself away, scrubbing his hand over his face. "Let's... do you want to head downstairs for dinner? Zed said he'd make us pizzas."
The crying, broken, and abused Darling inside my mind was begging to be left alone, pleading for solitude so she could wallow in self-pity and despair. So I pressed the mute button on her and nodded to Lucas.
"Absolutely. Pizza sounds amazing."
His hand found mine as we left my bedroom, his fingers linking us together as we started down the stairs. And somehow, with every step, I felt like I shed a fraction more darkness. Lucas was a part of me, tightly woven into my heart. I wouldn't be whole until I could be totally at ease with all three of my soulmates. That, I knew for sure.
Zed was in the kitchen, his hair still wet from the shower as he rolled out pizza dough on the stone countertop. The smile he gave me when we entered the room was the kind of smile that could light up the darkest of moods, and I returned it.
"Grab us drinks, Gumdrop," Zed suggested. "I'll have these ready in no time." The wink he shot me was way too damn sexy, and I bit my lip to stop myself from jumping him. That damaged version of me was on mute, not deleted. She wasn't ready.
So I helped Lucas pour us all drinks and headed out to the courtyard with him. It was warm enough not to need the fire pit for heat, but we lit it anyway. The ambience a live fire brought was unbeatable.
A few minutes later, while the pizzas were cooking, Zed came out to join us and pulled a rolled joint from his pocket. He showed it to me, tipping his head in question, not asking if I wanted some, but asking if it was okay in general.
I nodded. I had no issues with weed, and to be fair, it would probably offer a hell of a lot of relief for my shoulder. So when Zed lit it, then held it out, I took it without hesitation.
He watched me with heated eyes as I closed my lips around the joint and inhaled deeply.
"Shit," he muttered, swiping a hand over his face. "I need to... uh... check the pizzas."
Lucas snickered and shifted to sit closer beside me while Zed rearranged his dick on the way back inside the house. Passing the joint, I gave Lucas a knowing grin and reached for my drink.
"I know I've already said this," Lucas commented, sinking back into the outdoor couch and draping his arm along the back of it behind me, "but it's so damn good to have you home."
I smiled over at him and leaned my head back on his arm. "Home. You know I've never really felt like I had an actual home before? Even the apartment I shared with Seph... it was just an apartment, never really my home."
Exhaling smoke up into the sky, he handed the joint back. I held it a moment, sipping my drink instead. Zed and I had enough years of mixing weed with alcohol that we were never at risk of a cross fade, but Lucas? I nudged his drink away with my toe, just in case.
"That makes me really sad for you, Hayden," he said after a while. "But also kind of happy... that you feel like you have a home now. Here. With us."
I smiled and leaned into him more, tucking into his body as we sat and smoked in silence until Zed came back out with two trays of pizza balanced on his hands.
"That smells incredible," I moaned, my mouth already watering as I sat forward. Zed grinned, then fished his phone out of his pocket.
"Cass has been blowing up my phone," he told me, holding the phone out for me to take. "Feel like calling him back?"
I wrinkled my nose but took the phone from him. Sure enough, fifteen missed calls from Grumpy Fuck.
"Give me a slice of that, and I'll consider it," I replied, dropping the phone into my lap and holding my hand out for food.
"Call him back, and I'll give you food," he countered, mischief all over his face. I was high enough to play his game, though, so I grumbled but picked the phone back up to hit redial.
"Zed, you dick," Cass snarled when the call connected, "why weren't you answering? I was fucking worried!"
"Because I'm mad at you," I drawled in response, even though I was having a hard time remembering why I was so mad at him in the first place. But hey, at least my shoulder wasn't hurting as much anymore.
"Red," Cass rumbled with a sound of relief. "You're high, aren't you?"
"Mmm." I narrowed my eyes at Zed. "Pizza."
Cass chuckled in my ear. "You're high on pizza? That's a new one."
I tried to correct myself, but Zed had just dangled a slice in front of my face and now my cheeks were full of cheesy goodness.
"Alright, well, I'm on my way back to Shadow Grove," Cass continued when all he got out of me was muffled noises. "We can discuss you being mad when I'm back."
"Okay," I agreed, after swallowing my mouthful. "Come home to me, Grumpy Cat. I miss you." I really did. Cass was the missing link in our little quartet, and I felt his absence like a physical thing.
"I miss you too, Angel," he replied, his tone low and rough. "I'll be home soon."
There was an odd note in his voice as he said that, but maybe I was imagining things. Shrugging, I handed Zed his phone back and helped myself to another piece of pizza. The weed had hit me harder than usual, but I knew it wouldn't take long to fade. It never did.
Zed exchanged a few words with Cass before ending the call, then got comfy on my other side. His leg pressed against mine, and my body was against Lucas. Zed met my eyes as he lit a fresh joint.
"We okay?" he asked, nudging my knee with his.
I hummed a happy sound. He was asking if I was okay with the physical contact, but I was perfectly content.
For a while, we just hung out. We talked total shit about nothing important and finished all the pizza. Then Lucas started snoring softly as his head lolled back against the cou
ch, and I had to clap a hand over my mouth to hold in the laugh.
"Didn't he do this last time, too?" Zed whispered, pulling me out from where I'd been tucked into Lucas's side. He shifted me to lean my back against his chest as he reclined into the corner of the lounge.
"Mmm, yep," I replied, grinning at Lucas's sleeping form. "It's kind of impressive that he can fall asleep anywhere."
Zed's fingertips brushed down my bare arm, and he pressed a kiss to my hair, seemingly oblivious to how his light touches were making my breath speed up.
"I love when you wear this T-shirt," he told me, his fingers toying with the hem of it. Whether deliberate or not, his knuckles brushed across my belly, and I squirmed.
To distract myself, I glanced down to see what T-shirt I was wearing. Then grinned. Without even noticing, I'd selected his vintage, signed Blink-182 T-shirt that I'd stolen years ago and pretended I didn't have. It was well worn now, so thin in parts I was surprised it hadn't torn. I loved the hell out of it.
Zed's knuckles brushed my stomach again, and this time it was more deliberate. My breath caught, and I curved my neck as he brushed a kiss behind my ear.
"Zed..." I sighed his name, sinking back into his embrace further. Then all of a sudden, a dark thought reared its ugly head, making my whole body lock up.
"Dare, baby, what just went through your head?" he asked in a soft voice. His hands moved back to my waist—above my T-shirt—and he leaned away to give me some space.
I swallowed the sour taste in my mouth, then blurted it out before I could second-guess myself. "He made me come." Those words were like poison, and my chest constricted with dread. "He would trick me while I was out of my mind. He pretended to be you..." Bile rolled in my stomach, my whole body tensed as I prepared for Zed's rejection. His disgust.
It never happened, though. His arms just tightened around me in an instinctively protective gesture.
"I'll fucking murder him," he swore, his voice threaded with pure violence. "I'll gut him slowly with a blunt knife and make him choke on his own entrails. I'll—"
