“There’s gonna be more trouble, isn’t there?”
“I don’t know,” I told her honestly. “But it ain’t over. I’d never lie to you about that.”
“I know you wouldn’t.” Orla’s gaze drifted to the window as the rumble of approaching bikes shattered the night.
Nash led the convoy in, flanked by Decoy and the band of brothers he’d taken with him. Next came the van, carrying Embry and Mateo.
Alexei was behind them, guarding the rear, his Kawasaki as menacing as any Harley. Fucking faster too.Goddamn, he fascinates me.
Orla laughed, flicking my cheek. “Put your tongue away.”
“You first.”
“You wouldn’t know if it had fallen out, dear brother, you’re that fixated on him.”
I couldn’t deny it. And it took every ounce of willpower I possessed to tear my gaze from the window and give my sister my full attention. “Don’t worry about that either. We trust him.”
“We?”
“The council.”
“I thought you meant you and Saint.”
“Saint’s on the council.”
“Don’t be clever. It doesn’t suit you.”
Didn’t I know it. “Look.” I dropped my hands on Orla’s shoulders, ignoring the shot of pain in mine. “Don’t wait for me to do whatever you want to do with your life, okay? Whatever comes, I’ll handle it with Nash. He’s my brother. If I could shack you up with anyone, it’d be him.”
“Not Saint?”
“Nope. He deserves someone way fucking nicer than you.”
Orla walked away laughing. I watched her go, then leaned heavily against the wall, bracing myself for the night to come.
More bikes entered the compound, the whole club coming together for Embry. I tried not to flinch. Or return to the window to check they belonged to my brothers.
Saint is down there. No fucker is getting past him.
A month ago, I’d have believed it. But Saint was as human as I was. The Sambinis and a goddamn cartel had come for him with gas and rope, enabling a hitman to drop Embry with a blade and me with a bullet. Who was next? As long as the Sambinis, the Crows, and fuck knew who else still had a stake in our turf, I had no clue.
“Cam?”
Of course they both walked up on me while I was having a fucking meltdown. Saint’s voice cut through the whirling dervish that was making my heart pound. And Alexei? Man, he just looked at me, his slate-grey gaze sparkling in the low light of the hallway. “Embry get in okay?”
Saint nodded. “Bar. The women are all over him.”
Predictable. Everyone loved Embry, but no one more than the club’s old ladies. They swarmed around him on the best of days, but now? When he was hurt and unable to climb on his bike and escape? Hell, that shit was funny, and I needed a laugh. “I need a beer.”
Saint shrugged.
Alexei said nothing still, his silence making my skin prickle.
“What?” It came out snappier than I was prepared for.
Alexei shrugged and I wanted to shake him. It was Saint who was supposed to keep his words in, his feelings torturously to himself. I couldn’t deal with it from Alexei too.
Saint stepped between us. He put a restraining hand to my chest, frowning, as if he felt the vicious drumbeat of my heart. “What’s...” His frown deepened and he panicked, silently, words stuck in his throat.