Myeyes flick to the monitor.ThankstoKaila’spatch, the glitch vanishes.Thefeed rolls perfectly clear.
"Isee them,"Iconfirm. "AndIsee the trace.Kailajust flagged their command node."
Silencedrags on the line. "Kaila?Thegirl from the cabin?"
"Yeah."
"She'saccessing the system?"Logan’svoice drops into a dangerous octave. "Isthat smart, brother?"
Tiltingmy chin,Istare down at the top of her dark hair.Afrantic pulse hammers against the delicate skin of her throat.
"Sheposes no threat to the club,Logan."
"Yousure?"
"I'mlooking right at her handiwork.Thefirewall is fully reinforced."Ipause, searching for the exact phrasing. "She'sone of us."
Kailastiffens against my chest.Craningher neck, she looks up at me over her shoulder.Hereyes stretch impossibly wide.
"Oneof us?" she mouths.
"Bringthe intel to the table,"Loganorders. "Chapelmeeting in ten.Bringthe girl down here.Ifshe provides value,Iwant to look her in the eye."
"Copy."
Icut the feed.
Silencerushes back into the room, heavier and thicker than before.
"Idon't belong to your club,"Kailawhispered. "I'mnot a biker or a criminal."
"Youhacked a massive data reserve for a cartel,"Icounter, finally releasing my tight grip on her hips. "You'reworse than us, little ghost.Youjust lack the patch."
Scramblingoff my thighs, she puts desperate distance between our bodies.Herarms wrap tightly around her own ribs as she stares at my lap, where her warmth still lingers.
"Idid it forKevin."
"Nowyou work for me."Istand up, the sudden loss of her weight making my center of gravity to feel physically unbalanced. "Refuse, andKevindies.Run, andIhunt you down."
Iclose the distance.Herboots slide backward until her shoulders hit the humming wall of servers.
Plantinga hand flat against the metal rack next to her head,Ilean down until our noses almost touch.Thereality of her new world needs to sink in deep.
"Youfall under my protection now,Kaila.Thatmeans nobody lays a hand on you.Thecartel, the cops, and my brothers are all completely off-limits."
Asharp inhale expands her lungs. "Andyou?"
Mygaze drops to her mouth.Theplump flesh sits pink and slightly swollen from where she has gnawed on the lower lip.
"Iremain the exception to every rule."
Pushingoff the server rack,Iscoop her oversized cotton hoodie from the floor and toss it to her.
"Gearup.Wewalk to theChapelnow."
Shakinghands grip the cotton hoodie.Herdark eyes, however, hold completely steady.Herspirit remains perfectly intact, silently recalibrating the threat level.
"Fine," she bites out, shoving her arms into the sleeves. "Ifyour brother tries any intimidation tactics,I'mdraining his bank accounts."