Текст книги "Ruthless People"

Автор книги: J. J. McAvoy

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

EIGHTEEN

“There is no greater blessing than a family hand

that lifts you from a fall;

but there is no lower curse than a family hand

that strikes you when you’re down.”

~ Wes Fessler

NEAL

I cleaned my rifle for what had to be the fifteenth motherfucking time as I waited for the sun to come up. I wouldn’t be able to sleep until this was over. Truthfully, I hadn’t slept well in over a decade. Every night since high school, I woke up in the same cold sweat, and every night I would believe it was just a dream until I saw the tattoo on my arm. It was nothing special or fancy. It was just the number 224. The locker I found Liam in. It would forever be burned into my skin and in my mind.

Every night I saw him, this small nerd with messy brown hair and glasses shaking in a locker. He was beaten up badly. He had even pissed himself he was shaking so hard. I was momentarily frozen in shock. I screamed for help over and over again, even when Coach D was already there trying to help him. I just kept screaming until my voice went silent. He stepped in and did what I had failed to do. In that one moment, it was like a sheet was lifted from my fucking face and I realized I was an idiot. I was jealous of Liam. Our father had poured his love into him since the moment he was born. The sun and moon revolved around Liam. Was he all right? Did he take his pills? How far did he walk today? Did you see how fast he read that book? Did you know he understands your homework Neal? Liam this. Liam that. Whenever I needed to speak with our father, he was in Liam’s room. Whenever I need help, he was busy with Liam. Always fucking Liam. I was jealous. He lost his twin, had his shoulder broken, his feet crippled, and small dying lungs, all within hours of just being born, and I was jealous of him.

It didn’t make sense anymore, but back then with a child’s understanding, that’s what I thought. Whenever our mother saw him, she would break down. She would sob and sob then lock herself away for months. I blamed Liam for that. What made it worse was that I truthfully hated myself. I hated myself for not protecting our mother. I was young. I couldn’t do anything, but it didn’t help. It was just easier to blame it all on Liam because it started when he came. So when he was being bullied, teased, or flat-out embarrassed, I looked away. I always looked away until I saw him shaking in that locker, and then I couldn’t look away any longer.

Declan stepped in, knocking back a beer. “This is such a stupid plan.”

“It’s my only chance, Declan,” I said with a sigh, cleaning the barrel once again. I didn’t want the bullet to back-jam. If it did, then it would come out with more force. It would definitely kill him.

“There has to be another way. This is going to backfire on you both.”

“There is no other way! He is my brother. I want my brother back, Declan. You have no idea. You both have always been close. I want to be able to sit with him, drink, and joke and laugh like you both do. I want to go on hunting trips, to fighting clubs. I fucking want to be part of the family again. I want a seat at the damn table, because if I don’t get one soon, Liam will cut me out permanently. Do you know what happens to people Liam cuts out?” I snapped, throwing the gun on the table as I took a deep breath.

“Neal��”

“He eithers kills them or he leaves them to die, family or no family. The only thing holding him back is our mother, and how much longer do you think that will last? I may one day wake up and find my wife and myself in chains or in hell thanks to him. I cannot let that happen.”

“Are you doing this because you fear he will one day turn on you or because you truly want his love,” Declan said, as he placed his beer down to clean my gun. “He’s been a crappy brother as well. You messed up, but you were young. We were all young.”

“You don’t see what I see at night, Declan,” I replied, taking the gun from him. “You don’t understand how disgusted I feel with myself whenever I wake up in the morning.”

“I’m starting to.”

“Why, because you’re lusting over Melody?”

“How—”

“Because every last man with a working dick is lusting over her. It’s hard not to when she shoots people in a tight dress and heels, and fucking loves it. We all want that from our women, but Liam got it. Always Liam. However, I have enough bad blood to last me a lifetime. Last thing I need is Melody added to the mix.” Plus, that woman scared me almost as much as Olivia did.

“You’re going to shoot her husband, she’s added to the mix.”

He had a point.

“Yeah, well I need to work on Liam.” At the first sign of light, I lifted the clear bullet.

“What is this?” Declan grabbed hold of one.

“I call them blanks, I made them for Liam. They will hurt like a bitch and may cause bleeding, but it shouldn't kill him. I got it from paintballs.” It wouldn’t take long at all.

“When this goes to hell, and it will go to hell, remember to tell Melody I had no idea about this.”

This couldn’t fail. I would do anything Liam needed for this not to fail. It was crazy but that was who Liam was, ninety-eight percent of everything he did was crazy, but it worked. He gave me his word that he would finally let the past remain in the past. Maybe then I would finally be able breathe again, to sleep again, to be at peace again.

Declan didn’t understand. Olivia didn’t understand. No one understood what I felt. How deep the guilt had embedded into my soul. Father had told me repeatedly that family was everything. That we lived and died for family, but then Liam happened and I swear Sedric knew what I had done. He looked me dead in the eye and waited for me to confess my sin, but I couldn’t speak. For the last twelve years I couldn’t speak. What is the point of being strong on the outside when you are weak on the inside?

That was why I needed to do this. Not just for Liam but for myself . . . for Olivia. So I could finally be the man she needed. Instead, she was the woman who held on to me each and every fucking night as I tried to get the image of the little boy in the locker out of my mind.

She wanted kids, but she wasn’t the problem. I was. Apparently, my own body had begun to betray me. The doctors called it “stress,” stupid motherfuckers. It was my body’s way of telling me I was not ready to be a father, not when I couldn’t even hold my shit together.

Sighing, I dropped my head against my rifle.

“May my aim be true in its intent,” I whispered to myself before tucking the cross around my neck into my shirt.

Walking toward my window, I waited. I would wait all day if I had to. But sure enough he walked out from the trees.

“Forgive me,” I whispered as I pulled the trigger.

NINETEEN

“He who makes a beast of himself

gets rid of the pain of being a man.”

~ Samuel Johnson

CORALINE

Day 1

“Ahh!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as a rush of freezing cold water was poured all over me and my bed. Jumping out of bed I came face-to-face with . . . Adriana I believe? She looked like I was an annoying brat.

“You’re late.” She stared, placing the bucket on ground.

“It’s six in the morning!” I yelled at her, shivering horribly. Why in the world couldn’t she just shake me like a normal person?

“Training starts an hour before sunrise. The sun is up, which means you’re late.” She walked to my closet and pulled out two random items of clothing that didn’t even match, then threw them at me.

“I didn’t”

“Strip.”

“What?” She wanted me to change in front of her?

She rolled her eyes and pointed to my pajamas. “Take off your clothes and get changed, so you can start the training you begged the Boss for.”

“Okay let me just go to the bathroom.”

“Why? Do you have special lady parts that I don’t have?” She glared at me.

“I don’t remember you being this mouthy to Mel.”

“What was that?’ she asked, making me jump.

“Nothing, these clothes don’t match,” I replied walking over to my closet.

Adriana followed of course. “Does it matter what clothes you bleed in?”

“Bleed in?”

“There is a reason why people say they worked through blood, sweat, and tears.” She rolled her eyes making me feel like an idiot, and I wasn’t doing this to feel even worse about myself.

“Look I’m new at this whole—”

“Being strong? Being confident? Being a fucking Callahan? Yeah, I’m getting that. Which is why I’m annoyed, because this isn’t you. Or at least is shouldn’t be you. Aren’t black women supposed to be strong?”

“You don’t know me, you racist bitch!” I yelled at her. Yes, I was supposed to be the “typical” black woman, the one who takes no shit and is ready to fight at every moment. God forbid there be a black woman who was shy, who hated confrontation, who didn’t fit the stereotype.

She smirked, pushing her glasses up her small nose. “Nope, I don’t know you, but do you know you? Is this meek, small woman in front of me the real Coraline or is it the face you put on because you’re scared to deal with your shit?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“Think about why you asked to do this. You could have chosen any other way to remake yourself—to better yourself. You could have gone back to school, lost five pounds, wrote a self-help book. But instead, you wanted to learn how to fight. People who choose that option are born differently than the rest of the world.” She stepped right up to my face, and I felt the need to back away.

“There is a drive, a hunger within you Coraline. You’re trying to break out of your shell but are scared to do so. You’re scared because all you know how to do is hide behind sick children and big fat checks. You hide behind everything, even your clothes. It’s why you can’t take them off in front of others. Let me get guess, you and Declan have sex in the dark? You hide and wait under the covers—”

“Shut the fuck up!” I yelled, my fist flying at her fast, however, she caught it easily and smiled.

“There’s the real Coraline breaking out. Maybe you aren’t hopeless. We will try again tomorrow, and you better not be late.” She glared before walking away from me.

When she left, I felt myself fall and I just lay down in my closet. Who was the real Coraline Wilson Callahan? I wasn’t sure. My whole life was unsure, with the exception of Declan. He was the silver lining in my life. Neither of my parents really wanted anything to do with me, seeing as how they weren’t really my parents. They were my very bitter aunt and uncle. After my real parents died, they took me in, hoping they could get the money that was left to me.

They didn’t care about me, and they were pissed when they found out only I could withdraw anything and not until my sixteenth birthday. They never said a kind word to me as a child, and then on my sixteenth birthday, they were taking me on shopping trips—more like I was taking them. But they were happy and they treated me better, so I kept buying. Now here I was at twenty-two, still trying to buy affection. But it didn’t work so well when everyone around you had just as much money, if not more.

I didn’t know who the real me was. But I knew I wanted to kill this Coraline. Not all of her, just most of her. I wanted to be who I was when I first met Declan, free, alive, happy. I wasn’t sure when I lost it. I think it was just a few months after we got married. I saw a darker side of him, and I got nervous, I became afraid and walled myself off from him.

The more blood I saw, the more wounds he came back with, the more I walked away, which was stupid, because he confessed on our third date who he was and what he did. He told me he loved me enough to let me walk away. He said that if he went on one more date he wouldn’t be able to handle it if I left him. I didn’t want to leave him, so I stayed, and then I kicked him in the gut for it later. I accepted this life, and I didn’t want it to rule me. I wanted to walk on the same water Mel and Evelyn did. Evelyn would walk through fire for Sedric, she would kill for him, and I wanted to be that way. I wanted to be a real Callahan woman.

Day 2

I walked straight into Adriana’s room to find her placing knives on her bed. She looked up at me then to the time and smiled.

“Four-thirty in the morning. I’m impressed. Ready for the blood, sweat, and tears?” she asked.

“Yes.”

TWENTY

“Maybe this is why so many serial killers work in pairs.

It’s nice not to feel alone in a world full of victims or enemies.

It just seems natural. You and me against the world . . .”

~ Chuck Palahniuk

MELODY

I couldn’t stop shaking, me, motherfucking, Melody Giovanni, now fucking Callahan, the girl who did not blink when she sold her first ounce of coke at sixteen in a back alleyway. I was the girl who murdered a cartel member at seventeen because he stole a pound of weed from us. However, here I was, and I could not stop shaking. I did not shake. I did not bend. I did not fucking flinch at the sight of blood, drugs, or at the sound of a fucking bullet! Yet here I was, watching as one of Cascadia’s doctors looked over Liam, and I was bloody shaking! What the hell was wrong with me?

I was trying my best not to scream at the fool hovering over Liam, who hadn’t moved in nine hours. If it weren’t for his chest rising and falling, I would have thought he was . . .

This stupid doctor had five seconds to give me an update or I was going to reach up and pull his tongue out of his ass!

“Mrs. Callahan—”

“You’re wasting words,” I hissed. “How is he?”

“He’s fine. Luckily, the bullet wasn’t lethal. In fact, I’m not sure exactly what it was. He has two bruised ribs, but they will heal. He is on medication for the pain, but other than that he is fine and should get back to moving around in a couple of days,” he replied, stepping back when I moved to the edge of the bed.

Liam looked so . . . peaceful. There wasn’t a wrinkle or any discomfort in his face. I felt the urge to run my hands through his hair. Part of me wanted to lay with him. A big part of me wanted to lay with to him. It was like my mind knew that was the only way the shaking would stop. However, I couldn’t. Instead, I turned around and walked out the door. Knowing he was okay, knowing he would be fine meant that I could do what I had been itching to do from the moment Fedel came to me.

I stepped outside, allowing my eyes to roam the yard of men who were all waiting for the same update I had been. My gaze stopped at the fool’s, and it was like the lion was out of the cage.

“Neal!” I roared, causing every man in his right fucking mind to part like the fucking Red Sea as I walked to him. He didn’t move, he didn’t even look surprised, but in a moment, he was going to look like he was in a hell of a lot of pain.

But I couldn’t get to him, though, Declan blocked my path and grabbed my arm.

Who did this motherfucking bitch think he was?

“Melody—”

Before he could finish, I punched him straight in the throat, kicked his back legs so they buckled, and brought him to his knees. Grabbing his hair, I yanked it back and pressed my knife to his neck.

“I will end you Declan Callahan, if you ever stand in my way again.” I pressed the blade even harder against his Adam’s apple.

“You aren’t thinking clearly—”

He didn’t seem to get that I wasn’t fucking joking. Pulling the knife from his neck, I stabbed his shoulder. His eyes widened as I backed away, allowing him to fall to his ass before letting out a roar of pain.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?” Neal yelled at me, rushing toward Declan. However, I stood in front of him.

“Yes, because if I was fucking sane right now, if I was Melody Giovanni instead of Callahan, I would have fucking killed him for stepping in my way! But I can’t kill Liam’s cousin and his brother in the same day,” I yelled, and he looked me over, unsure of what to do or even say. I would help him find his tongue.

“Did you shoot Liam?” I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear him say it.

“Melody—”

“Did you fucking shoot my husband, Neal?”

“Yes.”

I felt a moment of peace before I found myself lunging at his neck. He saw it coming and grabbed hold of my arms and lifted me as if I was a fucking newborn.

“Melody, it was an accident!” He yelled, but look at what long legs I have . . . only to strangle him with.

I wrapped them around his neck like a python, and squeezed until he had to let my arms go to grab hold of my legs. When he did, I flipped off him and kneed him in the crotch. He bent down and the stupid, tall, bear-like motherfucker gasped in pain.

“You, Neal Callahan, are the accident!” My fist smashed into his face.

His head jerked, and I felt the pain in my hand, but I didn’t stop. “You, Neal Callahan, are scum. You do not deserve my respect.” Another punch in the fucking nose.

“You do not deserve your last name.”

At that, he grabbed my fist, stopping it before spitting the blood from his mouth and rising to his feet. He glared into my eyes, and his own were burning. “Watch yourself, sister, or you may get hurt.”

He did his best to tower over me as if he was trying to say something with his size.

“What? Because you chew on steroids for breakfast I should be afraid of you?” I spun into him so quickly he didn’t have time to comprehend what I was doing until it was too late. It was one of the few things I had learned from my failed attempts at dance lessons as a child. Let your partner lead. It was probably why I failed at it. I did the leading. However, it worked for Neal, who was too big to stop me from spinning into him and grabbing his gun before spinning out.

With my left finger, I pulled the fucking trigger. Sadly, it wasn’t a gun but a Taser. However, it worked, and eighty-thousand volts sent him straight to his ass, shaking like a fish out of water.

“A Taser? Really? What are you, a mall cop?”

I sighed, looking down at him. But the big bad wolf couldn’t speak.

Bending on one knee, I leaned in so he could see my eyes. “If you ever cause harm to Liam again I will cut you in half and stuff you inside a locker.”

Standing back up, I turned to look over the rest of the men. Mine were all smiling, while the rest looked proud. I guess they didn’t like their boss being shot either.

“He’s fine, just needs rest. Continue on pretending like you are not trying to kill each other. I’ll see you all later,” I told them, and my eyes met Declan’s. He was being held up by none other than Eric, who I was starting to dislike. Declan looked pale and in need of a drink. He would be fine. If not, well then boo fucking hoo.

“I’ll send for the doctor,” I said in a mocking tone, then walked past them and into the cabin.

The doctor looked at me, unsure of what to do or where to go.

“Fedel will handle your payment after you look over Neal and Declan,” I told him, taking off my boots. My hand was sore, but I would deal with that later.

He must have noticed because he stepped forward, but I glared at him. There was only one doctor I trusted, and it wasn’t him. Getting the message, he left quickly, leaving me alone with the handsome, sleeping asshole who was my husband. Once again, I found myself staring at him. He looked beautiful, and I gave in to my need, allowing my good hand to run through his hair. When he let out a small moan, I stopped. Even in his sleep he was a horn dog. He was definitely all right.

Smiling to myself like an idiot, I stripped down as I walked toward the bathroom, grabbing myself a bottle of brandy as I did.

Turning on the shower, I waited until the water was hot, which would take a moment. It was one of the downsides with camp. Drinking from the bottle, I allowed myself a second to stare in the mirror. Most people hated to look at themselves. They always found a flaw within the person they looked at.

However, I never had that problem. I knew I was attractive, and I knew I was smart. I wasn’t looking hard enough, though, not until Liam shoved a metaphorical mirror so close to my face that my nose was touching the glass. It was only then I truly saw that, in many ways, he was right. I was alone, and I was lonely. I had always accepted that, and I made sure never to think about it. It wasn’t until we were in the forest that I actually understood. Losing Orlando hurt underneath everything, even when I saw that coming. Liam though . . . that bullet, I didn’t see it coming, and in a moment, he could have been gone.

No one to fight, laugh, or rule with. I frowned to myself, taking another sip of the brandy before placing it on the counter. It also meant no one to sleep next to and no one to talk to. I could speak to others. However, I could only talk to Liam, because somehow he . . . I didn’t know. I could just talk with him, and in a second, stupid fucking Neal almost took him away. “Where is the brandy?”

I jumped at the sound of his voice. The mirror was so foggy I hadn’t even noticed when he walked in.

Turning to him, my eyes went straight to the bandage that was wrapped over his shoulder and around his waist. When I did glance up, he was looking me over as if I was water and he was a man in the desert.

I hadn’t realized until then that I was standing completely naked while he stood in pajama pants.

“Li—”

His lips were on mine, before I could get the words out. My hand went to his hair, kissing him just as hard as he was kissing me. He tasted like honey, and I didn’t want to let go of him. But I had to.

Breaking away, I took a deep breath, preparing to speak when his lips went to my neck.

“Liam we need to—”

He gripped my nipple, and I felt a moan ripple out of my throat. When his tongue began to trail down from my neck toward my breasts, I began pulling on this hair.

“Jesus! Fuck, Liam! Stop!” I yelled, and he froze, slowly ripping himself from me to look down at me. In his eyes I saw confusion, frustration . . . and hurt.

Letting me go completely, he took a step back, shaking his head. “Sorry. I just came in search of the brandy.”

He frowned, reaching around me, but I grabbed it first.

“You shouldn’t mix alcohol and pain killers,” I said quickly. He glared at me before spotting my hands. I wasn’t sure why I only then noticed the dry blood that was still on them . . . Neal’s blood, maybe a little of Declan’s as well.

Don’t ask, Liam.

“What the fuck happened to your hand?”

Damn it, just listen to me once.

“Neal was the one who shot you,” I replied, waiting to see how he would react, but he didn’t look surprised.

“That doesn’t explain your hand.”

“I said your idiot brother shot you, and all you care about is my hand?” He should be out there kicking his brother’s ass.

“Yes, because you’re my wife.” He sighed. “I will deal with Neal when I’m not on drugs.”

Turning away from him, I took off my ring to wash my hands. “I handled it.”

“You killed Neal?” he whispered, stepping up right behind me. Warmth radiated off him like waves. I felt myself leaning into him, closing my eyes, and relaxing as I rested my head on his chest. That is, until I remembered he had a bullet wound and stood straighter.

“No, I didn’t.” I should have. “I tasered him after beating into his face and stabbing Declan.”

I prepared myself for his bitching, but when I turned to him, he was smiling. He must have been on some really good drugs.

“Let me get this straight. You stabbed Declan. And attacked and tasered Neal while I was out?” he asked, and I nodded. He was going to find out anyway.

“You show affection in the oddest ways,” he said, kissing my forehead and grabbing the brandy.

But once again, I took it from him, placing it on the counter again. “Not with pills.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Give me the bottle, Melody.” He groaned, reaching for it.

But I poked his wound, causing him to hiss and flinch back. “No, means no, Liam.”

“This is the worst thing you’ve ever done to me.” He frowned like a six-year-old boy.

“I shot you, stabbed your brother, tasered your cousin, and almost cracked open your ex-girlfriend’s skull—”

“My ex-girlfriend?”

“Shit. I didn’t mean to say that.” I bit my lip. “Natasha and I met in the bathroom at church. She said some things, and I put her head through the glass. So, no, withholding brandy isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever done to you.”

Once again, his lips found mine, but only for a second before he broke away.

“In my eyes it is,” he whispered. “I have two pleasures in this world. One is you, Melody Callahan, and the second brandy. Withholding them both is just plain cruel and borderline inhumane.”

And just like that, something clicked in my mind. Here I was standing naked in front of him, not only in body, but with my “sins” as well, and he didn’t care. He saw the deepest and dirtiest parts of my soul and mind but didn’t care. In fact, he wanted to stay in the darkness with me. Just him, me, and the fucking brandy.

“They’re both just temporary holds. You can have them once you’re feeling better,” I whispered back, kissing his lips softly before pulling away.

His eyes widened as my words set in. Grabbing hold of my waist, he pulled me closer to him. Bringing his lips to my ear, his hard-on pressed against my stomach.

“I won’t feel better if I don’t have you now,” he replied, biting my neck and making me want him even more.

I moaned, rubbing against him. “Liam, you’re hurt.”

Pulling me away from the sink, he pushed me against the bathroom door. “Mel, I plan on fucking your brains out.” He pulled the drawstring on his pants. His dick was pointed right at me, and I closed my legs trying to think clearly.

“You want me to fuck you against this door.” He whispered staring into my eyes. He held me prisoner with almost no effort at all.

Think Melody.

“I want to hear you scream my name.” He rubbed against me as he spoke. “You want me inside of you. I can feel it,” he added, licking up my neck while using his good arm to grab my ass.

“You’re going to be so sore in the morning,” I choked out as he sucked away. The warmth of the steam along with his body made me feel like I was on fire. I couldn’t even think. All I could do was feel him, and he felt amazing.

“If I do my job, you will be, too.” He smirked. “So just stop fighting this once and let me have you, wife.”

I couldn’t speak because he didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, he plunged so deeply into me that my head went back. Moaning, I grabbed his neck, wrapping my legs around his waist as held me against the door, going deeper and deeper with each thrust.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He moaned, pulling out once more only to slam back within me. “I’ve wanted to fuck you against the door for a long time.” He smiled at me while he rammed into me over and over again.

I couldn’t even make a sentence. I couldn’t speak. I could barely see because my eyes rolled back.

“I wanted it to be hard,” he added, pulling my hands from his neck and holding them above my head.

“I wanted it to be rough,” he said, and it was like he let the animal out of the cage as he thrust into my body repeatedly, giving me no time to think or even move. All I could do was accept and moan like a bitch . . . his bitch.

He let go of my hands to grab my waist, and I let out a scream of pure pleasure as I came against the force of his cock. He didn’t let up, fucking me harder and harder until he thrust so deeply my voice cracked as he came. When he let go of me, I felt my legs release him. But I was too weak to stand and slid to the floor. I took in the warm air greedily but when I looked up, all I saw was his erection.

How is that humanly possible? I thought as I stared at him in shock. He had stamina like I had never seen. Looking down at me, he stroked himself, which in return only made me want him again.

LIAM

Sitting up, I grabbed the bottle of pain meds, taking two with a glass of water and not brandy like I should have. Mel could have her way for now. Looking down at the sleeping beauty beside me, I waited for the guilt to kick in. However, it was nowhere to be found. I had tricked her, and I didn’t fucking regret it because I now had what I wanted. I had her. I felt it, the shift in her, as we had our way with one another. We went from the bathroom, to the shower, to the bed, where she helped me redress my wound before we fucked again. My shoulder, like she had said, hurt like a bitch, but it was worth it because I had her. I did what I needed to do to get my wife, and there was no fucking taking it back.

She knew now. She knew I was hers and she was mine, and now we could move the fuck forward. It felt like the longest war but it was over now, and we were both victors. One day, when we were about to die of old age, I would tell her. But for now, I would shut this away and never speak of it again. All I had to do was make sure my brother and cousin kept their mouths shut. If they didn’t, I would kill them . . . and I meant it.

Trying my best to ignore the pain, I lifted myself from the bed, grabbing a pair of jeans and a jacket. I had thought I was quiet, however Mel sat up, rubbing her eyes as she tried to focus on me. Fuck, she was beautiful.

“Where are you going?” She yawned, and it was cute.

“I’m going to have some words with my brother.” I grinned. Walking over to her side, I kissed her cheek, and she accepted it without a glare or flinch.

The pain was worth it.

“Come back to bed. We can kill him when the sun is up.” She smiled, pulling on my jacket, and I was tempted, but I needed to make sure this didn’t blow up in my face. I didn’t want to lose her.

“I will be right back.” I kissed her lips. I couldn’t stop kissing her. “I’m not going to kill him. My mother is fond of him. However, I will express how I feel in other ways.”

She rolled her eyes at me before falling back on the bed. “Fine, but if you change your mind, Cascadia is the best place to hide a body. So much forest, and so few witnesses.”

God, I loved her.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I laughed, walking out the door. The moment I did, I was hit with fresh air. I had to give it to her; the camp location was beautifully hidden in the midst of the forest. It was large enough to fit all our men, with ten or eleven houses and one dining hall at the far end.

Seeing me, Eric limped over. The poor fuck.

“Neal and Declan are in the dining hall,” he stated. Nodding, I walked slower so he could walk beside me.