Dad’s eyes widen, and Quinn starts to cry tears of relief. Carrie squeals from beside me.
“The line’s moving,” the guy behind us complains.
Dad nods his head away from the gate. “Come on. We have flights to reschedule. We’re going to go get our boy.”
Our boy.
He doesn’t have to tell any of us twice. Twenty minutes later and we’ve nailed down flights to St. Louis.
We’re coming, Wonderland.
He’ll understand soon what family really means.
With ours, it’s feuds and reckless fury.
Fights and frustration and taking each other for granted.
But it also means love and forgiveness and home.
It means standing beside the ones you love even when they piss you off, and you want to hate their guts because…they’re your fucking family. Families stick together.
Not unlike Mubōna Ikari. Loyalty to your blood but also to the ones you claim as your own. You fight for them until the end.
He may have started as a no-one to me and then became my enemy. But, over time, hate twisted beautifully into love, and he became mine.
My choice. My love. My family.
We’re imaginary cat daddies together.
He’s coming back home to us, and when I finally get him in my arms, I’m never letting him go.
Alister
I don’t want to do this.
I’d rather stay locked up in my room, waiting for Canyon to come get me.
If he comes.
Sickness roils in my gut, but I ignore it. He will come. I know Canyon. Never once in all his messages did he lead me to believe he was through with me. If anything, his frustration and desperation to see me only increased as time went on.
He’ll pick me up, and we’ll run away together to our fake apartment with our made-up cat. Fuck, how I want it to be real.
“Get in,” Greer barks out, motioning to his SUV. “We’ll follow the boss to the rendezvous point.”
Colin’s stare lingers on me and then darts to Greer before he climbs into the passenger seat of the other vehicle. Mark hops in the driver’s seat while Seth and Logan get in the back. I get into Greer’s SUV, not at all eager to be blasted by his obnoxious rock music the entire ride.
As soon as I’m situated and buckled in, I tug at the tight knot at my throat. I hate suits. I especially hate ties. Greer seemed entertained by my discomfort when we picked up my new clothing at the store. Colin’s pleased expression later that night chased away any ill feelings I had. I’d always felt like a fuckup around Colin as a kid. Knowing he approved was a lift to my spirits. The subsequent dinner and a trip afterward to see The Gateway Arch together only further improved my mood. But, just like every other night I’d been here, I went to sleep to the sounds of Greer making Kace squeal like a pig and then haunting nightmares filled with mice and disappointing words from Dad.
“Kace thinks we should keep you,” Greer says, cutting his eyes to me while effortlessly navigating the roads. “I told him I’d agree to no such thing without a test drive first.”
My blood runs cold in my veins. What the hell is he talking about? I ignore him, jerking my attention out the window. He takes us across the river and then follows a side road to a shipping facility. I’d wondered what sort of shipment Colin was receiving, but I didn’t ask. The less I know, the better. I just want to get the fuck out of here. I was stupid for thinking I belonged here.
I belong with them.
Dad. Ryan. Carrie.
And him.
Canyon.
Greer pulls up between Colin’s SUV and a sporty red car. He shuts off the engine and turns his glare on me. Something sinister lurks in his gaze. I shudder as I reach for the handle. He strikes out quickly, seizing my wrist in his painful grasp. Yelping, I try to pull away, but he’s too strong. He jerks me to him and plants his other hand on my thigh to keep me in place. My lips are forced against his, and his tongue lashes at mine, greedily stealing a kiss that doesn’t belong to him.
“Stop touching me,” I growl, twisting my head to the side as I try and shove him away with my free hand.
“Test driving,” he bites out. “So far, you taste like an innocent little virgin.”
He fondles me through my pants, gasping when he feels the metal of the piercing on my dick. “Oh, this’ll do. Kace’ll love this.”
I swing my fist at him, hitting him in his throat. Before he can recover, I scramble out of the vehicle and take off running toward the building. Greer yells after me, but I race away from him easily. I’m a track star, and he’s a pervy goon. Of course, I beat him inside. I run toward the sound of voices. As soon as Kace comes into view, holding a gun to Colin’s temple, I charge. Colin may not be perfect, but he’s still family. I tackle Kace so hard, my teeth rattle when they slam together. A shot rings out in the air, and then I’m dragged off Kace.
I fight off my attacker, for a split second thinking it’s Greer to finish the job, but it’s Colin. Seth and Logan drag Kace to his feet, hauling him away. He starts to screech when he notices Greer’s body, face down with a growing pool of blood forming around him.
“You killed him!” Kace screams. “You killed him!”
Bile surges up my throat, but Colin smacks me on the back.
“Keep it together,” he barks out. “Mark, find out where the fuck our shipment is. Cut off every goddamn limb from that traitor if you have to.”
I’m shaking hard, unable to look away from Greer’s unmoving body. Shock trickles through me, slowly numbing me. Colin drags me out of the building and outside. Since I’m trembling so badly, he puts me into his SUV. We’re driving away when I crane my neck to look at the building.
“What about…” I trail off, meeting Colin’s scowl.
“Mark and my men can handle Kace.” His jaw clenches as he drives. “I should have known something was going on.” He punches the steering wheel, letting out a string of expletives. “Unbelievable.”
We ride in silence, and soon we’re pulling up at the house. He shuts off the car and shoots me a frown.
“Thank you,” he grits out. “That shouldn’t have happened back there. I usually trust my men implicitly, but ever since Joseph, there’s been a division in the ranks. I’m going to need to do a complete overhaul and weed out anyone else who so much as breathes the wrong way.”
I cringe at the reminder of one of his men who tried to kill me on my own front porch.
“I think—”
His words are cut off by the screech of tires. Colin flings himself out of the vehicle and pulls his gun, ready to fire at anyone who dares cross him again. I’m prepared to hide in the floorboard if necessary, but a familiar voice has me scrambling out of the car.
Canyon.
“What are you doing here?” Colin growls, his gun still pointed at my boyfriend, my stepbrother, my everything.
Dad and Ryan trot up behind Canyon, both of them holding their hands up in surrender. Canyon’s hands are fisted at his side. His gaze isn’t at the gun aimed at him but burning a hole into me. Without thinking of the consequences, I race over to him, throwing myself into his arms. He hugs me tight and has to steady himself to keep from falling over.
I inhale his expensive masculine scent, scrape my cheek along his scruffy jaw, and find his lips for a much-needed kiss. We kiss until I hear Dad’s voice, which has us wrenching apart.