“And you think he bought that?” I’m skeptical in the extreme.
“He’s on the fence, but I’m his only male heir and the timing is sensitive, so he’s no choice but to give me the benefit of the doubt.” His face turns pale, his mouth contorting into a grimace. “I’m working my ass off to prove my loyalty, but I’m still on probation. One false move. One hint that I’m playing this game, and it won’t be pleasant.”
Fear for my brother turns the blood in my veins to ice. If the bastard finds out what he’s up to, he will kill him.
A pregnant pause ensues, and there are so many things I want to say to my brother I don’t even know where to start. I want to ask him what he’s doing to prove his loyalty, but I sense I’m better off not knowing. “Where is Jane?” I ask instead.
His face contorts in pain. “I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?” I wail. “She was the love of your life!”
“Is. She is the love of my life, and it’s because I love her so fucking much that I sent her away. I’ve tried to protect both of you, but all I’ve done is continually put you in harm’s way.” His shoulders slump in defeat.
“What did you say to her father to get them to leave?”
He drops onto the couch, burying his head in his hands, and I sit down beside him, snaking my arm around his back. He rests his head on my shoulder. “I told him some truths about Parkhurst, the order, what Father is planning, and the kind of life Jane would have if she married into it. I told him to run. To never look back and never come back.” His voice cracks. “They were gone less than twenty-four hours later.”
“I’m proud of you, Drew.”
“Don’t.” He lifts his head. “Don’t be proud of me unless I’ve done something genuinely worthy of it. And I haven’t.” He shakes his head, and the look of sheer agony on his face destroys me.
“What if Father goes after them? They were part of the elite, and they shouldn’t have run.”
“He’s juggling too many balls, and they’re not important in the scheme of things.”
“He won’t forget.”
“No.” He scrubs a hand across his stubbly chin. “He won’t. But I have contingencies in place.” Fire blazes in his eyes. “He won’t get near her.”
“Agreed.”
He sighs, offering me a tentative smile. “It’s good to have you back.”
“I’d like to say it’s good to be home, but it’s really not.” I skim my eyes around my bedroom, feeling like a stranger in my own space. “And I won’t even be living here.”
“That might work to our advantage.”
I peer into his eyes. “How?”
He stands, pulling me up with him. “I’ll tell you when we get there.”
“Get where?”
“To Xavier’s warehouse. The others are meeting us there in an hour, and we’ll fill you in on the rest.”
I kill the engine on the Kawasaki just as we reach Xavier’s warehouse. Riding the open roads again for the first time in months is exhilarating, and it’s lifted my spirits.
Drew hops off first, holding the bike as I disembark. “I’m capable of doing that.”
“I know you are, but I’m trying to be a gentleman.”
“You’re trying to butter me up.” I prod him in the chest. “Because you know I’m about to go apeshit on your ass.”
“There is that.” He grins, and it’s good to see him smile.
I stand under the camera at the corrugated iron doors, poking my tongue out. The doors click open a millisecond later and I dash into the warehouse, letting Drew wheel the bike in behind me.
Xavier is zig-zagging across the room, heading in my direction, his face awash with emotion, and my heart does a twisty jump. I run toward my remaining bestie, jumping up and wrapping my legs around his waist a little too enthusiastically when we eventually collide. He loses his balance, falling to the ground with me straddling him.
“Oomph.” He squeezes his eyes shut for a minute, and I know that landing hurt like a bitch, but he doesn’t whine. “I missed you. You crazy bitch,” he says, yanking my head down and smacking a kiss against my lips.
“Missed you too. You deceitful bastard,” I retort, tugging on his brow ring.
“Ow.” He rubs his fingers over his brow, pouting.
I sit back on his lap with my knees on either side of his hips. “You’re lucky I didn’t yank on your cock ring.”
“You have a cock ring?” Sawyer splutters, entering the room at an opportune moment.
“It’s a Prince Albert piercing,” Xavier confirms, winking at him upside down.
“Why is it called that?” I inquire.
“It’s named after Prince Albert who was reputed to have had the piercing done shortly before his marriage to Queen Victoria in 1825.”
“I love how you know the most random, odd facts,” I admit. “And I love your new red hair,” I add, tugging on the spiked Mohawk. “You look fierce.”
“I’d love to know how you knew about his cock piercing,” Drew adds, sounding unhappy.
“I’d love to know that too,” a familiar deep voice says from behind me. “And why you think it’s acceptable to straddle some other dude when you’re mine.” Kai lifts me off Xavier in one fell swoop.
“Way to make an entrance, beautiful,” Jackson says, blowing me a kiss as he leans against a crate.
Kai spins me around in his arms, and I forget how to breathe. We’ve only been separated about seven hours, but it feels like forever since I’ve seen him. He’s wearing a familiar pout, one that promises I’ll pay for sitting in Xavier’s lap, and my body combusts internally. I trail my fingers along his gorgeous face, melting under his heated gaze.
He’s sexy as fuck with his dark hair, dark eyes, neat stubble, full lips, and ripped body, and I can’t believe he’s all mine. The memory of our declarations back at the hotel are still fresh, and I fling my arms around his neck, pressing my mouth to his, uncaring we have an audience.
He angles his head, directing the kiss as his tongue invades my mouth, licking me all over. Fireworks detonate inside me, and I forget where we are and that I’m pissed at him again. He yanks my body in flush to his, placing his palms on my ass, as a possessive growl emits from the back of his throat.
“Unless you want me to kick your ass six ways from Sunday, you’ll remove your tongue from my sister’s mouth and your hands from her butt.”
Kai smirks as he pulls his lips from mine, keeping his palms on my ass on purpose.
“Payback is a bitch,” I reply, teasing my brother before I remember Jane is gone. Drew’s face turns to stone. “Shit, sorry, D.”
“Get used to it,” Kai says, looking at me like he wants to eat me alive.
I smile sweetly at him as I lift my knee and ram it into his balls. He doubles over, cupping his crotch, as his face twists in agony. “What the fuck?” he rasps.
“That’s for not telling me about Charlie.”
“I was just about to when he burst into the room!” he protests in between panting.