I groan and slump forward in my seat. “Right. Of course.Of coursethat’s a concern. Dammit, I should’ve been more of a nightmare to keep you lot away from her.”
He chuckles at me. “You mean that’s possible? Blaise still flinches around you and silverware. He’s convinced he’s going to wake up dickless someday with you grinning at the foot of his bed.”
I roll my eyes at him, enjoying this moment even if we are both watching our favorite Mounty interact with the worst serial killer the country has ever known. “I definitely could’ve been worse about it. I was very mild on my true scale of power, you should all be very thankful. Ugh, I can’t believe you keep fucking Lips on furniture in my house and I haven’t bled you out yet. That’s how good I am as a sister! I just spend all of my time bleaching everything.”
He smirks at me and I shoot him a vicious glare back, smirking as I tease, “You know I could start telling you—”
“Nothing. If you want either of them to live, you will tell menothing. If I find out you’ve fucked Atticus in the general vicinity of the public areas of the house, I’m going to show up to the next Twelve meeting and cut his fucking head off. There’s at least three members who’ll high five me—I’m safe.”
A laugh bursts out of me, loud enough that Nate and Lips both look over at us, and Ash groans at me for getting their attention, even as his eyes stay glued to Lips as he fails miserably at not looking like a controlling and obsessive boyfriend.
Lips shakes her head at us both and then waves a hand at us, gesturing for us to join her.
“Well, I guess we better go make happy families. Try not to look at your girlfriend, it’s the only way you’re going to get through this without looking like the asshole you are,” I murmur with a grin, and Ash rolls his eyes at me.
I wait until he comes around the car to help me out and I’m not at all ashamed to admit that it’s because I want to walk over to them together, strength in numbers and all that.
Nate doesn’t react to us joining them at all, and Lips immediately pulls Ash into their conversation about Poe and their time down in New Orleans together. Nate listens to her without a word, but he also doesn’t pull out a knife and stab Ash through the heart, so I think we’re doing okay.
After a minute of this, once Lips finishes her story and gives Nate one of her trademark quick hugs, Ash slings an arm around her shoulders and walks her back over to the car, expecting me to be close behind him. He’s aiming for casual and failing miserably, it’s clear he’s getting her away from Nate as quickly as he can manage.
I sigh.
And then I do something stupid by speaking to Nate without Lips present to mediate, but I feel like I should. “Thank you for coming. I know you came for Lips, but I still feel the need to say thank you for what you’ve done.”
He is not impressed. “I’m not going to be manipulated. Not by you and not by anyone else in her life. If it’s not about her safety, don’t fucking call me.”
I’m careful not to react in any way to him, even though I’ve never been so terrified in all my life as I am staring at the Devil himself. Every inch of his body screams death, pain, and destruction. Every inch of mine is desperate to get away.
“This isn’t about manipulation. I understand that you don’t give a fuck about anyone but your sister, but if this man dies, then three more will take his place. We’ll never be free of it and Lips will always be in danger.”
He pulls out another cigarette, placing it between his lips and lighting it up as he watches Ash help Lips into the car with that same intensity that he’s had around her from the word go.
Then he looks at me again and shakes his head. “Last chance. No more warnings. I’ll bleed every last one of you out without hesitation.”
Chapter Twenty
Aodhan
Avery comes back from that fucking meeting with the Devil with a whole new outlook on life. There’s some part of her that seems lighter, like whatever heavy burden she’s been carrying around has finally been lifted and she’s back to being her regular gorgeous, ruthless self again.
It’s fucking intoxicating to be around.
I thought that the girl I’ve gotten to know over the last year was magnificent before, and she was, but this version is breathtaking. Vital to my survival. So earth-shatteringly perfect that I cannot believe she’s mine.
When I talk her into dancing for me, I know I have to get to her before dinner because the chaos there always distracts her and gets into her head, so I seek her out and murmur into her ear, “We should have an early night.”
The slow smirk that stretches over her lips is indulgent. “I don’t think any of the things you’re planning count as an early night.”
“I’m not stupid, Queenie. I need you away from that scowling, snarling brother of yours and the studio is the perfect place.”
I remember my promises of luring her into voyeurism, and her promise to me of letting me do whatever I want to her, and both of those things intertwine in my head until I’m coaxing her into her dance studio for my own private viewing of her latest dance routine.
She’s been slow about getting back into it, not pushing herself too far too fast, but with Lips and the others back, and her plate a little less full, she’s gotten back into being down here and stretching out her body.
The little outfit she wears each time is fucking obscene, and I decide that rich people are fucking weird because who in their right might would let their daughters wear those things in front of an audience? Ash let Avery walk on stage in front of hundreds of her classmates’ families during high school in one of these and the moment I see her in it, my cock is throbbing in my jeans, weeping at all of the curves she’s barely hiding under the stretchy fabric.
“You’re not supposed to get hard over Don Quixote,” she scoffs, her arms rising above her head and her tits bouncing with the movement.
