I grinned, even though she couldn’t see it.“Wouldn’t dare.You’d probably come after me.”
She let out a sound that was almost a laugh, then disappeared into the main building, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I counted the hours until we rolled out.I never slept before I went out.Sleep would come after.After I’d kept my promise to Veda.There wasn’t a force in the Goddamned world that could prevent me from keeping that fucking promise.
I finally stood and locked up the garage.The night outside was dead quiet, the kind of silence that comes before a storm.The approaching squall didn’t scare me.I understood my assignment.
I would find Veda’s sister.I would bring her home.It was time to go hunting.
Chapter Eleven
Veda
I couldn’t sleep, and it wasn’t just the nightmare replay of Blaine’s execution, or the blood that seemed to stick to my hands no matter how many times I washed.The pain in my palm and the bruises along my side faded to background noise compared to the relentless, gnawing worry that chewed through my chest.I tried closing my eyes, letting exhaustion drag me under, but every time I started to drift, my brain would cough up another image of Griffin.Sometimes he was breathing, sometimes his brothers brought him to me broken and bleeding.
I rolled over, pulling the covers to my chin, and stared at the faint green glow bleeding around the blackout curtain.The longer I lay there, the more the restlessness clawed at me, until I finally sat up on the side of the bed.Fuck.
I dressed in borrowed sweats, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and canvas shoes with no laces, my hair pulled back in a rough knot.I moved down the hallway, down the stairs, and outside into the dark, predawn hours.I passed Knight as I entered the courtyard, and he pointed me toward the garage without a word.
Once I reached the garage, I slipped inside, letting my eyes adjust to the dim lighting.I saw him almost immediately, sitting on the battered workbench, one boot on the floor, the other propped on a cinder block.He’d just finished cleaning a pistol, laying it on a table in front of him, the lines of his face hard and expressionless.There were other men in the garage, moving with the same grim focus, but none of them paid me any attention.If they noticed me at all, they didn’t acknowledge me.
He didn’t look up when I approached, but I thought he heard me, instead reached for a clip and filled it before laying it beside the gun.When he lifted his head and caught me staring, he tilted his head to the side, as if confused or maybe curious.For a long second neither of us spoke.The only sound was a dull impact from someone dropping a tool across the way.
“You should be sleeping,” he said, his voice gentle.
I shrugged.“Could say the same for you.”
He gave me a half smile.“Never sleep before a run.”He raked his gaze over me, taking in my appearance.I had no idea what he saw, but I suspected he could see my anxiety and fear.“Nightmares?”
“Not really.”That was kind of a lie.“Mostly just… everything.”
He grunted.
I moved closer to Griffin, closing the distance between us.My heart thumped with a fury that was equal parts terror and… lust?I wanted Griffin, yes, but what I felt for him was stronger than simple lust.I supposed I needed to figure out exactly how much of myself I was willing to give him.And I was afraid that sum would be more than I’d be comfortable with.
“You gonna be careful out there?”
He smiled, just barely.“Always am.Besides, I think we’ve already been through this.”
“I thought I wanted to be alone tonight.”
“Whatdoyou want, Veda?”His voice was so soft it almost blended into the sounds of the garage.
I shrugged.“To feel like I have some control.I’m not sure how I’m going to sit on the sidelines through this.”
Griffin’s expression softened, his full attention on me.“And you think being alone does that for you?”
I hesitated, the tightness in my chest easing as I looked into his eyes.“Maybe,” I admitted.“Or maybe I just don’t want to watch someone else I care about walk into danger.I was fully prepared to do this alone.I still am.”I shook my head, looking away from him.“But I’m not certain I’m willing to risk the lives of good people.Especially when I’m not in the thick of it with them.”
He reached out, his hand warm against my arm.“Veda, look at me.”I met his gaze, and he continued, “You’re not responsible for us, for me.We make our own choices, same as you.Knuckles decided your sister’s life was worth sending his brothers into battle.I decided I’d help you no matter what the quest.”He gave me a crooked grin.
“Griffin?”I stepped closer, until there was barely a foot between us, until I could smell the sweat and the grease and the clean scent of his shampoo.I brought my hand up to rest on the side of his face.“Thank you,” I whispered.“For everything.”
Griffin gave me a searching look, as if trying to read between the lines.He stood slowly, tilting his head as he looked at me.He gently snagged my hand and pulled me closer, into his embrace, but he didn’t move in for a kiss.
“You never have to thank me.Not for this.”
I cleared my throat and stuck my chin up.“Well, that’s good, then.”I narrowed my gaze at him.“If you don’t come back without so much as a scratch, I will be thoroughly pissed off.Might even fucking kill you.”Then I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down for a kiss.
