Page 63 of Twisted Road

“Enjoy,” she said brightly and rushed to get the next table’s order to them.

The doors to the back office opened and Maestro came into the main room of the tea house, closely followed by Steele and then Keys. Behind them, Savage walked with his arm around Seychelle. A tall, stunning blonde accompanied them.

Fourteen

Keys took one look at Lyric and she could tell he knew something was upsetting her. She appeared relaxed, and she wore her friendly, happy mask, but her eyes must have given her away. Or he already knew her so well he could read her even through her mask. He followed Steele to the table, and Lyric watched him come straight to her. Each step he took had her heart pounding harder.

“Seychelle is going to be fine, Blythe,” Steele assured her. “But she was slowly bleeding internally from two different places. It was a very good thing you let me know.”

Savage had started toward the door, but Seychelle stopped walking and looked up at him stubbornly. “I’d like to stay with Anya, Blythe and Lyric.” She didn’t sound overly loud, but even in the packed tea house, Lyric heard her. “I know that Czar arranged to meet someone here, which means you’ll be here with him.” Her chin went up. “I don’t want to sit alone at home when I could be sitting here with them.” She gestured toward the table.

“I can keep an eye on her, Savage,” the blond woman said smoothly. Her voice was gentle. Very soft. Compelling. “She probably shouldn’t be alone, at least for the next few hours, to ensure Steele’s work doesn’t come undone. I don’t think there’s really any danger of that, but we can keep an eye on her here.”

Lyric recognized power when she was close to it, and this woman had it in abundance. She also recognized her as a very famous runway model. Running a beauty salon meant having as many magazines as possible. Hannah Drake had been on the cover of many of them. She had been attacked by a vicious killer with a knife during New York Fashion Week. That had been in the magazines as well as the news. She looked even more beautiful in person. It was only when Lyric looked very closely that she could see faint scars on her face. The fact that Hannah didn’t cover them with makeup made Lyric admire her.

Keys reached for her hand and brought it to his chest, but he was looking at Savage and Seychelle with his mask in place. She didn’t need to see beyond his mask. He disapproved of Savage giving in to Seychelle, even with Hannah’s offer to look after her.

Keys tugged her hand. “Come with me for a minute, Wildfire. I’m working but can take a few minutes to talk.”

Her heart thudded hard. She slid from the booth and went with him to the front of the store by the huge double bay windows. He backed her into the corner of the wall, his large body cutting her off from anyone’s sight.

“You want to leave? You need me to get you out of here?”

She shook her head. It was really difficult not to fall hard for him. She knew it was far too late to protect herself. She was so far down that rabbit hole she knew she couldn’t claw her way back. She could only hope Keys wouldn’t grow bored with her or do as Czar had done: forget Blythe was his first priority.

“I’m learning quite a bit.”

“Why are you upset?”

“I’m worried about Seychelle.” She indicated the petite woman Savage was gently aiding as she sank into the booth beside Anya. “And very worried about Blythe.”

His head went up alertly. “Savage will see to Seychelle. Steele will check on her several times today and throughout this next week. Why are you worried about Blythe?”

“She’s exhausted. She needs care and a few days away from her children.” She ducked her head and let herself fall forward so her forehead was planted in his chest. “I don’t want that for us. Living together so long you forget about me.”

Keys was silent for a moment, and then he caught her chin. “I doubt I could ever forget about you, and I can assure you, Czar hasn’t forgotten about Blythe. Did she tell him she’s having a hard time?”

Lyric shook her head. “She has reasons not to, but they don’t matter. What matters is she needs looking after.” There wasn’t accusation in her voice so much as trepidation, revealing too much of her concern for their future.

He caught her chin and tipped it up. “Eyes to mine, Lyric. Look at me.”

She obeyed automatically, her gaze meeting his. Instantly, she fell into those unique amber eyes. Just meeting his gaze made her feel safe enough to talk to him.

“Babe, I get that you’re going to need a lot of reassurance, but the truth is no one, not even me, knows what the future holds. I can tell you I love you and I have trouble breathing without you. I can’t imagine my life without you. And I can’t conceive of neglecting you. Having said that, Blythe is Czar’s world. She’s the heart of Torpedo Ink. If she’s unhappy and he doesn’t know, he needs to. He would be furious, and rightfully so, if we kept that from him.”

Alarm burst through her. “She may have said those things in confidence, Keys. If you tell him, she’ll figure out I told you, and it will be horrible. None of them will ever trust me again. You just can’t do that.”

“Trust me to ensure Czar takes care of the situation without involving us. I’ll let him know this is sensitive, and he’s got to discover his woman is unhappy on his own, rather than letting her know we told him. He won’t lie if she asks, but he loves her and it won’t be that difficult for him to see for himself.”

She started to turn away from him, unsure if she should have shared. “When I tell you things, I think I’m telling you in confidence, and you’ll respect that, Keys. How would you like it if you told me something important and I told all the women?”

The pad of his thumb slid along her jaw and then his palm collared her throat, forcing her head back. “We’ll continue this discussion at home, baby. You have a right to your concern. I completely understand, Lyric. If you were unhappy and any of my brothers knew and didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t forgive them. It’s that simple. You’re my world, and all of us know Blythe is Czar’s. He’s managing fifteen balls in the air right now and most likely thought the home front was well taken care of.”

“If I’m staying here with you and your club, I have to be able to fit in. I don’t want the women to shut me out.”

It was impossible for Keys to resist the stubborn look on her face or the faint trepidation in her eyes. He hadn’t realized just how fond he’d become of her little chin lift or certain expressions she gave to him that she didn’t give to others. It just reinforced his belief that she was his. That she was born for him and he for her.

“We’ll figure it out, baby. I have to get back to work. As long as Steele is here, I’ll be too, but I have to be looking to the street, not at my woman.” He leaned down and took her mouth gently. Almost reverently. He kissed her thoroughly but poured love into her. Lust was there each time he looked or thought about her, but right at that moment, love was the overwhelming emotion and he gave it to her.