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“Made you wear that sweatshirt for a reason, brother,” Mav said as he reached behind his neck and yanked his own sweatshirt over his head. “Lay it on top, and you can climb right over. Easy as fucking pie. Mmm, pie. Could go for some of that shit. Too bad the diner’s not twenty-four hours. Guess I’ll have to have a different kind of pie when I get home.” He winked.
With a snort, Thunder began to move his hips as though dancing to music as he worked his sweatshirt up his torso. “Your technique sucks, Mav. You’d make shit for tips. This is how you take your clothes off. But I can give you a few pointers if you’d like. I’m sure Steph would appreciate it.”
Mav’s chin lifted as he barked out a laugh. “Fuck, bet she would. I might take you up on that.”
“Last one to the top is a rotten egg,” Thunder said, as he tossed the sweatshirt around his neck then began to scale the fence.
With a muffled curse, Mav shot after him.
When they were about halfway up the fifteen-foot fence, the heavy creak of a door opening had them both freezing solid.
“Of-fucking-course,” Mav mumbled under his breath.
Thunder didn’t so much as breathe as he hung suspended ten feet off the ground. One small-framed person ran from the building then sagged against the door after it closed. Two seconds later, a single harsh sob made it to his ear over the music. He had to strain to hear more, it was enough to have him squinting through the dark to make out the intruder.
“Mother fuck,” he said as he doubled his speed to the top of the fence.
“Wait! Thunder, hold up,” Mav whispered, as he too resumed climbing, probably in hopes of yanking Thunder down.
“It’s Makenna,” Thunder said.
“Oh, shit.”
He reached the top before Mav, slung his sweatshirt atop the sharp barbs, then scrambled over the thick fabric barrier. In his haste, he sliced a long gash into his arm on one of the razors. The warm trickle of blood down his forearm barely registered beyond a minor annoyance. With a grunt, he wiped his arm on his jeans and scrambled halfway down the fence before jumping to the ground.
His boots hit the ground with a bone-jarring thump that he felt up his spine and into his teeth. But he shook it off and sprinted until he stood over Makenna, who was hunched forward with her hands on her knees. Her entire body shook, and her breath came in shuddered gasps. Anger rose in him, swift and violent in its intensity. Whoever caused this reaction from her would pay. Dearly.
He dropped his hand to her heaving shoulder. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked, voice like gravel.
Makenna straightened and screamed so loud he had no choice but to clamp a hand over her mouth.
“Jesus fucking Christ. You’ll wake the dead in Texas.”
Her eyes went wide and wild like that of a trapped animal, but the second her gaze landed on his face, she sagged as though all the air had been let out of her.
He caught her before she crumpled to the ground, then dragged her to his chest. Next time he’d give a warning. Not that there’d be a next time. He’d tie her to her bed before letting her anywhere near this fucking place again.
Fuck! Now he was thinking of her naked and tied to his bed as she begged him to let her come.
“Thunder.” Her arms came around his back, tighter than he’d have expected, considering she hadn’t touched him since the night she worked their bar. He held her just as close. Fuck, she felt good in his arms. Warm, safe…shaking.
“Shit, sorry, didn’t mean to scare the life outta you. But, Mak, what the fuck are you doing here?” The desire he’d felt minutes ago transformed into a sharp need to keep her safe and get her off the property.
“I-I…uh…I’m working. The bar. L-like I did f-for y-you guys.”
“Kristy set this up?” Maverick asked as he joined them.
Mak nodded against his chest. “Yeah.”
“Why are you out here? Did something happen? Did they fucking touch you?” His voice rose with each question, and his hold on her tightened until she squeaked.
“Chill, brother,” Mav said. “She’s fucking crying.”
“Fuck,” Thunder mumbled against her hair. “It’s okay, Mak,” he whispered into her scalp. “Tell us what happened.”
She shuddered then began to cry in earnest. Thunder just held her, rubbing his palm up and down her back in soothing strokes. He’d give anything for them to have been anywhere else with far fewer items of clothing between them
Mav kept an eye on their surroundings, but after a few minutes, he gave Thunder the side-eye. Every second they spent loitering on CDMC grounds, the risk of being discovered ramped up, especially if they expected Makenna inside working the bar.
