Page 296 of Romeo

Gator’s expression went hard. “That ain’t on you, Rome.”

“Sure as fuck feels like it.”

“You didn’t put that bastard behind the shop.”

“No. But I already knew he was a problem.”

“And you handled him.”

“Not well enough.”

The Bowie rested against my hip, its familiar weight making that statement unnecessary.

Gator reached across the space between us and gripped the back of my neck for a second, the kind of rough affection we’d grown up with because nobody in our family had ever figured out how to say something simple without making it physical.

“You can’t guard somebody every second of every fuckin’ day, cuz.”

“No.” I looked toward the ceiling, knowing Fiona was somewhere above us. “But I can do better than fifteen hundred miles.”

Gator followed my gaze.

When he looked back at me, there was no judgment in his expression. If anything, there was understanding I probably wouldn’t have gotten from anybody else. Gator had crossed lines for Devlyn that would have made more reasonable men question his sanity. I’d given him shit for half of it.

Fuck, I’d understood him better in the last twenty-four hours than I had in years.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked.

I opened my mouth only to be cut off by the sound of his phone ringing.

Gator pulled it from his pocket and frowned at the screen before turning it enough for me to see.

King.

Well fuck.

Gator’s eyes lifted to mine.

I shook my head once.

His mouth slowly curved.

That expression should have worried me. Instead, I found myself almost interested in seeing how big a hole my cousin could dig before King reached through the phone and strangled him.

Gator answered casually. “Ooh-ee, King. Been a while.”

King didn’t bother with hello.

“Let me talk to that motherfucking swamp rat.”

Gator’s eyes brightened immediately.

He turned his head toward the other side of the bar and bellowed, “THORE!”

I bit the inside of my cheek.

Somebody in the back yelled, “WHAT?”

The growl that came through Gator’s phone was loud enough that I heard it from several feet away.