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“Now get inside,” Dallas tells him again.
Callum’s body shakes a little but his eyes and jaw harden as he rises. I wait for him to resist—to tell my brother “no”—but he doesn’t. With a slight smile curling the corner of his mouth, he finally turns and heads toward the clubhouse.
Dallas follows. “Watch the doors,” he says to Macon, Iron, and Trace.
Army pulls Clay and I away as I watch my brother disappear into the clubhouse with Callum.
“Stop them,” I urge Army as we walk.
But he just chuckles. “Are you on glue? Not a chance.”
Goddammit. We have what we need. We’re safe.
Macon, Iron, and Trace linger outside the door, keeping watch as Dallas gives Callum everything he deserves and more.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Clay grabs me once we’re clear. “They didn’t…”
“I’ll be fine.” I kiss her.
“We have the footage,” Army tells me. “You want me to erase it?”
I look up at my brother, knowing that when Clay called, he would know where they took me.
“Footage? What do you mean?” Clay inquires.
“Cameras,” I tell her. “That’s what Callum was talking about at Mariette’s. About the break-in? He gave me the key to Fox Hill. If I played nice with one of their escorts, he would play nice, too. He would give me his role in the play.”
“And you agreed to that?”
“Of course not.” I take her hand, trying to calm down the worry in her eyes. “It was never going to happen. My brothers used the key to get in and plant cameras throughout the facility. Now we can stockpile enough secrets and footage to keep St. Carmen off our backs. Callum will have more parties. And I’m sure that’s not even the worst of what’s going on there.”
“But you took the role?”
“Hell, yes. He tried to take my dignity,” I retort. “On many occasions in the last four years, Clay.”
She closes her mouth, her eyes softening as I’m sure she realizes she did the same thing, many times over the years. The comments, the looks, the snide smiles…
But she takes the back of my neck and presses her forehead to mine, closing her eyes, and I don’t see any of that anymore. All I see in front of me is my favorite thing in the whole world.
After a moment, I look to Army, not sure I can ever watch what could’ve happened to me in that room, but it’s the first log in the fire. We can’t delete it. “Store the footage,” I tell him.
I take her hand again, and we move, loading into one of the trucks.
“We should have Milo arrested at least,” Clay says.
“You know the law will protect them,” I point out. “We end it here, hopefully it stays that way. For us, secrets are a better weapon.”
“And if not…” she adds, tossing the knife on the dash..
I just laugh, climbing into the cab behind her. “You really gonna sink him into the swamp with a pair of cement galoshes?” I tease.
But she just looks past me, into the distance, serious and caging.
Oh, come on. She wasn’t serious about them not finding his body if he ever did that again. I chuckle, but then stop when I see she’s still not laughing.
“Clay?” I press. “Babe?”
She cocks an eyebrow, lifting her chin and focusing on the wondrous trees out the windshield like they’re the most beautiful things ever and she can’t fucking hear me.
Army laughs under his breath, approving of the newest addition to the family.
Fucking great.
I KISS THE corner of her mouth, her warm breath soft and calm as she sleeps. I’ve barely slept. But it’s okay. I’m so happy, I don’t want to miss a moment.
I kiss the bruise on her cheek, reaching around and cupping her face to hold her close. I can’t believe what almost happened to her. Callum deserves to be in jail. They all do, but I know hurting them would bring attention on the Jaegers, so maybe I’ll just have to find another way to punish him.
In addition to what Dallas probably did to him after we left last night, that is. We saw the rest of her brothers—including Dallas—pull into the driveway a few hours after we got back, so thankfully, no one was arrested.
Callum is keeping his mouth shut.
But that doesn’t mean he’s even nearly paid for what he did. Liv likes to give the impression she’s a fighter, and she is, but she’s not steel, and thanks to a lot of people, including me, she’s been abused long enough. I’m her armor now.
I kiss her temple and her jaw, skimming my mouth over to hers and take it oh so gently so she feels the love. Her breathing hitches, her body stirring, and I slide my hand down her body, under the sheet, to between her legs.
I shiver at just the feel of her, and I hear her start to pant a little, her eyes still closed.
