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I take a seat, Christy sliding in beside me, Leon and Konrad after her. Opposite, Beast, Grim, York and Xeno sit. Dax picks up his prosthetic arm and perches on the stool, laying it across his lap as a girl who looks to be about eighteen brings over a tray of glasses and a bottle of bourbon. She smiles at us all as she passes them out, pouring a generous shot into each glass.
“Thank you, Lena,” Grim says, with a smile.
“Hey Christy,” Lena says as she looks between her and us. “Are these your men?”
Christy nods. “They are.”
“Well, if you hadn’t already guessed, I’m Lena, Pen Scott’s younger sister. She was the one your dad tried to kidnap a few years back…” She raises her brow and cocks her hip. “And these loveable rogues are my sister’s boyfriends. Well, three of them at least. Zayn is with Pen over at their club, Twisted Bullet, looking after Iris because we donottrust you three around a baby.”
“Speaking of which,” Grim interrupts. “Pen and Zayn just called. They’ve got a huge delivery they need to deal with, and according to Pen, Gray isn’t much of a babysitter. You wouldn’t mind heading over there?”
“Sure thing.”
“I’ll be over to pick our little princess up just as soon as we’ve got shit sorted here,” Beast adds.
Lena nods, giving Christy’s arm a quick squeeze before she turns on her heel and strides away. Stopping when she gets to the middle of the dance floor Lena frustratingly interjects, “Oh, and you know you can totally take Gray back. I don’t need him hanging around anymore, I’m quite capable of looking after myself these days.”
“Tell that to those punks sniffing around you like your crack and they’re addicts,” Xeno remarks, lifting a brow.
Lena rolls her eyes. “They’re not punks, they’remusicians, and my friends. And I stopped needing a babysitter two bloody years ago, thank you very much,” she says with a huff as she exits the club.
Beast smirks. “Tell that to the lovesick fool.”
“Ah fuck, he doesn’t does he?” Dax asks, looking at Beast and pulling a face. “Pen isn’t going to be happy about that.”
“You’ve got to be blind, deaf and dumb if you ain’t noticed that Gray has got the hots for your girl’s baby sister.”
“Would you stop discussing Lena’s love life? We’ve got more pressing issues to discuss right now!” Grim snaps, “Starting with why I shouldn’t just pop each of you with a bullet right now and be done with it.” She glances between us, waiting for our response.
“Kate!” Christy exclaims.
“Chill, sweetheart. Grim’s just joking, aren’t you, love?” Beast says, and Grim mutters something under her breath that sounds a lot like,I don’t joke.
“Kate, we’ve talked about this…” Christy’s voice trails off as she grasps my hand, and squeezes Leon’s thigh beneath the table, reassuring us both as best she can.
“I’m getting soft,” Grim mumbles with a heavy sigh before laying her hands flat on the table and meeting my gaze. “By all rights, you should be dead. The only reason you aren’t is because Christy took the time to explain why you shouldn’t be.” Grim looks at her sister and nods. “She explained that you’ve disbanded The Menagerie. That you’ve given each of the Numbers security, freedom and a chance to start over.”
“That’s right. We have.”
“Last week Christy introduced Pen and I to Cassidy and her boyfriend Jonathon. I believe you know them better as Three and Seven.”
“I do,” I say, glancing at Christy who gives me a warm smile. “You never said.”
“They came to London a couple of weeks ago visiting Jonathon’s family,” Christy explains. “I met up with them last week and they explained that whilst they can live relatively comfortably with the money you gave them, they miss performing. Pen has offered them a job at their club. They start next week.”
“I’m happy for them,” I say, truly meaning it.
“Cassidy is an incredible dancer,” Dax says. “We’re happy to have her.”
“Yeah, and her fella can’t half belt out a note. Pen started balling when she heard him sing for the first time,” York adds.
“Jonathon has that effect. He’s an exceptional artist,” Leon adds.
“In our line of work, it isn’t easy to give up something you’ve taken so long to build,” Grim says. “I respect your decision to give the Numbers a chance to start over. It shows your willingness to be better men than your father was just like Christy has been telling me all this time. That being said…” Her voice trails off as she reaches for a gun holstered on her hip and places it on the table between us. “I won’t tolerate any kind of lapse into old behaviours, do you understand me?”
“Perfectly,” Leon says, answering for all three of us.
“Kate, there’s no need for this,” Christy says, a note of anger in her voice that doesn’t go unnoticed.
