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Cooper inhales and exhales, thinking over Sawyer’s words. Just when I think he’s about to reject his offer, Cooper holds out his hand and shakes Sawyer’s. “If it means getting out of the herd and making sure my sister is safe, then yes. I don’t really have anything else to lose.”
“Just don’t fuck up or betray us. Don’t think we won’t cut off your cock.” Monroe tightens his mouth, squaring his shoulders. “If you join Bella, it’s for life.”
“You mean forever.” Knox proffers his hand to Cooper next.
“If we can even make it out of here,” Cooper says, scrubbing his hands to his cheeks.
“We will, little buddy,” Sawyer says, teasingly. “You’ll see. Watch how we handle things now. My com device detected movement from Lawrence’s office. He’s probably heading our way since security failed to take us to him.” Turning to me, Sawyer grabs my hand. “Hayley, bite me. Do that sexy thing, and don’t stop. Monroe, shoot Cooper a couple of times. Knox, play the good guy.”
I can barely process what’s happening as I bite into his throat, obeying his command. I don’t have to ask him to know there is a reason for it, especially if he knows Lawrence is coming.
I close my eyes and suck on Sawyer’s throat, his blood filling me up with something that warms me from the inside out. Growls rumble through the air from Monroe and Knox, and Cooper shouts with the sound of a gunshot. A few more ricochet through the air, ringing in my ears. I’m too afraid to pull away from Sawyer, so I bite him again and pretend none of this is happening. I pretend this is foreplay leading up to a passionate moment between us.
Lawrence shatters my fantasy, his raging holler booming through the air. “Hayley! Release him now!”
“Whoa, calm down. It’s not what it looks like. She’s starving. Let Sawyer care for her. She needs to heal from her injuries as well. We were attacked.” Knox intercepts Lawrence, not allowing him to get within reach of me and Sawyer.
Lawrence growls, and something crashes. “She will hurt him. Stand back!”
“Hey, stop. I’m fine. Don’t come near us. I don’t know what the fuck you’ve done to my girl, but she’s turned a bit wild. The second she was threatened, she started acting like a starved Strip dweller.” Sawyer swivels, using his body to block me against the wall.
“I’ll handle her. While you’re in my hotel—” Lawrence heaves a breath and snarls in exasperation. I think Monroe must’ve gotten between us and hit him.
I want so badly to see, but another part of me is still too afraid.
“Handle her? Fuck that. I’ve seen how you’ve handled her so far. If I ever see you fucking hurt our girl again, you will regret it, deal or not. I don’t give a fuck if she attacked someone. I don’t even give a fuck that she lost control. She has to learn, and I’d rather her learn to control herself with me than devour any more of these assholes. They interrupted our training meeting with Cooper. Which you forgot to mention, might I add. He’s lucky Hayley trusts him, or else he would probably be on the floor too.” Sawyer rubs his big palm between my shoulder blades and whispers for me to release him.
I get my shit together and pull back, but I keep my face hidden against the crook of his neck. Unease clenches my chest. Despite my guys surrounding me, I can’t control my fear instincts. It doesn’t help that I can still smell the blood filling the air. And there’s a lot of it.
“These were my best guards. You’re telling me that Hayley did this?” Lawrence shuffles across the floor, his footsteps thudding as he hops over the bodies.
“No, but she helped. These assholes started firing without even giving us a chance to figure out if they were legit or not. Look at what they’ve done to Cooper. They shot him. They shot all of us. Can you blame us for fighting back? They came in here and just demanded we go with them. The same would happen to them if this were La Vega.” Monroe deepens his voice, his annoyance grating into me. “Hayley could’ve been killed.”
He’s absolutely right about everything, and if Lawrence thinks otherwise, he’s an idiot.
“I apologize for my guards’ rash behavior, but they were informed not to allow you to push them around. I’ll not have you coming into my hotel and acting as if you’re in charge. You’re alive as a courtesy. Don’t forget it. You have a place, and despite where you think it is, it is beneath me. I could end all of you, but I find you useful at the moment. I have wanted someone who had some influence within La Vega outside of the leadership. Just remember, if it falls through, or you don’t hold up your end of our agreement, you’ll end up dead. Or better yet, you’ll be part of my blood donors.”
My guys are smart, and they do choose their battles wisely. That is one of the things I have learned from them. There are times where they wish with everything in them that they could just destroy the world, but strategizing how to get everybody through this alive is far more important than trying to flex their power and prove Lawrence wrong. It’s what makes them who they are. Even the hotels and Alexander in La Vega know better than to truly underestimate them.
“You can cut that shit out. We don’t need the reminder. What we need is to know what the fuck all of this was about. Cooper had mentioned something about a drill, but you can’t expect us to follow along without being properly informed. If you want an alliance to work between us, then you need to give a little as well and not expect so much in return.” Sawyer sounds so sexy confronting Lawrence and his bullshit.
It’s almost weird how Lawrence doesn’t react like Alexander. If he were Alexander, I’d be able to tell exactly what he was thinking and plotting. It scares me even more that I can’t. Because it’s obvious Lawrence doesn’t appreciate being told what to do.
“I suppose that’s fair. It seems we need to work out the details now that I’m certain you’ll be a good fit here.” He waves around the room. “Not a single survivor. Perhaps I can barter with you to also train new security personnel. I would offer you a position, but I don’t trust you. Not yet.” Lawrence shifts in my peripheral vision, and I finally get the courage to lift my face from Sawyer’s throat.
Sticky blood covers my body, and I try not to look at myself in the wall mirror. I look as if I just finished a performance in the blood rain back at Vampire Nights. It’s like I can never get through a day without having blood all over me. At least the majority that’s on me belongs to Sawyer. It makes licking my lips not so gross. Actually, it tastes incredible. Just like him.
I shake my head, pushing the thoughts away. Lawrence’s gaze burns into me. I can feel it scraping at the side of my face as if he is cutting me with his sharp nails.
I refuse to look.
“I think that is an excellent idea.” Sawyer loosens his hold on me, and I realize he wants to set me on my feet.
I tighten my legs around him. “Please don’t,” I whisper. I’m just so afraid that if he’s not holding me that Lawrence will snatch me away, and there won’t be anything anyone can do about it.
Sawyer shifts me until I feel Monroe’s strong fingers lace around my sides and ease me away from him. That’s the only reason I let go.
“Why don’t you allow Cooper to take Hayley to the gym to continue with her practice for the show while we work out the contracts. I would also like to listen in as you call Alexander. We need that portion of the deal in place before anything else. If you can’t accomplish that, then there’s no point in pursuing this alliance.” Lawrence steps closer. He’s circling us like a damn predator, and it makes me squirm in Monroe’s arms.
