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I finally understood that movie.
Liam claimed my heart. Reduced it to cinders on his palm, and left me with nothing but a faint memory of the person I was before, but what he gave me in exchange was so much better.
My whole body came alive in his arms. Things I didn’t know I could feel. Places I never knew could burn. His tongue tangled with mine, chasing a moan past my lips, and suddenly I believed in it all. Psychics. Power. Fate. Demons.
Magic.
We broke apart—staring at each other. Our chests heaved like we ran ten miles.
“Looks like you don’t need our help.” Sinjin leaned against the kitchen counter, amusement written on his face. He saw the whole thing. Remembering he was sorta the reason it happened, stained my cheeks red.
“Uh, yes they do!” Shonda blew in. “You destroy my kitchen, dump pasta on my floor, and then make out on it? Out.”
“Shonda, we didn’t—”
“Out!”
We got out.
Liam and I stumbled into the living room. His lips parted, and I froze as his fingers glided down the back of my hand.
“Kenzie—”
“Daddy.” Tricky tackled her father’s legs and climbed his body like a tree monkey. “Play with me.”
He shot me a wry look, somehow just as intimate as the kiss we shared. We were speaking our own silent language.
“Yes, boss,” Liam said.
I let them go, knowing we would talk later when we were alone. Edging toward the kitchen, I called, “Shonda, at least let me clean up the mess.”
The look she gave me had me turn around and go play with Tricky.
Shonda did not like anyone—except Sienna—in her kitchen. I had to talk her into letting me make dinner. In the end, I did not make dinner and we didn’t eat lasagna soup. Shonda made grilled salmon with avocado salad, and for dessert, she served me a permanent ban for life.
After we ate and put the youngest members of the Merchant clan to bed, we stayed up telling Sunny’s parents everything that’s happened since I moved into the Fairfield.
That night, I lay in bed propped against the pillows, massaging Sunny’s shoulders. The pornographic noises he was making made me glad his folks had their own apartment and weren’t bunking in the next room.
“I’m glad she pulled a Genny and horned in,” Sunny continued. “Even with a hole in her shoulder and a bum leg, she’s a ten-man security team in one woman.”
“Why don’t I doubt that?”
“I’m glad I won’t have to worry about your safety since I’m going back to work tomorrow.”
“Back to work?” I repeated. “What does that mean? You’ve been going to work.”
“I’ve been at the shelter working out the terms of our new arrangement with River. Now that Merchants are allowed in Rockchapel again, I’m going in with Ryker, Makai, and Athena.”
“Why? Liam said one of his guys was hunting down Vito. The best retriever in the city—now that your father is retired.”
Sunny tipped his head back to look at me. His hair tickled my stomach, tightening my skin. We just had sex and I was quickly gearing up to go again.
“Roman will find Vito. The guy is the best, no question. But Vito and Grant both fled to Rockchapel to escape us. If those dumbasses got that idea in their head, smarter criminals did too.
“Tracking down all our enemies in every borough is impossible. Hunting Rockchapel for the ones that went eerily quiet is doable.”
“So, that’s what you mean by returning to work. You’re blindly tracking down potential Brotherhood members in Rockchapel. Because living till twenty-six is for losers.”
Sunny chuckled. “I won’t die, babe. There are a lot of people waiting to pay for hurting you. The universe won’t allow me to go before getting revenge.”
“There has to be another way,” I argued. “You’ve been kept out of Rockchapel for years. You don’t know where their scum likes to hide. The Merchants don’t have the home-court advantage on this one.”
“You’re sexy when you use sports analogies.”
“Sole.”
“I’m just saying,” he breezed. “Look, everything you said we’ve thought of. That’s why I’ve been spending quality time with my uncle. He’s mapped out all of Rockchapel for us. The different gangs, their turfs, and the neutral areas where people freelance undisturbed.”
“If River knows all of this, isn’t he and his crew better prepared to hunt the Brotherhood in that borough? I mean, it’s dangerous for them too, but at least he has the advantage.”
“River needs to continue doing exactly what he is doing,” Sunny replied. “Helping those women get their lives back. I won’t ask him to stop for a job I can do myself.”
I deflated on the pillows. “No, of course, you’re right. We all have our jobs to do. They’re all important.” I peppered kisses on his temple. “But does it have to be just the four of you?”
“If I roll in there with twenty people, the rats bolt for their holes. Trust me,” he said. “In the old days, I’d fuck shit up by myself or with Ryker if I needed a designated driver. I’m only inviting so many people along because I’m responsible now.” He gave me a serious, upside-down look. “I’m a stepdad.”
