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“And how’s that?”
“I’m the one Everleigh gave her virginity to. Didn’t take much convincing.” He laughs, and I realize right then that this is Case. But isn’t he supposed to be dead? “Bitch thought I’d help her escape her family and the community. After she was knocked up, her uncle wasn’t pleased but got over it when he and my own family came together with a plan. Let her think I’d died. Feel the guilt of what she’d done. And take what she cherishes most.” He snorts and shakes his head, grinning. “Damn, hilarious watching from the shadows as she thought I’d died and carried the guilt along with her losing that bastard of a kid. But I’ll make it up to her. She’ll have another and another.”
“You ain’t gettin’ near my woman again,” I say, keeping my control in check.
“That’s what you think.” Case snickers, stepping forward, looking me up and down. “Way I see it, she wasn’t yours to touch, and she’ll beg me not to kill you, but I’ll be doing that anyway. Can’t have you getting in my way.” He grins, delusional about the fact he won’t being doing shit.
“Brother, let’s hurry this shit up,” Reaper calls out.
“Right,” I mutter, not taking my eyes off the piece of shit in front of me. “You think you can kill me? Go ahead and try.”
“All in good time,” Case says right before the entire building seems to explode around us.
I jump for the bastard, trying to keep from being hit by the falling debris, but he somehow disappears.
Fire and smoke lick at my skin, my eyes burn, and I can barely see in front of me. My ears are ringing, and I have to find my brothers. Find them and get the hell out of here. Something about this whole thing doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t like it, not one bit.
Suddenly, Case’s words hit me.“Way I see it, she wasn’t yours to touch, and she’ll beg me not to kill you, but I’ll be doing that anyway. Can’t have you getting in my way.”Fuck me. Rushing through the fire, doing my best to keep from running into any of the wreckage surrounding me in the haze of smoke, I do my best to keep from choking on it.
“Daemon.”
To my left, I hear my name called and whip my head in that direction, barely seeing Reaper and Tombstone.
“Here,” I yell and head for what I hope is the exit.
I bust through the doors and out into the open air.
“Hendrick!” Everleigh’s screams of panic catch my attention.
I glance to where I heard her. I her fighting against Diablo, her eyes wide and on me. Thank fuck, Case doesn’t have her. Scanning the surroundings, I dart across the space separating me from my woman and immediately pull her into my arms as my brother releases her.
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry,” she cries, wrapping her arms around my neck and all but climbs into my skin.
“I’ve got you, sugar,” I rasp, speaking into her ear.
“I’m so, so, so, sorry.” She sobs, burrowing her face in my neck.
“We’ll talk about it later, baby,” I tell her, giving her a squeeze.
“We gotta get out of here,” Tombstone says, his gaze assessing as he comes up next to me.
Without a word, I nod, scoop Everleigh in my arms, and carry her to the vehicle we rode in. I notice the little boy who is almost the spitting image of his mother but with masculine features clutching at the man I can assume is Carl. Everleigh told me about him and Sofie. Carl meets my eyes and gives me a nod.
“I need to get back to the hospital. My wife . . .”
“We’ll get you there,” I inform him and jerk my chin to the van.
“Angel, call Stella. Have her work her magic,” Reaper orders.
“You got it,” Angel says. All of us crowd into one vehicle while Diablo takes the other man, and Beast moves for Everleigh’s Tahoe.
I climb in the back, keeping Everleigh in my arms. I lean my head back against the metal and finally let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
I press a kiss to the top of my woman’s head, meet Carl’s gaze from across the way, and nod. I can read in his eyes what I know to be true. This is only the beginning. But of what, I’m not sure.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
EVERLEIGH
