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Her fingers trace patterns on the back of his hands and I laugh as Kade’s huge hand reaches over Noah to fall on her hip as well. “Yeah, what Noah said.”
I shake my head, but Scarlett’s amused smile is everything we all needed. “Don’t you three make the cutest set of spoons.”
“Big words from someone who was being spooned by Ryder,” Kade retorts.
“Touché,” I concede. “But we are about to land.”
Kade and Noah groan, but this rest has lit a spark for Scarlett. I can see it in the way she eases out of their holds and jumps to start getting ready. Luca comes in and throws clothes at all of us, stopping only to kiss the shit out of Scarlett. When he finally releases her, he presses a chaste kiss to her forehead. “Rachel and Holden are already getting dressed. Joe is ready and on the phone with Tyler. Him and some other guy are already waiting for us on the private landing strip.”
A new buzz runs through the room and Scarlett practically bounces in place, her signature savage grin spreading across her features in a promise of the retribution to come.
“There’s my pretty girl,” I praise.
“More like our pretty psycho,” Ryder quips, stealing a kiss from her too.
“Definitely that too,” I agree.
More banter is passed easily back and forth between us all. Scarlett actually joins in, teasing Kade about his own signature grin. It eases the tension that has been wrapped around my heart for weeks now. It took far too long to find Romano, and after the bomb that is Charles exploded on all of us, she hasn’t been the same. But she isn’t gone, even if she was lost for a little while. She never left us.
I watch her as she pulls her phone out to send everyone back home an update. No one was happy to stay behind, but our family has grown too large to have everyone go on every mission. They have the more important job anyway of keeping the kids safe and distracted while we’re gone. Though I don’t anticipate us being here long enough for them to even notice we’re gone.
A thrill runs down my spine at what is waiting for us back home. Scarlett arches a brow as she catches it. I pull her into the seat next to mine and buckle her in as the plane begins to descend. “Just thinking about finally moving Roe in with us,” I whisper in her ear. That’s always been the plan.
Kill Romano, bring Roe home.
She gives the soft smile she saves only for our sweet girl. “It will really feel like home once she’s there with us.” The corners of her lips tilt up further. “I hope you’re ready for a different type of midnight cuddles.”
I laugh with her. “Guess we’re gonna have to start putting clothes back on before we fall asleep.”
My fingers itch at the picture that paints in my head. I’ve never wanted Romano dead and buried more than this moment so I can make this dream a reality.
Landing on a private airstrip is vastly different from going to an airport. As soon as the plane stops moving, we’re given the all clear from the flight attendant to start deboarding. I grab mine and Scarlett’s stuff, making her roll her eyes as she leads us off the plane. I catch Rachel’s huff of amusement as Ryder does the same with her. We might be psychos, but we’re still gentlemen.
As we descend the steps, my eyes land on Tyler and the young kid standing next to him. Is that really his contact? He can’t be older than nineteen, maybe twenty years old. We get closer and something about him pulls on a distant memory and he looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t place him. He’s tall, just an inch or two shy of Tyler’s height, but where Ty is as broad as he is tall, this guy is lean. Similar to Noah’s build without any of Noah’s softness.
There’s an edge to the kid. Something hard in the glint of his blue eyes and written in the long lines of his body and tense posture. He’s no regular teen, that’s for sure. From the car he leans against, to his clothes, to his attitude, I know one thing for sure. The kid comes from money. Old money. He must feel my eyes on him, but all he does is give me a sardonic look, before turning his attention to Scarlett.
He stands up straight as we stop in front of them. I nod to Tyler as Scarlett just gives him a grin. Luca stands at her other side, Noah directly behind her. Kade and Ryder flank his sides, two steps back with Rachel between them and Joe and Holden flank the rear. Kade’s and my positions are usually flipped, but he fell back easily when he noticed me checking the kid out. I know it’s just a matter of time before I place him.
“Boss.” Tyler nods to Scarlett, only somewhat teasing with the way he addresses her, before gesturing to each of us as he introduces us. “Ash, this is Scar Everhart, Luca Cole, Declan James, Noah Frazier, Kade Meyers, Rachel Caruso, Ryder Keating, and in the back are Holden Ingram and Joe Lambert.”
His blue eyes trails over all of us. I didn’t miss the recognition in his eyes at some of our names, mine especially, or the surprise he didn’t bother to hide at Rachel’s. “You’re a big crew,” he says with no inflection.
Kade snorts. “You should see who was left back home.”
Tyler ignores Kade, though he does have a point. For once. “Crew, this is Asher Donovan.”
Donovan.
I arch a brow and tension lines the kid’s shoulders. “Everyone knows you can’t trust a Donovan.” It comes out almost as a reflex. It’s something that was drilled into me. At least now I know why I recognized him. My tone may not have been accusatory, but that doesn’t stop Luca from yanking Scarlett behind him at my words.
Weren’t the Donovans the very reason Tyler was sent here in the first place?
The kid watches, but barely reacts. “At least I know you’re not stupid.”
Yeah, there’s obviously no love lost there. Can’t say I blame him. Appears we’ve found another like us. I can’t help but smile at the cheeky little shit. I know exactly what that attitude is born from. A shitty fucking life. Apparently Luca doesn’t feel the same.
“Watch your mouth,” he growls. “We don’t stand for disrespect. I’ve killed for less.”
