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Hand outstretched, Liam caught mine in a firm grip before he gave me a brief hug then he stood back. Only a half-inch taller than me, Liam matched me bulk for bulk, though I suspected he’d been losing some of his muscle weight. I doubted he haunted the fights as much as he used to.
“You look good,” he said, giving me a once-over. “I wasn’t sure if I was gonna need to do first aid or some shit.”
I snorted. “You and Jasper picked fights. I finished them.” I avoided them now if at all possible. It didn’t mean I wasn’t capable, I just didn’t look to borrow trouble.
“Mr. O’Connell…” A man called from inside and Liam shot a look over his shoulder. “Did you want to go over the shipping invoices now or…?”
“I’ll check in with you in a bit,” Liam told him. “Go ahead and start separating out the west coast pieces. I want to inspect those. The last few have been iffy and I’m thinking we’re going to need a new designer.”
“Yes, sir.” The man didn’t quite salute with his clipboard but he did bob his head once before he disappeared back inside.
Power sat comfortably on him. It always had yet somehow, he seemed… “You’re enjoying yourself,” I commented when he faced me again.
The shrug of his shoulders didn’t betray any tension. “You know, I am… weird as it is. I am enjoying it. I prefer to be more hands-on than sitting in the office at the main store or the board room. Fuck going to Paris, though Hellspawn did say she would go with me if I got stuck doing a fashion week.”
I chuckled. “My sister is generous.”
Liam flashed me a smile. “She’s the best.” Walking side by side, we headed toward the river that wound through this area. The sound of trucks beeping as they backed up, the shouts of loaders and the hum of equipment were all familiar. Comfortable and familiar.
The tug of wanting to be back in Braxton Harbor, having a beer with the guys and getting shit done was right there. “She’s left for the tour,” I said slowly, trying to think where she was at the moment. She messaged me regularly, I had to admit, it was nice. She and Mayhem talked all the time too.
That was also—nice.
“Yeah, about a week ago. Since I’m here, I’m going to fly down and meet them in Tennessee for two nights while she performs in Nashville, then head back to the Harbor.”
I cut a look at him. “You guys handling the separation?” The fact my sister was with seven guys had bugged the shit out of me in the beginning. Not just seven guys, but my guys. My brothers. My best friends.
It had taken me a long time to make my peace with that. At the end of the day though, Ivy was happy and that was the only goddamn thing that mattered. Happy. Safe. Loved.
That was the life I’d wanted for her and it was the life she had.
“We’re fine, Raptor,” Liam said, the tweak of my street name a reminder. “Don’t worry. We miss her, but it’s good for us. It’s good for her too. Vaughn and Freddie need her more at the moment. Rome is with her. I visit. Kellan and Jasper will. Doc plans to, but his safe houses are taking a lot of his attention. The thing is, we’re good.”
I nodded and the closer we got to the water, the air took on a damper quality. The breeze chased away the hints of motor oil and exhaust.
“It’s my turn to ask,” Liam said. “You good?”
“I’m fine.” The answer was automatic. Almost dismissive. At the same time… “I don’t know.”
“Okay,” he said, a little too accepting of the answer. “You want to clarify that or need me to dig a little more? Cause Hellspawn is the one who coaxes, I just punch.”
I snorted. He wasn’t wrong.
“Milo, what’s up?” The quiet question required an answer.
“Not even going to play the ‘it’s good to see you’ card, first?” I deflected, because now that I was here, it seemed almost stupid that I’d needed to make this call. At the same time…
“Don’t get me wrong,” Liam said. “It is good to see you, though I’d rather be seeing your sister, and the last I checked, you’d rather be seeing her best friend.”
As fishing attempts went, it was a good one. “Mayhem is fine,” I assured him. She was better than fine. She was exceptional.
“Except?” He prodded and I shook my head. “Look, we can shoot the shit or you can tell me what’s happening, but you did not drive three hours to look at my face.”
“That’s true.”
His snort eased the fist of tension and the corner of my mouth kicked a little higher.
“Mayhem is up to her eyeballs in all of this,” I admitted. “She’s—more than capable of holding her own in some unsavory situations.” More than I cared to admit.
