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“Gunner took Izzy,” I explain, trying to keep my emotions in check. “And he killed her.”
A tear falls down my cheek as I think about the beautiful soul who paid with her life for my continued freedom.
The room grows quiet, no one making a sound. Heartbreak is palpable in the air, and I feel like another piece of my organ is chipped away.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, my voice wavering. “I should never have asked you to be there.”
Rose shakes her head. “No. Apology not fucking accepted, Mama Z. We wanted to be there. This is on Gunner. Not you.”
The others join in, echoing Rose’s sentiment.
“Izzy knew the risk,” Cilla says, quietly. “We all did. But we wanted to be there.”
“Search Izzy’s pocket,” Alana grinds out through clenched teeth.
My brows furrow. “Why?” I ask, feeling confused. “What’s in her pocket?”
Before she can answer me, rushed footsteps approach. “The hell were you thinking?” Slasher snaps. At first I think he’s talking to me, but then he forcefully makes his way to Alana. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me what you were up to? You could have died.”
Alana rolls her eyes, but reaches up and cups his face. “Do you really think this is the best time to scold me? I’ve been shot, you know.” Her voice slurs a bit and I wonder if it’s because of any pain relief they might have given her.
A familiar pair of arms wrap around my middle, and I know it’s Gray pulling me back until I’m flush against him. “I want an answer to that question, too,” he commands. “What the fuck were you all thinking? Do you know how hard you made it when we couldn’t just shoot them with you in the way?”
I hadn’t thought about that ahead of time, but yeah, now I see how that didn’t help the situation.
“Well, well, well,” Cain drawls as he lazily saunters into the room. “All the Kings, Cunts, and even a princess under my roof again. You guys know you’re always welcome, right? You don’t have to get shot to stop by.”
His over the top commentary is entirely welcome, and I feel myself relax a little. The combination of his weirdness and being in Gray’s arms works its magic, and I lean back against Gray, tilting my head to the side when he begins kissing up my neck.
“You okay, Princess?” he asks, and not for the first time. He asked at least a thousand times during our drive here, and the answer always remained the same as it is now.
“I’m fine,” I confirm. Then I clarify. “Physically.”
“Good,” he rasps, licking up my neck before biting my earlobe. “Because I’m fucking furious with you.” His tone becomes darker, sending shivers up my spine.
I gasp when he lets go of me, but before I can fully process what he’s doing, he takes my hand in his iron grip and forces me to follow as he walks out of there.
“Gray,” I gasp, trying to rip my hand out of his as I scramble to keep up with him.
“No,” he replies. “You lied to me for days, Princess. You risked the lives of your Cunts and your own. One is unacceptable to me as Prez, and the other as the man who’s spent all this time loving and protecting you.”
Faster than I can react, he comes to a stop and pushes me against the wall of the dark hallway. Gray places his arms on either side of my face, caging me in.
“Why did you do it?” he asks, his tone deceptively smooth, a stark contrast to the anger brewing in his dark eyes. “Why did you fucking lie to me? Why didn’t you just come to me about moving the plan up? Why didn’t you tell me about involving the Cunts?”
Indignation and guilt rises to the surface. “I never fucking lied,” I volley. “But I never told you because you would have said no. You wouldn’t have moved the plan up to right away, and you wouldn’t have let the Cunts get involved like they did.”
“That’s because it’s fucking dangerous. We, the men, are trying to protect you all.” He gestures behind him where the Kings move about helping the injured Cunts.
“I know that.” I shrug. “But it’s done now, Gray.”
The smile he gives me is all teeth. “Has my respect for your boundaries given you the illusion you can just fucking push me around?” he asks as his hand moves to my throat, wrapping around it and squeezing like he used to. And even though it should send my anxiety through the roof, there’s something comforting about it. “Do you see me as a pet you can just play with? Is that it, Princess?”
I ball my hands into fists and punch his shoulder. “Let me go,” I demand, my breathing ragged. “Let go of me right fucking now, Gray.”
“No,” he smirks. That one word paired with his obnoxious expression is all it takes to obliterate all traces of the man who’s been tip-toeing around me, always careful not to spook me or set my anxiety off. “I don’t think I will. Apparently, you need a fucking reminder of who I am.”
His lips descend on mine in a bruising kiss. Our teeth clash, and he bites my lip until the taste of blood fills my mouth. The kiss is brutal, hurried, and so fucking perfect. Returning the fervor, I stroke his tongue with mine, and it doesn’t take long before I’m panting into his mouth.
