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“Ladies, come on. This isn’t my fault.”
Destiny folds her arms across her chest. “I know a scorned woman when I see one.”
Candy nods. “Yep. This is your fault.”
“I was with Lore ten years ago. Hell, I didn’t even know she was Tobias’ mother.”
Destiny quirks an eyebrow at me. “And whose fault is that?”
The doors close, and I’m left staring at their metallic surface. Cussing, I hit the button repeatedly.
The polished, reflective surfaces of the elevator walls magnify the anxious lines etched on my face. My heart is heavy with the weight of Lore’s stern orders, and I can’t help but feel a growing sense of frustration. Tobias, although not technically one of us, is our brother and lies in the ICU, sedated and vulnerable. Lore, once one of us, has now cast us aside.
The journey up feels interminable, each floor passing sluggishly, intensifying my unease. My fingers drum an impatient rhythm on the button panel, a futile attempt to hasten its progress.
The elevator doors part, revealing the hushed, pastel-toned surroundings of the maternity ward. The sharp contrast to our world’s raw, gritty reality is striking. Babies’ cries softly resonate in the air, their lives beginning amidst the antiseptic scent.
Making my way down the corridor, Kade is still at his post. He nods at me and raps his knuckles lightly on the door. It opens slightly, and Dane’s dark, intense gaze meets mine. He steps out, and Kade moves to stand next to him.
“Dane,” I begin, my voice steady but laced with a hint of trepidation. “We need to talk.”
“Trouble?”
“Lore Mercer.”
He smiles and shakes his head. “How is the old viper?”
“Venomous.”
“She booted us out, didn’t she?”
“Yep.”
Dane chuckles. “It’s your fault you and her ended on such bad terms. Apologize, make it clear we are not leaving Tobias here unprotected.”
“Dane—”
He holds up a hand. “Not hearing it. I’ve got new babies, a wife in the hospital, and two kids at home that I’m sure Bear and Shaz are plying with more sugar than I can handle.”
“You mean they can handle?” I reply.
Dane shakes his head. “You ever been around kids when they are high on sugar? They’re worse than a crack whore going through withdrawal.”
Kade barks out a laugh but quickly puts a hand over his mouth when I give him a withering stare. “Is Destiny still here?”
“No, your fiancée left with the strippers, and somehow, it’s all my fault.”
Dane and Kade exchange a glance and laugh.
“It’s not funny.”
Dane is six foot seven, a towering presence in any room he enters. As my president, he has my undying loyalty, but right now, laughing at me, I could punch him and feel good about it. It could be my expression, or he’s remembering how Lore can be, but he stops laughing.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“She doesn’t want to see us.”
Dane grins. “Yeah, she knows I’m not going to abide by her orders. Tobias might not wear our colors, but he is our friend. Lore knows this. When Tobias wakes up, if he wants us gone, we’re gone. Until then, we protect our own.”
