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“Hi.” I wave lamely when I get close.
They all take me in. And though I can feel my cheeks heat, I don’t hide in Ev’s chest like I want to. After everything I’ve been through lately, I refuse to be intimidated by them.
“Heard you were back,” Oz states, crossing his arms.
I just nod because what do I say?
“The question is, why?” Slade throws out.
I open my mouth to reply, but Ev squeezes my hand.
“No. You don’t get to come banging on my door at the crack of dawn and start firing your questions.”
“Evander,” Zig starts, but Ev steps forward and nudges me to stand behind him.
Good God, this man. I didn’t think they truly existed. He owes me nothing, and yet, in the little time that I’ve known him, he’s made me feel safer and more protected than I’ve ever felt before.
“Look, a lot has happened. I get that,” Wilder starts. “But, Avery, even you can admit that the last time you were here, you left things… fucked up. We’re just trying to minimize the fallout. We can’t afford for Creed and Hawk to lose their heads right now.”
His words shouldn’t hurt, but they do. “I didn’t fuck things up,” I whisper.
“You absolutely did, even if it wasn’t on purpose,” Oz snaps, making Ev growl.
“For fuck’s sake, Ev, you weren’t here. You don’t know her like we do,” Slade fires back.
“Seems to me that I might be the only one who does know her. You’ve pulled some shit over the years, some of it sketchy as fuck, especially when it came to Salem and Astrid. And I always made excuses for you. But I’m done. You don’t come into my fucking home hoping to intimidate Avery so that she’ll bend to your will. You pull that again, and she’s gone, and I’m gone with her.”
“Come on, Ev, you have no idea what you stepped into the middle of. We loved Avery like family once, and she shit all over it. You think she won’t do the same to you?” Slade huffs.
“Not to mention she’s fucking married to your brothers. Or did you forget that?” Oz adds sternly.
The door swings open, allowing more bodies to enter. I move around Ev and step in front of him, trying to block his bigger body with mine. They might hate me, but I know they’ll never hurt a woman. I can’t guarantee they won’t start swinging at Ev, though, and I refuse to let him get hurt because of me.
When I see Greg pushing through the group, I let out a relieved breath until I spot Hawk and Creed behind him. They stop next to the others, but Greg keeps walking until he is right in front of me.
He slides a finger under my chin and tips my head back. “You okay?”
I offer him a weak smile. “Peachy.”
“Brave as fuck, just like always.” He winks at me before looking up at Ev.
“What about you? You good?”
“Fuck no.”
“Yeah, I don’t imagine you are. Well, let’s change that, shall we?”
Greg turns and stands next to Ev, lending us his support. I feel tears prick my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.
“Greg, you do not want to get involved in this,” Oz warns him.
“I am involved. We’re a family, right?”
Nobody says anything to that. They eye Hawk and Creed, who are staring at me and the stance I’ve taken in front of Evander.
“Let me start by asking what the fuck this early morning intervention is all about.”
Zig crosses his arms. “I would’ve thought that was obvious. Seems a lot has happened over the last few days, and nobody has told us fuck-all about it. Imagine my surprise when I’m reviewing the security footage from last night and see Evander carrying Avery like she’s his fucking bride or something. Only that can’t be right because she’s married to these two the last time I checked. You said she was missing. She doesn’t seem to be fucking missing. Now explain what the fuck is going on.”
