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And the one person I knew, despite whatever might be going on between us, would help me and my daughter.

No questions.

No demands.

No guilt.

“Want to see Coast again, baby?” I asked Lainey.

“Ooh,” she hooted back.

“Yeah, me too.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Coast

The ride didn’t do shit for my mind or my mood. But at least it kept me out of the clubhouse and away from the guys with their questioning eyes and probing questions.

When I made my way back, the party had mostly died down.

Velle was still at the pool with his music and several of the women who didn’t make their way upstairs with one of the brothers.

I underestimated him when it came to his particular kind of charm with the opposite sex.

Because he had three girls hanging on his every word. Two were on the loungers to the side of him. One was resting against his chest.

Did it sort of have ‘cult leader’ vibes? Sure. But you had to respect his game.

I offered him a nod before making my way through the back door and into the kitchen.

Eddie had already put the food away and headed home for the night. The dishwasher was humming and sloshing its way through a cycle as I walked over to Mackie’s cage and carefullyshut him in for the night. He was already asleep inside, his head tucked into his back, feathers all fluffed up.

Upstairs, various stereos and TVs were playing, masking whatever extracurricular activities were going on behind closed doors.

I knew I should go right out the back door, make eye contact with one of the girls, and nod her into the clubhouse, take her up to bed, then try to fuck Zoe’s memory out of me.

But I knew that wasn’t even remotely possible. So I grabbed a sports drink out of the fridge and used it to wash down one of Eddie’s brownies he had left on a tray on the counter. He didn’t even bother to cover them, knowing they would be gone before the end of the night.

I was still polishing off my drink when there was a knock at the front door. Tentative at first, then harder and more desperate.

My gaze flicked to the clock.

No one good would be calling at that time of night.

I walked across the kitchen, reaching up to the top shelf in the pantry for the gun I knew was hiding there, then made my way to the front of the house.

I kept the gun hidden as I reached to open the door, not wanting cops to see it if it was them darkening our doorstop.

But I damn near dropped the thing when I saw who was standing there instead.

“Zo?” I asked, not quite believing I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. It was the raw vulnerability in Zoe’s eyes that had the relief washing away, getting instantly replaced with concern instead. “What happened?”

“We need help,” she said, wiggling Lainey, who reached out toward me.

“Okay,” I agreed, stepping back and putting the gun down on the end table, then reaching for Lainey. “Come here, Lil’ Bit,” I said as Zoe stepped inside.

It wasn’t until she’d dropped down onto the couch and I went to close the door that I noticed it.