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Eva sighs, pulling me from the internal battle raging inside. Her body stills, and a sense of pride fills me knowing that she considers me a safe place. I hold her until I’m sure she’s fast asleep, and whatever was haunting her is no more.

Settling her back on the bed, I wrap her in one of the twins’ fleece blankets before striding back into the security room.

“We can be there in about three hours,” one of the guys I recognize from the party the other night says. “We’re already heading out the door, and Teag will comb through footage to find the dead fucker because I’m sure he’s already taken off. Or if he’s smart, he would’ve, I should say.”

The growl that emanates from Cooper is damn near animalistic. “Even if he goes to space or jumps timelines, we’re finding the waste of human flesh. He won’t breathe the same air as Eva for much longer.”

Grunting my agreement, I take a seat next to my brother, who’s still in destroy-everything mode.

“Make sure you bring a few of your special cocktails, Lev. Some of the flesh-eating bacteria variety,” Colt requests, and Lev nods before ending the call.

There’s a brief moment of silence before Cooper speaks. “Are you two up for this?” His question hangs in the air, and I quirk a brow at my brother. “If you’re not, let us know now, and you can stay behind. We’re not holding back punches. Thad is going to be scattered into pieces, so he has no chance of reincarnation.”

“If you’re asking if we have the guts to do what needs to be done, then save your breath. We’re in, and we don’t mind getting our hands dirty or bloody,” Liam exclaims.

It wouldn’t be the first time we killed a piece a shit who thought because he had dick swinging between his legs he was owed pussy. My lips tip upward at the memory of how we played golf with the last asshole’s balls. “Let’s just say you don’t fuck with me or what’s mine,” I add.

Satisfied with our response, Colter and Cooper nod. “Okay, we have a few hours to hunt the spineless little prick bitch down,” Cooper announces, opening his laptop.

I’m not as tech-savvy as the three of them. So, I type out a few quick texts to some of my contacts to put them on the trail before Colter asks me to let the doctor in.

“Where’s the patient?” The middle-aged Black woman inquires, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She doesn’t introduce herself, but I don’t take any offense. The serious look of concern etched on her face says I’m not here to deal with frivolous pleasantries. Her sole concern is to treat her patient. I’m sure Colt and Coop are paying a small fortune for an after-hours, in-home call.

Holding my hand up, I lead the way, leaving her with Eva so they have privacy.

Over an hour passes before the doctor emerges. “Apologies for my abrupt behavior earlier. I’m Dr. Joycelyn Framingham.” She holds out her hand and I shake it before I guide her downstairs. She doesn’t speak again until we’re at the door. “Iwon’t go into detail, but she’ll need to rest. Nothing’s broken, but she’s badly bruised and has a concussion.”

I dip my head in understanding, noting every detail she provides as she continues to speak. “I’ve given her some pain medication that should allow her to rest comfortably throughout the night. The scripts have already been sent to the Jacobi’s private pharmacy. They’ll be delivered in about thirty minutes. My number is on the instructions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you feel she needs more care.”

I barely get a toe inside when I’m bombarded with questions.

“What did the doctor say?”

“Is anything broken?”

“How’s Eva doing?”

“What does Eva need?”

Holding up my hands, I signal for them to simmer down before filling them in. “She’s resting and nothing’s physically broken, but she has a concussion. All that to say, we should sashimi Thad’s dick.”

As if on cue, Colt’s phone rings. He mumbles something when he answers. Then he’s out of his seat, striding for the door. “The Heirs are here, and we have Thad’s location.” He doesn’t have to say another word before we’re up and out of our chairs, rushing from the room.

We hit the first-floor landing before Colt speaks again. “Let’s go kill this fucker.”

52

thad

“Dude,what the fuck happened to you?” Chad asks as I storm into our dorm.

I don’t spare him a backward glance as I brush past him for my bedroom.

Grabbing my suitcase, I yank open my drawers, tossing everything in it without any care. “I need to get the fuck out of Groveton—no out of Texas—out of the country,” I mutter. If I could leave the planet, I’d be on the next flight to Mars.

It was stupid of me to fucking lay a hand on Eva Pierce, and not because she’s the Jacobi’s and the Bradley’s play toy. No, it’s because she belongs to someone more terrifying than all of them combined.

“What the fuck did you do, Thad?” Brad snarls, bursting into my room, but I ignore him too.