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“Of course. I was planning on stopping you if Scar didn’t talk some sense into you.”

“He did that for sure.” Not with words, but with his irresistible lips.

My face burns as warmth pools low and tight in the apex of my thighs. I want him so much I can hardly stand it. It’s the worst possible time to be feeling like this, but I can’t help it. There’s just something about the growly wounded man I find completely captivating. Even if I wanted to leave right now, no way could I turn my back on him. I think he needs me as much as Max needs us. Scar’s just as hurt, but his wounds are much older than Max’s, so they’ll take longer to heal.

“The potato salad is ready to go,” Nina says, nodding toward the bowl I’m holding. “Can you carry it out? I’ll be right behind you. I just need to toss the cucumbers in some vinaigrette dressing.”

“Of course.”

Grateful to escape her scrutiny, I grab the bowl and head onto the back porch. The wooden patio overlooks her vast back yard. The grass closest to the house has been mowed, but the rest of the land is filled with swaying hay and wildflowers. The property seems to stretch on for miles. I can’t tell where the huge wall around it ends, and I can’t help but wonder how she acquired so much land.

Having all this protected space is freeing. I don’t have to worry about being ambushed by the police during dinner. Although I can’t see them, I’m sure prospects are posted outside, keeping an eye out for the sheriff. We’re perfectly safe here.

For the first time since Max walked into my office, I relax. I set the potato salad in an ice-filled tray on the picnic table that serves as the buffet. Talon and Matrix are huddled over the smoking barbecue discussing the merits of dry rub versus wet mopping. Both are wearing leather vests with Underground Vengeance patches, jeans, and white tank tops. It must be the club uniform since I haven’t seen them in anything else.

“You want it all wet and sloppy.” Talon slathers a thick, reddish-brown sauce onto a row of chicken thighs. “Otherwise, where’s the fun in it? You can’t lick dry rub off your fingers. I mean, youcan, but who the hell wants it dry?”

“You might want it all moist and splashy, but I like my meat more refined.” Matrix sprinkles a huge shaker filled with spices over several steaks.

“I’d like to see you refine one of my hand-stuffed sausages.” Talon laughs at his own joke before taking a swig of beer from one of the bottles sitting on the table next to the barbecue.

“I have zero interest in touching your sausage. I don’t know if I want to eat any of it, either. Who knows where your nasty-ass hands have been?” Matrix smirks.

“All over a bunch of club pussy.”

“Not surprising.” Matrix rolls his eyes.

Talon laughs. “But really, who gives a shit? Cooking over an open flame will kill anything that needs to be killed.”

“Killed?” Reaper’s dark tone scares the crap out of me. I jump back a step, nearly crashing into him. How the hell is he so silent?

“Nothing to kill here, bud,” Talon says. “But since you’re here, can you grab another couple of brewskies for us?”

Reaper grunts before walking into the house. I hope he’s not going to come back with a gun or a knife or something equally deadly. He’s scary as hell. I wonder what his story is, but there’s no way in hell I’d ever have the guts to ask him about it. Nina mentioned all the guys were together when they were kids. Did they all go through the same trauma? Maybe they did, and that’s why he carries this ominous energy with him. Maybe he picked it up from someone else. I’ve seen that happen to kids with violent, alcoholic fathers. Some children seem to take on that energy as if it belongs to them, even though it doesn’t.

He’s fascinating in an is-he-going-to-kill-me-in-my-sleep kind of way. His aura also contains violet hues, but they’re darker and more dangerous than Nina or Scar’s. I’m going to stay as far away from this guy as I can. The others might trust him, but I don’t.

Scar and Nitro run through the grass below the patio, with Max chasing after them and wearing the biggest grin on his face. This is the happiest he’s been in months. I love seeing it.

“Oh, no! He’s going to catch us,” Scar says, winking at me as he flies past the patio.

“We’re dead men!” Nitro hollers.

“Rawr!” Max forms his little fingers into claws and races after the guys. “I’m going to eat you!”

“He’s a dinosaur,” Matrix explains.

“A T-rex,” Talon adds.

“Is this a game you guys play a lot?” I ask.

“The kids love it. It’s our go-to when we need them to work off any extra energy. Max has been cooped up in the house all day. Boys his age need to run, or they can’t sleep,” Matrix says.

“Do you have trouble sleeping?” I ask.

“Sometimes.” He glances at Talon before returning his attention to the meat.

“It’s a good idea not to roam around the house at night. Some of us have been known to sleepwalk,” Talon says.