Page 29 of Deviant Reign (Knight's Ridge Empire 6)

“Just a shame that motherfucker Wolfe isn’t inside.”

“Or Ram,” Dad mutters.

A million and one questions about all of this dance on the tip of my tongue, but I force my lips to stay shut. There’s going to be plenty of time to analyse all of this once we’re in the safety of Dad’s house. Now is not the time.

“Right. Now, we can leave,” Cruz says happily, scrubbing his hand on top of my head. “Come on, Hellcat.” He winks at me, but my heart skips a beat and my steps falter at his use of that nickname.

Pain slices through my heart that Theo walked away.

I’m not sure what I was really expecting, but the second I saw him standing out here and realised that he was a part of this… hell, that he survived that crash… All I wanted was for him to pull me into his arms and tell me that everything was going to be okay. That he forgave me for walking away from him at school, for getting down and dirty with Dax, for letting him place that fucking tab on my tongue and allowing myself get swept away with the craziness he brought into my life in the worst fucking way.

“We’ve got you, kiddo. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Sucking in a deep breath, I pull on my big girl panties and force my mask onto my face.

I’m better than this. Stronger than this.

Luis Wolfe. Theo Cirillo. My own fucking grandfather. None of them can touch me.

I will win against all of them.

There is no other option.

* * *

“Oh my God,” someone squeals the second Dad pushes the front door open.

I look up to find three women running toward me.

Dad presses his hand to the base of my spine and pushes me forward, right into their clutches.

Arms surround me as the sweet scents of their perfumes fill my nose, wiping away that of the leather, smoke and destruction that’s emanated from my rescuers all the way home.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Calli breathes in my ear.

“I sincerely hope they let you shoot someone,” Stella adds, making me snort a laugh.

“Sadly not. I left that to them. You should have come.”

Stella pulls back from our embrace and holds my eyes.

“Someone had to look after Calli,” she quips.

“Hey,” Calli snaps out, smacking her around the head. “I was fine.”

“You were freaking out.”

“Our friend had been abducted. I was allowed to freak out.”

“We need to up your training,” Stella teases.

“All right, enough bickering,” Piper says, her hard expression at odds with the lightness she forces into her tone. “What do you need, Em?”

“A bath,” I say, stretching out my aching back. “And then sleep. And food.”

“We’ve got you covered,” Calli says, not giving Piper a chance to move and rushing toward the kitchen.

“Come on,” Stella says, lacing her arm through mine and pulling me toward the stairs.