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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

HENDRIX

“ T he cops turned up again this morning,” I barked, turning to Colt. “Can you not get them off my back?”

All the officers—barring Iceman, D, and Bones—were in Church. I’d called an impromptu meeting to talk about what happened with our brother, the job, and what we could’ve done differently to stop the shit from hitting the fan.

I didn’t blame my boys for what happened. We were a team, and I was in charge of it. If anything, the buck stopped with me. What we could do, however, was talk about where we went wrong and discuss ways to plug the gap so it wouldn’t happen again.

Colt reared back slightly. “One of the biggest rock stars in the world was shot dead by one of our men, Prez. There’s gonna be questions and media attention.

The cops are under pressure to come up with answers and do it in a way where there’s no comeback.

We’ve got nothing to hide. D acted to save Saint and Iceman after Sam shot them.

It was clearly self-defense. We’re camera’d up to the asshole, and the cops have access to the footage.

Just let them investigate so they can close the case, and we can all move on. ”

I scraped a hand down my face. “Are Sam’s asshole father’s lawyers still sniffing around asking questions?”

“So what if they are?” he threw back. “They found the room with all those pictures of Saint he took over the months. They’ve traced the stalker’s pictures of Saint back to a camera they discovered in his dad’s compound.”

My hand went to grip the back of my neck. “It’s a shit show.”

Blade leaned forward. “Agreed, Prez, but in this case, I can’t see how we could’ve done anything differently.

Ghost stayed with Sam and didn’t pick up on any bad vibes.

He also didn’t have access to the room Sam used to keep his weird shit in.

The profilers smashed it, but we weren’t told about Saint’s previous relationship with Sam because she wanted to keep it quiet.

I get it, I’m not blaming her either. I just think when we look at the big picture, we can see our hands were tied. ”

I heaved a breath out and slumped back in my chair. “I know, Veep. Nobody’s to blame. I’m just worried about our brother, is all.”

Murmurs of agreement went up around the table.

“How was Ice last night, Son?” Dad asked.

I tipped my head back. “Better. The first two days he didn’t stop coding, but he’s stabilized now.”

“That’s good, right?” Pyro asked.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “But Ice isn’t out of the woods. Bones reduced his meds ‘cause I think even he’s getting worried, and he wants to see if Iceman comes around. He wants an idea of what he’s dealing with.” I looked around the table at my brothers, noting the two glaring absences.

Bones wouldn’t leave the medical wing, and rightly so, and Diablo wouldn’t leave Saint.

Our cranky sergeant at arms had appointed himself her bodyguard and keeper, at least until Iceman woke up.

He liked her, though it wasn’t a romantic thing.

Saint and D had bonded when we jammed, and she helped him with his guitar.

The way she did it earned her his respect, and whether she liked it or not, she had a friend for life now, along with a protector.

“What are we gonna do about all the press camped out at the end of the lane?” Trick asked. “They’re trespassing on our land and taking photographs of the place. It’s not only a security risk, but also a total pain in the ass.”

“Thought they’d have moved out by now,” Blade muttered.

“Must be a slow news week,” I pointed out. “But to be fair, Sam was a fucking guitar icon.”

“Sam was a fucking pervert,” Gambit corrected.

“Amen to that, brother,” Dad concurred, his tone lowering as he asked me, “How’s Saint doing?”

“She’s the definition of putting a brave face on things.

Diablo’s making her keep her shit together.

Every time she starts to break down, he pulls her outta that room and gives her a talking to.

She cries, but she does it with him and not in front of Kathy and Doug, and certainly not in front of Iceman. ”

“She’s a fucking trouper,” Gambit interjected. “Trust Iceman to find a woman who’s talented, adored the world over, loaded, sweet, funny, and a strong bitch to boot.”

“She loves the bones of him,” I murmured. “I’ll never forget the sound of her scream when Ice got shot. I thought it was an animal that’d been wounded in the woods. It cut through me. Felt her pain like it was my own.”

Dad smiled sadly. “He loves her to the bones, too, and that’s a good thing, Son. There’s nothing in this world worth fighting for more than the love of a good woman. ”

I gave Pop a nod because that was a statement I could get behind.

“Gonna cut it short,” I told the boys. “Wanna get down the med wing in case Iceman wakes up. Any other business?”

“Nothing that can’t wait, Prez,” Blade replied. “Go see to our brother.”

My fingers reached for the gavel resting by my right hand, and I banged it into the sound block.

Chairs scraped as we all got to our feet and started for the door in silence. Gambit got there first, opened it, and ushered everyone through.

My boots hit the corridor and faltered, because there stood my Anna in all her glory with our boy in her arms, waiting.

Without a word, she walked toward me and transferred JT into my arms and then fitted herself to my side before sliding an arm around my waist. “He’s fed,” she murmured. “We’re good for a few hours. Let’s go down the medical wing and sit with Ice. He’ll want us there when he wakes up.”

My neck twisted, and my eyes met her kaleidoscope green and browns. “I thank God every day he gave me you.”

“You should,” she breathed, fitting her head into the dip in my shoulder. “I’m awesome.”

Dad approached, his fingers working as he did grabby hands. “I’ll take our boy,” he offered. “He doesn’t wanna be stuck in a hospital room when Grandpa could take him for a walk down the river to see the boats.”

I lowered my mouth to my son’s fuzzy head and kissed him, inhaling his sweet baby scent before handing him over to Dad.

Pop let out a little whoop and turned to mosey on up the corridor, following the other men as they all headed for reception .

“You think I’m ever gonna get to spend an hour with my boy before that ornery old bastard comes and kidnaps him?” I asked my woman.

“Probably not, but I love that JT has that, so I’m not complaining.” Anna’s hand slid across my chest, and she stepped in front of me, her hands snaking around my nape. She looked up at me with soft eyes and parted lips, and I knew I’d never seen anything more beautiful, and I never would.

“Love you, Freckles,” I murmured.

She went up on the balls of her feet and touched her mouth to mine. “Love you, Jamie.”

“Worried about my brother,” I rasped. “He’s got a gaping fucking hole in his chest and a heart that keeps giving up on him.

I’ve lost men before; lost buddies, brothers, but this one’s hitting hard ‘cause it’s Iceman.

He’s at the heart of what we do here, baby.

He’s the one who stood by me through all my bullshit, through Ace’s betrayal, through the dark times, and then he helped pull me out of the storm.

Where would I be without him? What would I do. ..?”

“Jamie,” she whispered, her nails scratching into the back of my skull. “Iceman’s been at death’s door for days.”

My heart jerked.

Anna smiled. “But he hasn’t walked through it. What does that tell you?”

“He’s fighting,” I rumbled.

“Yeah, he’s fighting,” she agreed. “But he’s also not giving up. There’s a difference.”

For the first time in days, I felt my shoulders relax slightly. “What if he never wakes up?”

“Really?” my woman drawled. “He’s all up in our business any other time. That nosy ass won’t want to miss out on much more. He’s probably bored out of his mind and itching to cause some trouble. ”

I reared my head back and chuckled—something else I hadn’t done in days—then I pressed my forehead against my ol’ lady’s and told her, “I love you.”