Page 42 of Sire

“Because when I’m mad, heads roll.”

Her head tilts, curious, not afraid. I’m beginning to love that trait, too. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” I turn for the door. “When I get back, I have some answers for you.” I glance back. “And Wren?” She looks up. “You’ll have answers for me, too.”

CHAPTER NINE

SIRE

Openingthe door at the bottom of the stairs to my penthouse, I step back, shocked to find AxelandLoch waiting for me.

“Hey, man.” I give Loch a quick hug and back slap. “Didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

He cups my shoulder. “Came home early for the initiation. Got some errands to run and … um … some shit to take care of.”

My youngest brother gives me a knowing look. He matches my height and build, but my baby brother is anything but. His job has put more brawn on him—his jobandlove.

I’ve never seen Loch so happy and healthy. The shit he has to take care of is that he’s in love with Alena Allen, Nash’s daughter, even though Nash is going to fucking kill him when he finds out.

Nash told Loch to protect Alena, to be her colleague and secret bodyguard. With the evil circles we run in, more like with the vile fucks we kill, Axel ordered it, too.

Alena has no idea who we are and the danger she’s in.

But Nash and Axel sure as hell didn’t expect Loch to fall in love with her, and all the kinky shit Loch and Alena are into.

Yeah, I know about that, too.

I’m the oldest—the pastor. My brothers confide in me about everything, and I keep their secrets. You’d think I’d be against keeping them, but I have my own.

Axel explains, “I told him to meet us here because we’re going to need him.”

“Need him for what?”

“I’ll need Loch to hold you back when I tell you what I found out about Wren.”

Cue my pulse skyrocketing, red rage starting to bleed over my eyes. “Whatabout Wren?”

Sympathy bends Axel’s face. “Man, I don’t know how she made it this far and can still smile like an angel.”

Axel sees it too; the light that sparkles off of Wren like goddamn glitter in the darkest world. I’m drawn to it. I’m starting to fear ever losing it.

“Just tell him.” Loch sounds sympathetic, too.

Fury burns through my constricting throat, worry biting at my eyes. “Tell mewhatabout Wren?”

“I got a copy of her child services file,” Axel explains. “You’re right. She’s from Tennessee and was bounced from home to home. As a baby, it was because she cried. Her foster parents said she wouldn’t sleep and wanted to be held too much.”

Oh fuck.The biting at my eyes gets worse.

“As a little girl,” Axel swallows, “some foster parents said she was weird or mentally ill. That she’d smile and talk to God or the sky and butterflies like they could hear her.”

Yep, my eyes start leaking.

Axel grabs my arm. “Her file said there’s no evidence of abuse. Not the worst kind, but it’s like no one ever wantedher. In some placements, they didn’t keep her a week before they wanted her to leave. They told her she was too different. She didn’t fit in. Fuck,” he seethes, “who would do that to a kid?”

Through clenched teeth and blurred vision, I demand, “Tell me about her second-to-last placement.”

“She was placed with some family in Maryville, Tennessee. Nothing bad’s on the record, but for some reason, Wren was moved and placed with Nannette Banks in Happy Valley, Tennessee, until she was eighteen.”