Page 14 of The Souls We Claim

I scan the room and find King at a table with Niro and Clutch. “I’m thinking of going to Dallas,” I say to King when I reach them.

“Vex told me about your notion to go nomad. Permission is most definitely not given,” he says.

I sit and place Lola on my lap. “Nah. Not nomad. But from all the intel Vex has been able to gather, Dallas is the epicenter of the Righteous Brotherhood. I’m thinking of going down there and asking some questions.”

Clutch shakes his head. “They knew who your dad was on sight to kill him. They probably know what you look like. And don’t give me the movie-makeover bullshit that you’re going to cut your hair and dye it. You’re too big, too noticeable, and have too many obvious tattoos to go undercover.”

“Then let’s send someone else. Why not Saint or even Switch?”

“I’ll take it under consideration,” King says. “I heard from Penny that the girl is Mercy’s sister.”

I nod.

“She going to take Lola?” Clutch asks.

“Depends. She’s married to a wife beater. The girl’s covered in bruises. No fucking way I’m sending Lola to live in that kind ofenvironment. But if she wants help leaving the miserable fucker, maybe setting up around here, then yeah.”

“Where’s she staying?”

I shrug. “Didn’t ask.”

Clutch swigs from his beer bottle. “Where’s her car?”

“Didn’t ask that either.”

King rolls his eyes. “She’s technically Outlaw family. At a minimum, she’s the aunt of a brother’s kid.”

Niro chuckles. “If you think about it, Mercy was the closest thing to Wrinkle’s old lady. Which would make Mercy Halo’s stepmom, which would make the girl Halo’s step-aunt.”

With the hand not holding Lola, I punch Niro in the shoulder. “Fuck off with the genealogy bullshit.”

“Genealogy or not…it’s probably on you to make sure she’s taken care of,” Clutch says.

“Fuck me. Why am I suddenly the lost property department for people?” I take Clutch’s beer and swig from the bottle. “Anyway, I’m gonna take control of the situation. Get Arianne away from the wife beater. Put Lola into safe hands.” Keep them both close by so I can keep an eye on them. On Lola…not them. Just Lola.

Then the solution comes to me.

“I’ll let her stay at Dad’s.” I give Lola to King, who looks at me like I just handed him a turd. “It’s all set up for Lola, and it was her sister’s home after all.”

“What am I supposed to do with her?” King asks.

I roll my eyes. “Just look out for Lola while I fill Arianne in on the plan. Back in ten.”

When I get back to the medical room, Arianne is just sitting up as Switch washes his hands. I see the empty smoothie glass and feel better knowing she has some food in her stomach.

She looks up at me, eyes wide. Too open and too honest. I feel like she could read me if she wanted to.

“All good?” I ask.

“I’d prefer if she got an X-ray to be sure but understand why she won’t,” Switch says. He slaps my shoulder on his way to the door. “I’ll leave you to it.”

As the door closes behind him, the space suddenly feels too small for the two of us. One of the most valuable skills I had as a SEAL was the ability to read a room. To understand every vibration of tension, body language, and unspoken word. If I closed my eyes and let my fingers literally feel the air, I could tell which way anything was going to go.

And if I give in to that, I know I’ll feel things between Arianne and I could go places they’re not meant to.

“You got a place lined up to stay?” I ask bluntly, trying to change the energy I feel.

She shakes her head. With her hair back off her makeup-free face, she looks even more fragile. More in need of my protection. And young. Too fucking young. “I didn’t have a plan beyond the funeral.”