“Nope,” Deck said.
I met Tyler’s eyes in the mirror. “He’s better off dead.”
“We don’t kill our men. Ever,” Deck stated.
“He’s no longer your man. He’s theirs.”
“He stays alive.” Deck slammed his fist into the window.
“I wonder if you’ll still say that the day he tries to kill Georgie,” I said.
“He won’t get near her,” Vic replied before Deck could.
I remained quiet because I knew the loyalty between these men was unbreakable. But that cord tying them together would snap if Connor attempted to hurt Georgie. He was a machine, the elements of who he had been reduced to nothing more than a fine mist.
And now, he lived like a trapped animal, chained to who he’d become. I also knew Chaos and there was no chance they’d keep her from seeing her brother.
Tyler pulled off the road into a parking lot an hour later and shut off the engine. Tristan and Chess stood waiting for us, leaning against my car. It wasn’t registered, so it was better than one of Tristan’s flashy vehicles.
I got out, wincing at the movement.
“Need to deal with that,” Vic said, nodding to my dislocated shoulder.
Deck came around to stand beside him. “I’ll hold him down.”
I laughed. “In your dreams, Deck.”
Vic grinned. Probably the only time I’d seen the guy smile. “You’d rather me hold you down?”
London came out of the car and I felt the gentle touch of her hand on my back. “Don’t need anyone to hold me down. Just do it,” I ordered Vic then dared Deck with my eyes to come anywhere near me. He chuckled and walked away.
It hurt like hell. But Vic was quick, strong and knew what he was doing. When he was done, he patted my now located shoulder—hard. Bastard. I still managed a thanks.
My hand locked in London’s and I strode toward Tristan and Chess. “This device better work.”
Tristan cocked a brow and picked up a little rectangular black box sitting on the hood of the SUV. “I’ve been developing it for months. It’ll work.”
I shrugged. “Not my issue if Deck kills you if your device fails and blows up his buddy.”
Tristan gave a cocky smirk. “You think I’d risk using it on Chess? I know what the fuck I’m doing.”
After spending some time with Tristan, I hated the cocky bastard at first, but now I was getting that he had the right to be cocky. The guy came from the farm, stayed away from his family, even after he escaped, and spent his life pulling together resources to get Chess out from under Vault’s clutches. I’d give him a margin of error even if the device killed Connor.
“I may let you live after all, Tristan.”
He huffed. My sister scowled at me before looking to London. She stepped forward, held out her hand and introduced herself. “So, you’re the reason my brother finally grew some balls.” I scoffed. “Nice to meet you. I’m Francesca, Chess, Kai’s sister. And this is Tristan. I’ll let Kai tell you about him.”
London shook both their hands. It was odd doing something so normal when there was nothing normal about any of us or what was happening.
“Tristan,” Tyler called. “We need to do this now. He’s waking up.”
Chess and Tristan moved to the back of the SUV and I put my hands on London’s hips. “I need to know, baby. Did you run away from me? Did you leave the house and they found you?”
“You know the answer to that, Kai.” She reached up and cupped my cheek. “You don’t trust anyone and I get that, but you’ll need to learn to trust what your body is telling you.”
I burst out laughing at her using my own words thrown back at me. Words I said to her our first night together. She looked tired, bruised, and thin, yet she smiled.
I growled before I hitched her up onto the hood of my car where we’d first begun four years ago. “You belong with me, braveheart. That’s what my body is telling me.”
“Mine, too.”
I grabbed her on either side of her head and kissed her.
HIS KISS WAS slow and gentle as if he were afraid I’d break, but then his control faltered and he kissed me like I wanted him to. Owning and powerful, with nothing able to split us apart.
His hands were all over me as he pressed into me until I lay on the hood of the car, his weight on top of me, mouth hard and bruising. My hands on his hips, I pulled him closer even though he couldn’t get any nearer. I just needed every inch of him touching me, making this real.
He pulled back, hands on either side of me, resting on the car. My chest rose and fell with ragged breaths and tingles sparked through my body.