“Thought so.”

“You’re very annoying.”

“He is,” Autumn agrees, walking over to punch him in the arm, and then she wraps her arms around his waist, giving him a squeeze before going back to Kenton and kissing his chin as his arms wrap around her.

“You guys ready to get back to Kai?” Justin asks, and I want to pout that Sven’s leaving again, but I hold it in since I know he doesn’t need that right now.

“Yeah, man,” Kenton agrees, and I look up at Sven when his arms give me a squeeze.

“Do not leave the house for any reason.”

“What if there’s a fire?”

“Stay inside.”

“What if there’s a fire?” I repeat, and his eyes close then his forehead drops to mine.

“Please stay inside, baby.”

“Fine.” I close my eyes, holding him a little tighter, and then I lift up, placing my mouth against his, whispering there, “Be safe and come back soon.”

“Soon as I can.” He kisses me softly once more then lets me go to get into the Suburban, with Kenton behind the wheel and Justin getting into the back.

“I can’t wait until this is done,” Autumn says, taking my hand as we watch the guys pull away.

“Me neither,” I agree, smiling as Sven points at the house in a silent demand. “Let’s go in before he comes back and cuffs me to the bed,” I say, smiling when she laughs.

“Not sure what you were thinking, but next time you two do some shit like that, I’m locking you in the closet,” Zack says as soon as we enter the house.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him, and his nostrils flare.

“You’re not, but do something like that again and you will be.”

“Zack,” I whisper, taking a step toward him.

Holding up his hands, his eyes hold mine. “I adore you Maggie, but I’m pissed at you right now.”

“I know, and I promise I will be on my best behavior from now on.”

“I know you will be, because—no joke—I will lock your ass in a closet if I have to.”

“I believe you.”

“You should.”

“I do,” I agree, trying to fight a smile, but he catches it anyway.

“My man is so fucked,” he mutters, and I run to him and wrap my arms around his back, giving him a squeeze.

“Don’t lock me in the closet. I’m afraid of the dark.”

“Liar,” he grumbles, squeezing me back, letting me know we’re okay. Taking a step back, I look over his shoulder at Pika, who is standing with his arms crossed over his chest and leaning against the wall.

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re safe. It’s all good, but like Zack said, we’ve got no problem locking you two away.”

“You won’t have to do that,” I assure him, and he nods then pulls himself off the wall and leaves the room.

“I’m going to my room for a bit,” Autumn says, and I turn to look at her.

“Sure, I’ll be in the living room if you need me.” I smile, and she nods before heading up the stairs.

Looking back at Zack, I ask, “Wanna watch Born in the Wild?”

“Fuck no.” He shakes his head as his face loses some of its color.

“Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be in the living room.” I grin then head in there, make myself comfortable on the couch, and eventually fall asleep watching a woman give birth to a baby in the woods.

Chapter 12

Sven

Truth

“THIS ISN’T EXACTLY a job you can put an ad out for,” Kai rumbles, and my eyes move through my office and over to him. Since my club is closed down for the time being, we have been meeting up here, leaving the girls at the house with Zack, Pika, and Teo.

“Yeah, but you know as well as I do that someone else is going to step in the second Paulie is no longer a part of the equation,” I reply, sitting back in my chair. “I don’t know shit about the business you’re in, but I do know business, and anytime someone steps out of a possession, there’s always someone there to take over, and I can’t imagine this will be any different.”

“You’re right. Someone else will step in, but I’m not sure our move should be leading someone else into the seat,” Kai says, placing his drink on my desk.

“I didn’t say I agreed with Justin’s idea. I do think we need a way to guarantee we won’t be collateral damage. If that comes in the form of making an alliance with someone else, then I’m all for it.”

“Aedan,” Justin puts in, and I turn to look at him. “Guy is fucked, but he is also not fucking crazy,” he says, referring to the Irish high-ranking drug dealer he’s been working with.

“He’s killed a lot of fucking people.” Kenton frowns.

“He has,” Justin agrees. “Aedan made a name for himself at twenty-three when he took out his boss, that boss being Armando Levy, the biggest drug lord Vegas had ever seen. A man no one—not even the FBI—had the balls to stand up to,” Justin says then looks at Kai. “You know his story. You know he took out Armando because he was kidnapping women, getting them addicted to blow, and then putting them on the tracks.”

“You’re making him sound like a fucking choirboy,” Kenton chides, leaning back in his chair.

“I’m not saying he’s a fucking angel of mercy. I’m saying he has a moral compass, which is more than what Paulie has,” Justin replies, sweeping the room, looking at each of us. “Regardless of what we do, what steps we take, there will be someone who takes over. There is no way to prevent that. The only thing we can do is put someone in that seat who isn’t going to come back for us.”

“You can’t guarantee he won’t, Justin,” Kai mutters, standing from his chair to pace the room.

“I can. He is not a fan of Paulie’s.”

“Why the fuck do we need to be involved in helping him into that seat?” Kenton asks, and Justin looks at him.

“There are four main families in Vegas. Those four families control what happens in this town—who pimps, who sells dope, and who sells guns. Three of those families are tied to Paulie. Only one family is not, and that’s Aedan’s.”

“Justin has a point,” I conclude, and Kai scowls at me. Sitting forward, I put my hands on my desk and lean in. “Listen, I don’t give a fuck who does what in Vegas. The only thing I want is to live a life where I don’t have to look over my shoulder. Searching for some fuckwad who thinks he’s gonna make alliances by taking me out.”

“We all can agree on that.” Kai nods then looks to Justin. “Set up a meeting. Tell him I want to speak with him about business. We won’t mention what’s going on until we get a feel for him.”

“On it,” he mutters, pulling out his phone and stepping out of the office to make the call.

“Were Maggie and Autumn okay?” Kai asks, and I look at Kenton, seeing his expression is the same as mine.

“Autumn said she needed to go to the drug store, so she and Maggie came up with a plan to do that.”

“She could have asked one of the guys to get whatever she needed,” Kai says, and I feel my lips twitch.