“Anytime, babe, any fucking time.” Sitting up, I slip from his chest with the knife still in hand and stroll naked to the shower. I hear his groan behind me.

“Not fair, Little Bird,” I hear him call as I laugh and shut the door.

After I’ve showered and dressed in a shirt, I head out to find them all at the table like normal. Honestly, I’ve missed these breakfast meets. It’s the only time we’re usually all together, and with Ryder going back to work and Diesel off and busy, it’s not been the same. I slip into my seat. Ryder pours me a coffee, and Kenzo fills my plate, his hand landing on my thigh under the table after, stroking it casually as I yank up my other leg and lay it on Ryder’s lap.

His hand drops to it and massages as he sips from his teacup. The sight of him doing that still drives me mad for some reason. Every day, I watch him drink from it like a goddamn ritual, like he has mesmerised me.

He catches me staring and winks, and his eyes seem…warmer today. Has he been melting more and more around us and I haven’t even noticed? Hell, he doesn’t even have his phone on him.

“Morning, love,” he murmurs, and leans over and kisses me ever so softly, tasting the coffee on my lips before he goes back to sipping his tea. “Okay, D, update.”

“Triad daddy is dead, rolled right through a window, whoops, and yesterday, I made sure there were no others hiding in the city.” He grins, flipping open his lighter and lighting a cigarette before snapping it closed. His feet come up and land on the table as he crosses his legs, still smoking.

“Garrett, how are you feeling?”

Garrett shrugs and finishes his mouthful before leaning back. “Fine, the doc redressed the wounds.” He winks at me then, making me giggle.

“Kenzo?” Ryder asks.

Kenzo leans into me, still stroking my thigh. “Healing and fine. You can thank Roxy here for our set back.”

“Uh-uh.” I shake my head. “It was all you fuckers. There I was, innocently napping—”

“With your ass pushing against my cock,” Kenzo interjects, but I ignore him.

“And you decided to have a quick sausage party.” I grab a sausage on my plate and gesture through my fingers with it to explain, making even Ryder snort.

That’s when I realise this is their version of a check in—sometimes about business, sometimes family. This is how they stay together, because they listen. It’s adorable really, but I don’t say that out loud, ’cause four men would hunt me and prove it wasn’t, in fact, adorable.

Dropping it, I look to the man in question. “Ryder?”

“Yes?” He sounds confused.

“No, I mean check in, how are you?” I snort.

He blinks, and that’s when I realise no one has ever asked him before. “Erm, fine, I have an open day today.” He wipes his mouth and puts his teacup down. “Which reminds me, we need to discuss something.”

My stomach sinks, and I look around to see all their faces darken. “Going to try and kill me?” I query casually. Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past them if they thought they had to.

“Not today,” Diesel responds, toasting me with his cigarette.

“We need to talk, love,” Ryder repeats seriously, making me suck in a breath. Something is wrong, it has to be…but how does it involve me?

I haven’t beat anyone up today, so it’s not that.

RYDER

I sit her down on the sofa and crouch before her, holding her hand in mine. Kenzo and Diesel bracket either side of her, and Garrett stands behind her, protecting her back like always. “Love, we have been thinking.” I share a look with the others, who nod their encouragement. “Your father—”

She narrows her eyes at the reminder, and I smile sadly and cover her lips with my hand before she can start shouting, telling us she hates us again.

“Your father, Roxy, he needs to pay for what he did to you, both in the past and recently. We might have accepted the deal, but now that we-we—”

“Love you,” Kenzo inserts confidently.

“Yes, love you.” I nod. “It means we can’t let an insult like that stand to our girl. Now, I know you hate him and he’s responsible for heinous things in your past—trust me, love, I understand that—which is why I want to know if you want us to deal with it.” I release her lips, and she licks them, looking between us.

“You mean kill him? You would do that?”

“Baby, when are you going to realise there isn’t anything we wouldn’t do for you?” Garrett snorts.

“I-I don’t know if I can face him, it’s been years,” she admits, and Diesel presses closer.

“I know, love, which is why I want you to let us do it for you,” I reassure her, but I know before she’s even decided she would never let us. This is her monster to slay, and as much as I wish we could do it for her, he’s hers to deal with. Our Roxxane would never make another deal with her issues, no, she’s too strong for that, and it only makes me love her more.

“No, no, you’re right. It’s been a long time coming. I guess I just—” She shakes her head. “Honestly, I forgot about him for a bit, but you’re right, he will never stop,” she agrees sadly, and meets my eyes. Hers are shaded with ghosts, but as strong as always. “Yes, I want to be there.”

“Just be there?” Diesel questions. “Because if you don’t want to deal with him, you know I will, Little Bird.”

She smiles, but it’s an evil one, like the one she used to give us all the time. “No, he’s my father, my responsibility. I want you there, though, this has been a long time coming and seeing him again—”

“Will bring back memories.” I nod, understanding that myself. “We have your back, always, you are our family now. Not his, never his. He will never hurt you again.”

She nods, reaching for Diesel’s and Kenzo’s hands. Garrett lays his on her shoulder, and I grip her knees as she sucks in a breath. “I guess I always knew…knew he never loved me. This needs to happen. He will always think he can control me, use me, and that also extends to you now. I can’t let him. It’s time he paid for his sins.”

She raises her eyes, and there’s no weakness there now. Just a fucking Viper flashing in those dark depths. “He dies today.”

So be it.

Chapter Sixty-Four

ROXY

The drive there is quiet, as my men are letting me prepare for what’s to come. They are right, he is a threat, not just to me, but to them now as well. They are my family, he never was. He might be my blood, but all that means is that he was my beginning, not my middle or end.

Blood doesn’t always mean family. Sometimes you find your family in friends, in father- and mother-like figures…or in lovers. I look around and smile, thinking sometimes you find that when you’re least expecting it. Our family might be messed up, hateful, powerful, and rich…but when we are together, we’re happy. We are safe, and that’s all that matters.

Now it’s my turn to keep my family safe, to protect the men who would protect me against anything, who would hunt me and anyone who hurt me or us across this world and never stop.