His eyes were still on me. “Aspen—that’s a unique name,” he drawled.

  This was Haisley’s brother. Not a killer. I could see some resemblance to his sister. His eyes were a lighter version of hers, making them appear more blue. However, there was no kindness in his gaze.

  “Yes, and so is mine and all of our siblings’. Yours is too, but you go by your initials. Go wait outside,” she snapped at him.

  He didn’t move. His tongue came out to lick his lip, and a flash of metal surprised me. I turned back to wiping down the tables.

  “How old are you, Aspen?” he asked.

  “Oh my God. Are you serious right now?” Haisley turned on him, raising her voice. “I swear, I should have just taken the bus. Go, AJ!”

  He didn’t go. I glanced from her to him, and he raised his eyebrows, as if waiting on my reply. Maybe if I told him, then he would leave.

  “Twenty.”

  “Too young for you,” Haisley pointed out.

  “You new to town?”

  “AJ, I swear to God, if you do not leave her alone, I will call security,” Haisley warned him.

  He laughed then. “Hayes, come on now. You think I’m scared of security?” He winked at me. “Just trying to make a new friend. Calm down.”

  “You don’t need a new friend. You are just home, visiting. And you’re not her type. Look at her. Does she look like she’s into thugs? No, she does not.”

  He smirked. “She looks real fucking sweet.”

  “And entirely out of your league. Now, leave her alone, so we can clean up,” she growled at him.

  He gave me one last once-over and started for the door. “Hurry,” he told her before walking outside.

  She looked over at me. “Sorry about him. He offered to pick me up today, and he’s only in town for a couple of days, so I said yes. Ugh.”

  “It’s fine,” I replied, just thankful he was gone.

  “He doesn’t normally flirt. That was unexpected.”

  I started to assure her it hadn’t bothered me—even though it had—when my phone dinged. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw Levi’s name on the screen. Smiling, I swiped it to open the text.

  Levi: I am stuck with a work situation. I had to send Saxon to get you. He’s the only available guy I had that I trust. He is waiting for you in the lobby. I’m texting you a picture of him. He knows what you look like.

  Trying not to be disappointed that Levi wasn’t here to get me, I started to reply, but then his next text came through. The picture of Saxon. He was younger. Closer to my age. Brown hair and eyes. Not scary-looking at all. He was attractive.

  Me: Got it. Thank you.

  I slid the phone back into my pocket and finished cleaning, not wanting him to wait too long. With both of us focused, we got it done in fifteen minutes. Grabbing our things, we walked out together toward the elevators.

  “Did you drive?” Haisley asked me.

  I shook my head. “No. I have a ride waiting on me.”

  “Sibling? Friend?”

  “Neither. Well”—I laughed—“he’s a friend of my …” I trailed off. What did I call Levi? “Friend.”

  “A friend of a friend,” she repeated, smiling. “Sounds like there is more to that story.”

  I shrugged, grinning as we stepped onto the elevator.

  “Yeah, I guess I don’t know what to call Levi,” I admitted.

  “I take it, Levi is a guy who is more than a friend, but you’re not far enough in the relationship to have labels.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed, although we were pretty far into the relationship.

  The elevator opened back up, and the guy from the picture was waiting a few feet away, his eyes on me immediately. Well, kinda. I held his interest for a second before his gaze shifted to Haisley. I watched as he took her in. Yep, I was now glad Levi hadn’t come. Haisley was too stunning.

  I turned to tell her bye when I realized she was checking out Saxon as well. I closed my mouth, not sure what to say. I paused, waiting on Saxon to speak.

  “Hayes,” her brother called out from across the lobby at the entrance. “Hurry the fuck up.”

  Haisley flinched, then glanced over at me. “I’ll see you later.”

  “See ya,” I replied.

  Saxon stepped over to me. “Aspen,” he said.

  “Yes,” I told him.

  “Ready?”

  I nodded, and he fell into step beside me.

  Haisley reached AJ, but his gaze was locked on me.

  “Do you know him?” Saxon asked.

  “Not really. It’s her brother.” I nodded my head in that direction.

  He didn’t say anything more. When we reached the door, Haisley was walking out, but AJ kept looking at me.

  “AJ, I swear to God, if you don’t leave her alone,” Haisley called out to him.

  He flashed me an amused grin, then shot Saxon a smirk before turning to follow his sister out of the door. That guy was bad news. It was hard to believe they were even related.

  Saxon walked us to a black truck, and the lights flashed as the doors unlocked. “He made you nervous,” Saxon said to me as he stayed beside me until we got to the passenger door.

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “Haisley is really nice though.”

  Saxon looked concerned as he opened my door. I climbed in, and he closed it. Then, I watched as he did a quick sweep over the parking lot before heading around the back of the truck to get in on his side.

  Once he was inside, he glanced over at me. “You sure that’s her brother?”

  “She said he was.” I didn’t think she’d lie about that. “They also have similar features. You can see the resemblance.”

  He started up the truck and nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, Aspen.”

  I smiled. “It’s nice to meet you too, Saxon.”

  Thirty-One

  Levi

  This was the first time Liam Walsh had asked his son-in-law to handle a matter for him. Blaise didn’t take that request lightly. I leaned up against the wall, watching as Gage circled the Vagos member we’d picked up earlier. He’d been identified by Cookie as her rapist. Cookie was still in the hospital from the abuse the bastard had unleashed on her.

  Blood trickled down the man’s bare chest, where Gage had run the tip of his knife as he walked around his body. If the man continued not to talk, Gage was going to start slicing things off. Starting with his Vagos tattoo.

  “You want some of this, Trev?” Gage asked, looking over at him. “I know you like to slice off tats. He’s got plenty to remove.”

  The man jerked, cursing and shooting daggers at Gage, who, in return, smiled like the crazy fucker he was. Trev got up from the stool he had been sitting on and walked over to Gage.

  “I want to take his ear,” Trev replied.

  It was entertaining to watch these two. They played well off each other. When they began discussing knife play like psychos, it typically got prisoners to talk.

  “They’re fucking ugly ears. Would be an improvement.” Gage chuckled. “I like this part. It’s fun to watch little Hughes slice up fuckers.”

  The guy’s eyes widened. “Hughes?” he asked with a snarl.

  Trev took the knife from Gage.

  “He looks like a pretty boy, but don’t let that fool you. He’s a Hughes,” I told the man.

  “She’s a stripper!” he spit. “Why are you defending her?”

  Blaise stepped up closer, and taking the butt of his gun, he struck the man’s face so hard that two of his teeth flew out of his mouth. The guy howled as blood poured from his mouth.

  “She’s my father-in-law’s employee. And you don’t belong here. I want to know what the fuck you’re doing in town.”

  The man spit blood on the ground. “This isn’t your business. We don’t fuck with the damn Mafia. You took out most of the Vipers. Everyone knows that.”

  “Vipers fucked with what belongs to me.” Gage’s tone just hit a dangerous level.

  The Vipers had taken Shiloh over shit with a former girl we used to fuck. When we finally got to her, Gage killed almost everyone in his sight, including Jag, the leader. The only two who walked away from that were the ones Shiloh had begged us to spare. Destiny was a girl we had enjoyed before Shiloh. She’d wanted Gage and ordered a hit on Shiloh, and she still lived because Gage couldn’t tell Shiloh no. Granted, Blaise had left several scars on her face that would keep her from ever using her looks against men again. Her brother, Acid, had taken over what was left of the Vipers. They weren’t gone, and we knew that.

  “You might not want to remind him about the Vipers. If he snaps, it’s over,” I told the man.

  Trev took the knife and circled his ear. “No one fucks with the family. Liam Walsh is our family,” he said, not taking the ear yet, but going deep enough for the blood to run down his neck.

  “I didn’t know! She got mouthy and tried to act like she was too good for my cock. Damn bitch bit my dick and spit on me.”

  I smirked. Good for you, Cookie. “She liked mine just fine. Swallowed like a champ. Loved when I choked her with it,” I taunted him.

  He glared at me. “Is that it? She’s your bitch? You’re gonna kill me because I touched what’s yours?”

  I shook my head. “Oh, no. She’s not mine. If you’d touched what was mine, I’d have sliced you open and ripped out your organs by now. You’re here because we want answers and as a reminder to stay away from Liam’s girls.” The thought of that son of a bitch touching Aspen stirred up rage inside my chest.

  Gage turned to look at me. “Organs, huh? Damn, brother. She’s got you strung up tight.”

  Footsteps coming from the tunnel caught my attention, and I stepped out to see who was here. Six was at the entrance, so I knew it had to be Kye or Saxon. When Saxon came around the corner, I didn’t like the tense look on his face.

  “Is Aspen okay?”

  He nodded. “Safe at the house with Trinity and Shiloh, but there was something that I wanted to tell you about.”

  “Who is it?” Blaise barked.

  “Come on,” I told him, leading Saxon into the room.

  Blaise looked from me to Saxon before turning his focus back to the prisoner.

  “Hey, Sax,” Gage called out in greeting. “You want to try some slicing?”

  Saxon shook his head, looking away from the bloody mess Trev had joined in on.

  “What happened?” I asked Saxon, not liking that this had something to do with Aspen.

  I should have sent Kye, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want him near her. Not right now. I needed time to get over him being so close to her.

  “Girl who volunteers there, her brother. He was interested in Aspen, and the sister is nice—I mean, she’s fucking gorgeous. But the brother … he doesn’t seem safe.”

  Dammit! Aspen had wanted to work at the hospital, and I had made it happen even though I didn’t want to share her. Now, she’d worked one fucking day, and there is already some shit looking at her.

  “Did he touch her?” I asked through clenched teeth.

  “No, I wouldn’t have allowed it. But he made her uncomfortable. She was tense, and she walked close to my side, like she was scared of him.”

  The image he was putting in my head wasn’t helping my mental stability. I was teetering near the edge. I needed to get to her. Talk to her. Make sure she was okay. Then, I needed his goddamn name. He wouldn’t get near her ever again.

  “You good?” Gage asked, studying me.

  I didn’t respond as I tried to tap down the fury unrolling itself from the tight ball I kept it in.

  “This about Aspen?” Gage asked Saxon.

  “Yeah.”

  “Fuck. You want me to get him out of here before he rips this guy’s throat out before he talks?” Gage asked.

  I could feel Blaise studying me. The thumping under my skin was getting worse.

  “Saxon, get Kye down here. Levi, go handle your shit before you snap.”

  I didn’t wait for Blaise to say more before I turned and left. Getting to Aspen was the only thing that could cool this off. Everyone else needed to stay out of my way until I got to her. The motherfucker who had scared her would be dealt with after I knew she was okay.

  “He’s going to kill someone,” I heard Gage say as I walked down the tunnel.

  “He didn’t touch Aspen. Just scared her,” Saxon replied.

  “Yep, the fucker’s dead,” Gage said matter-of-factly.

  He knew me well.

  Stalking through the house, I listened for Aspen’s voice, but it was silent. I checked outside, and the pool area was empty. The urgency to see her was pounding against my chest as I took the stairs two at a time. When I reached my bedroom door, I flung it open, then froze.

  Aspen was curled up in a ball in the middle of my bed. Her hair was damp, and she had on one of my shirts. I took her in, trying to calm myself down. She was there, safe, fine. Nothing had happened to her.

  While keeping my eyes on her, I untied my boots, then slipped them off. Jerked the shirt I had on over my head and tossed it onto the floor before discarding my jeans, then climbed into bed beside her. I wrapped my arm around her and brought her up against my chest, then inhaled. That helped. That fucking helped a lot.

  “Levi?” Her soft voice was raspy.

  “Yeah, baby,” I replied, pressing a kiss to her head. “Go back to sleep. I just need to hold you.”

  She turned to look back at me. “Are you okay?”

  “I am now.”

  A small smile touched her lips.

  “Did you have a good day?” I asked her.

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  I brushed some hair from her face. “Anything happen that upset you?”

  She studied me for a moment before replying, “Why would you ask me that?”

  I didn’t like that she wasn’t telling me. “Because I need to know if anything happens that bothers you or scares you.”

  A frown touched her face. “Is this about Haisley’s brother?”

  “You tell me.”

  She sighed and rolled over until she was facing me. “Haisley is great. She’s so easy to work with, and she is excellent with the kids. Her younger sister died of leukemia five years ago, and she’s been volunteering there ever since.”

  Fuck. She had a dead kid sister. “What about the brother, Aspen?”

  “He was flirty—more like cocky, I guess. She wasn’t scared of him and yelled at him a few times. So, he’s not dangerous. He just bothered me when he looked at me.”

  My arms tightened around her. “How long were you around him?”

  “Not long. He just came to get her. He is just visiting for a few days. I doubt I’ll see him again.”

  That was good. I could live with it.

  Thirty-Two

  Aspen

  The last two weeks, Levi had been bringing me to volunteer at the hospital. Yesterday had been the first day that Saxon picked me up again.

  Levi had met Haisley and not given her more than a nod when I introduced them before his eyes locked back on me. In that moment, my world seemed perfect. He hadn’t been unable to look away from her and hadn’t even noticed her beauty. My heart had soared.

  Although the fear would always seep in, dampening the happiness; I was afraid he would eventually tire of me and this sexual thing we had would end. He would want other women enough that his possessiveness with me would no longer overcome his sexual appetite. Every night after he made me feel like the only woman in the world, brought me endless pleasure, then held me in his arms as we fell asleep, I would think, What if this was the last time?

  There was nothing I could do to protect myself from it happening. The day would come, and I would be shattered. Stopping it now was impossible. I loved Levi. No amount of future pain could make me end this. I would take every single kiss, touch, second I had with him with me when it was over. The memories would be worth the loss I faced.

  With that all being the case, when he had only left a note for me on the pillow, explaining he had some work to handle and couldn’t take me to the hospital this morning, I worried. Mentally scolding myself over this entire thing I’d worked up in my head, I made sure to put a smile on my face when Saxon picked me up. I had already learned that Saxon seemed to give Levi complete details of my mood, who was around me, and who I spoke to when he dropped me off or picked me up.

  Saxon was quiet on the drive over, and when he dropped me off, I could tell he was distracted.

  Before he left, he paused and looked back at me. “Who helps you if Haisley doesn’t show up?”

  I shouldn’t be surprised he remembered her name.

  I shrugged. “She’s never missed, so I don’t know. I probably just handle it alone. She isn’t with me every day anyway.”

  He frowned, then nodded, as if this bothered him.

  Rubbing his chin, he looked serious. “Levi said he’d be here to get you after work.”

  “Okay! Thanks for the ride,” I told him with a smile before getting on the elevator and heading up to the pediatric floor.

  Stepping into the activity room, I was still smiling until my eyes found AJ leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed over his chest. I scanned the rest of the room, and there was no sign of Haisley. There was no reason to panic. Just her brother. She was probably getting supplies.

  “Hello,” I said, hating the nervous waver in my voice.

  He grinned at me.

  Maybe I should be slightly worried.

  “Oh, um, where’s Haisley?” Please be just right outside the room.

  He continued his appraisal of me. His eyes taking in my shorts and bare legs, making me very uncomfortable. I could leave the room. That was what I would do. I turned to reach the door.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” he warned me.