“What would you like to drink?” Trinity asked. “Coffee, milk, juice? You name it, and we probably have it.”

  “Milk, but I can get it,” I replied.

  She was already getting the milk from the fridge when she smiled back at me. “You go sit and eat. I’ve got this.”

  Feeling tears threaten again, I walked to the table, hoping to stop myself from crying. Levi pulled out a chair for me, then turned and took my milk from Trinity. As I sat, he placed the milk in front of me. I picked up the slice of bacon and watched as he walked around the table and sat down across from me with a cup of coffee in his hand. His hair was messy, and I hoped it was from sleep. I didn’t want to think he’d stayed up all night because I was in his bed and he was on the sofa.

  “I’ll leave you two to talk,” Trinity said.

  Levi looked up and gave her a nod, and then his eyes came back to mine. “You eat. I’ll talk,” he told me.

  This talk made me nervous, which didn’t help with the eating either. However, having a reason to stare at Levi would give me a little distraction.

  “The man who came to your house last night was a member of the Vagos. A dangerous gang out of Miami. Whatever they wanted from your sister, they won’t let it rest. You’re not safe there or anywhere else. Other than right here with me. At least until this is over and I can be sure it is done. When that day comes, I will help you navigate getting a place, somewhere you feel safe, make sure you have a job and any other needs. Even if you had someone out there you could go to right now, you would be in danger. Staying here for now is the only option.”

  I put the bacon back on my plate, untouched. “I can’t stay here. The other man, Huck, he doesn’t want me here. And if I’m in danger, then I could be putting everyone in this house in danger,” I said, wishing I didn’t sound like I was about to break down. Hearing that the nightmare I’d survived wasn’t over sent a rush of dread through me.

  Levi cocked his head to the side and gave me a smile that seemed to make the bad things fade even if only for that moment. “Sweetheart, no one can touch us here. We aren’t scared of the fucking Vagos. As for Huck, he had a change of heart. We’ve all agreed we want you here.”

  “But why are you helping me? I’m not your responsibility. And it’s a gang, Levi! A gang. Why aren’t you scared of them?”

  “We can handle a gang. As long as I have you with me, I can keep you safe from the bastards. I found you. I got you out of there and have kept you alive. You’re alone now, and I’m not a good guy, but I have some redeeming qualities. I can’t let you leave here. Not right now. I wouldn’t be able to fucking sleep at night. I need you to stay for my sanity.”

  I leaned back in the chair and let out a deep breath. I hadn’t expected this to be the talk we were going to have. The idea of being in danger was awful, but I couldn’t help the trepidation I felt at putting them in harm’s way.

  “What if I went to my gran’s house in Alabama? I could probably get my old job back. I can make a call today.”

  “No,” Levi interrupted me. “Not happening.”

  A door closed, and Levi turned his head toward the arched entrance of the kitchen. I followed his gaze. A man, covered in tattoos with facial piercings and rings on his fingers, walked in, and for one split second, I was gripped with terror, thinking the Vagos had found me.

  The man smiled then and held a small bag up. “Got the meds. Bart is coming with the other stuff,” the man said to Levi.

  Levi nodded his head in my direction, and the man set the bag beside me. I stared up at him, my heart rate calming now that I knew he wasn’t here to kill me.

  “Thanks,” I whispered.

  He grinned. “You’re welcome.”

  “Aspen, this is Six. He’s a friend of mine.”

  Six winked, then turned his attention back to Levi. “When you got a minute, I got things you’ll want to know.”

  Levi stood up. “Meet me in the office,” he told the man.

  When Six left the kitchen, Levi walked around the table and stopped beside me. “Take your medications. Eat some breakfast. I won’t be long,” he said.

  Although I felt like a simple thank you was inadequate, I didn’t know what else to say. “Thanks for getting my medication and everything else. You didn’t have to do any of this.”

  He took my chin between his forefinger and thumb, then ran his thumb just below my bottom lip. “Everything is gonna be okay.” Then, he dropped his hand and left the room.

  I stared after him. My world had been completely flipped upside down in less than twenty-four hours.

  Levi Shephard thought he wasn’t a good guy, but I was sure he was an angel. My guardian angel.

  Nine

  Levi

  Six sat down in a chair and lit a cigarette. “Her phone was destroyed. Smashed with something. There were holes in the walls, and it looked like they had thrown every damn picture hanging on the walls down. Kitty’s room was completely fucked up. Nothing left intact. Aspen’s room was in better shape, but it had been tossed. We were able to get most of her things. A few things had been destroyed though. Fuckers took all her goddamn panties. I called Nina and had her go buy some more and get them to Bart. Not sure they found what they were looking for. I’ve heard two stories. One, it was a weapon deal that had gone sour. The other was, the Vagos had some fucking drug they’d cooked up, and The Risers got their hands on the recipe. I don’t know which it is, but the drugs sound more believable.”

  Yeah, the drugs were more Vagos’ speed. Something like this wasn’t going to end soon. I needed to prepare for the fact that Aspen wasn’t leaving here for a while. Trinity liked her and was determined to keep her here. Maybe I could pass this taking care of her thing off to Trinity. She’d be better at it than me. I sure as fuck had no business taking care of an innocent, sheltered girl with a heart condition.

  I walked over and poured myself a drink, then lit my own cigarette. “This is a fucking mess,” I muttered.

  Six shrugged. “Could be worse. At least she’s a hot piece of ass. Damn, those tits.”

  “Six, shut the fuck up,” I warned him.

  “Sorry. I was just pointing it out.”

  “Yeah, I don’t need it pointed out. I have eyes.”

  He chuckled.

  Tossing back the whiskey, I sat, wondering how the hell this was going to work if my first reaction to a man mentioning her tits ignited my temper. He was right. She had fucking great tits. Just like the rest of her, they were perfect. I disagreed with him about one thing though. It didn’t make it better. It made it worse. What would be better was if she looked like Mother Teresa.

  The office door opened, and Gage walked inside.

  “So, you keeping her or what?” he asked as he walked over to get a drink.

  “Yeah, for now,” I replied.

  “You know, I don’t think she’s going to let you whip her ass with that leather belt of yours.”

  “Shut up.”

  My angry snarl only made him laugh. Bastard.

  “Don’t act like you don’t want to. She’s so young; she could call you Daddy, and it’d be believable.”

  “Gage, I swear to God, if you don’t shut the fuck up.”

  He leaned against the desk, smirking at me. “This is going to be fun.”

  I glared at him.

  He took a drink and looked at Six. “You got a look at her yet?”

  He nodded.

  “She’s even got his favorite hair color.”

  Six knew better than to join in with Gage. I might not be able to get Gage on the ground before his lightning-fast reflexes had his Glock at my head, but Six I could take.

  “Lighten up, Levi. She’s just a pretty little girl who needs someone to save her,” Gage drawled. “It’s the perfect scenario for your fucking kinks.”

  I stood up and headed for the door while Gage cackled with laughter. Stupid fucker needed to go back to his goddamn house. I wasn’t in the mood for his shit. What I hated more was, he was right. He knew me too damn well. Before Shiloh, we’d shared countless women, and he knew what I liked. But this wasn’t a sex game. This was real, and in real life, that shit came with strings I didn’t want.

  Aspen’s personal belongings had arrived, and I’d sent them to Gage’s old bedroom. The other option had been to send her to the third floor, but it scared me for her to be that far away. What if she had some heart issue and needed someone? Trinity was in the basement at night. So, Aspen would be across the hall from me. Which made this feel even more like I was in charge of her. I couldn’t let this fuck with my head.

  I had stayed away from her most of the morning, trying to make sure everything was taken care of for her. Huck had handled getting Kitty’s—Irish’s body from the morgue. I was going to have to discuss what Aspen wanted done with her sister next, and I fucking hated the idea of doing it. She was going to be upset and probably cry. I hated it when she cried. I wasn’t good with that. It was something out of my control, and I fucking despised that feeling.

  Trinity had taken Aspen out to the pool while I dealt with getting a cardiologist set up to come here and meet with me about her condition, having Irish’s place cleaned and her things packed and stored, then taking care of financials and bills she had left behind.

  When I stepped out onto the back patio, my gaze swung to Aspen and Trinity sitting under an umbrella table with glasses of lemonade. Aspen’s shoulders weren’t tense, like they had been earlier, and she appeared more relaxed. I had Trinity to thank for that. Proof she was better at this than me.

  As if she could sense my presence, Aspen turned her head, and her eyes locked on me before a smile touched her face. The last time I had seen her smile was three weeks ago. It was a fucking relief to see her doing so now. Talking about what she wanted to do with her sister’s body would wipe that beautiful smile right off, and that was the absolute last thing I wanted to do, but Huck was waiting on her decision so he could move forward.

  “I hate to break this up, but Aspen’s things have arrived, and I’ve got some things to discuss with her,” I told them.

  Trinity reached over and squeezed Aspen’s hand. I was sure Huck had already texted her and she knew exactly what I had to speak with Aspen about. Still wearing my sweats that hung low on her hips even though they were tied as tightly as they would go and my T-shirt that she’d knotted up at her back, showing a little sliver of skin at her waist and the top of her exposed hips, she stood up. Her tits swayed slightly under the navy cotton shirt, giving away the fact that she didn’t have a bra on. I needed her to get one of those out of her bags and put it on. I didn’t like the idea of the other guys seeing her tits. Especially fucking Kye. Aspen’s tits were just like he liked them—big and natural. On her small frame, they appeared even larger.

  Tearing my gaze off her chest and back to her face, I waited on her to reach me. “You can get changed into some of your clothing first if you want,” I told her.

  “Okay,” she replied, blushing, as if she knew I’d been checking out her tits.

  Dammit. She didn’t need to know I was looking at her tits. This thing was platonic. My dick just needed to understand that. She would be horrified if she knew the dirty shit I would do to her.

  I placed my hand on her lower back and led her back inside the house. Thankfully, no one was in the kitchen as we passed through, and I got her back upstairs and to Gage’s old room without Kye showing up.

  “This is going to be your room,” I told her. “All your items should be in the boxes.”

  She looked around at the large room, similar to my own, and then the pile of boxes, a few duffel bags with a matching flowery pattern, and one pink suitcase. Her shoulders rose and fell with a deep sigh. This conversation wasn’t going to make it easier on her either.

  “We need to talk about Irish’s funeral details. It will be private with armed guards, for obvious reasons. I want you to be free to mourn your sister in safety and peace,” I began, and her eyes started to fill with tears. Dammit, I hated this. “I need to know if you want her buried in a casket or if you want her cremated.”

  Aspen covered her face with both her hands, and a small sob shook her shoulders. Shit, I should have kept Trinity with me for this. I reached for her and held her against my chest. I’d known this was going to be hard on her, but knowing it and seeing it were two different things. She moved her hands from her face and buried her face against my chest as her hands fisted my shirt.

  I worried that her crying like this was bad for her heart. I needed the fucking cardiologist here to tell me exactly what I should be careful about. How to keep her safe. If putting this kind of shit on her was bad for her health, I needed to know.

  She turned her head, pressing her cheek against my chest. “She wanted to be cremated. She always said that she was too claustrophobic to handle being buried underground.” She paused, and a sad laugh escaped her. “I would tease her about the fact that she would be dead and therefore not know she was underground. She’d threaten to come haunt me if I buried her, but that was just teasing because we both knew—or always thought—that it would be me—” She stopped before finishing that sentence.

  A sledge hammer might as well have been slammed against my chest. Holy hell. I closed my eyes, trying to calm down. The fact that she was going to say that they always knew it would be Aspen who died first because of her heart hit me in a way I hadn’t expected. The cardiologist was coming today. I had to get answers.

  “We’ll get her cremated, then plan a ceremony here since there will be no need for a burial. It’ll be safer that way.”

  She nodded against my chest.

  “I’m handling Irish’s things. They will all be stored for you when you’re ready to go through them. Her car is being brought here, outstanding bills have been paid, her lease has been closed, and the money she had in the bank is being transferred to a savings account in your name. I don’t want you to worry about anything.”

  Another sob shook her body, and I tightened my hold on her. I had never felt so fucking helpless in my life. I couldn’t fix this, and I was saying the wrong damn things. I hadn’t meant to make her cry. I had been trying to ease her mind.

  “Thank you,” she choked out.

  “You’re welcome,” I told her, afraid I’d say the wrong thing if I said more.

  She sniffled, then let my shirt go as she stepped back from me. Her wet lashes were spiky as she stared up at me. “I’ll go through my stuff and get changed. Do I keep them in boxes? Or am I supposed to put them somewhere?”

  “The room is yours. Closet, dresser—it’s all empty. Unpack, rest, do what you feel like doing. Don’t push yourself. No one expects anything from you. We just want you to be safe and comfortable.”

  She wiped at her tears and nodded. “Okay,” she whispered.

  “I’m going to be downstairs in the office. I have business to handle, but if you need me, come get me.” I paused, realizing I was doing it again. Making her my responsibility. “Or Trinity. You can always get her if you need something.”

  Another nod.

  Turning, I left her in the room, closing the door behind me.

  Kye was in the hallway, waiting on me. He saw my face and winced. “She’s not doing so good, huh?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Poor kid,” he muttered.

  I was going to let him continue to think of her as a kid. Maybe he’d get that in his head before he actually laid eyes on her. The one night he had seen her, it was dark; he’d been too far away, and I’d blocked his view. I had referred to her as young and left it at that.

  “Yeah,” I agreed and headed for the stairs. “Poor kid.”

  Ten

  Aspen

  Unpacking my things took me most of the afternoon. Trinity brought me up a chicken salad sandwich and grapes for lunch. She sat and talked with me for a few minutes before leaving me to finish my task. Being alone helped. I hadn’t been given time to process everything. It had all happened so quickly.

  Once I finished and broke down all the boxes to take downstairs, I was tired, so I lay down. When my eyes opened again, the sun was low in the sky, and I knew I had been asleep for a couple of hours. I hoped no one had needed me or come to the door and thought I was ignoring them. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep.

  Standing, I picked up the T-shirt and sweatpants that belonged to Levi. I needed to return them to him. Although the shirt smelled like him, and I was reluctant to let it go. I liked having something that smelled like him.

  Opening the door, I stepped out into the hallway, seeing Levi’s door was open. I peeked inside, but he wasn’t there. I quickly placed the items on his bed, then left his room to go back to mine and get the boxes.

  When I reached the stairs, I heard voices somewhere in the house. The door at the bottom of the stairs to the right opened, startling me. I dropped two of the flat boxes, and they tumbled the rest of the way down.

  “Shit, I’ll get those. You don’t have to carry them,” an unfamiliar male voice said.

  I looked over the top of the stack of boxes still in my hands to see a blond guy I’d not seen before coming toward me.

  “Here, give those to me.” He took the load in my hands away and then gave me a crooked grin.

  My eyes went to the tattoos on his arms, and there was even one on his hand.

  When my gaze lifted to meet his eyes, I noticed he wasn’t looking at my face, but rather scanning my body. It made me feel self-conscious, and I wrapped my arms around my waist.

  His eyes darted back to my face. “So, you’re Aspen?” he asked.