Love and War: Part Two (Shadows in the Dark Book 2)

A knock at the door signifies Chevy has arrived. I should have known it wouldn’t take him long to get here. I’m starting to wonder if he ever goes home. He’s the first one at the office and the last to leave, aside from me. He’s always out in the field. At night he’s at his club. He never speaks of home, if he speaks at all. He prefers to watch more than anything. I never see him with girls. He seems almost tortured at the mention of one.

“Lux, I’m about to head out,” I shout as I pick up the small bag full of gear, opening the door. Chevy is standing on the other side, dressed in all dark clothing, his face even dusted in black. “You ready to do this? We’ve had no prep time. This isn’t like our normal jobs.”

“As ready as I am to hold a gun for a purpose. I’ve been to war. I know how to fight.”

I nod, taking a step out the door. “Wait.” Lux comes walking through the house fully dressed in tight, black clothes, riding boots on her feet, and her hair braided down the back. If I didn’t have something important to do, I’d go back in there and strip her down.

“Where are you going?”

“With you.”

“No, you’re not. You’re going to stay here.”

Her hands go to her hips, challenging me. “I wasn’t aware I had to follow orders from you.”

I glance at Chevy, before turning away from the knowing gleam in his eyes. I wish the fucker would find someone already so I can wipe that smirk off his face. “Lux, this isn’t like in the movies. You don’t just swoop in and grab the girl from the villains. These people are dangerous. They’re crime lords. This isn’t the kind of people I normally go after. Kross and I have an understanding. We do some of the same crimes, but we come from two different underworlds. I won’t be able to concentrate if I’m having to watch you.”

“Kaston, I wasn’t asking. She’s my best friend. She’s been more of a sister to me than what I’d consider blood. She’s carrying my niece. There isn’t a dark time I was in that she wasn’t there for me. I’m going. End of discussion. Give me a gun and I’ll follow your lead. I killed someone once. When it comes to family, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“I don’t want my future wife there. Look at you. You’re bang bait. No. You need to let us handle this.”

“Like he handled keeping her safe? You promised me I wouldn’t have to worry about her when I told you how she felt about him. You said he’d protect her, just like you’d protect me. She’s not like us. Don’t let her sass fool you. Delta is . . . fragile.”

“And I meant it. He’s the most capable person I know. And honestly, probably more so than me. He doesn’t have his emotions standing in his way.” I take a deep breath. “I need you to stay.”

“No.”

“Kaston, we need to go,” Chevy interrupts.

“Fuck,” I whisper. “This is going to piss him off.”

“I’m not scared of Kross.”

I reach in the table drawer by the door and extend the handgun toward her. “You should be,” I say. “Don’t get cocky just because I pulled you out of his way once. He’s a lot scarier than he looks. If he were faced with the devil himself, I’d bet on Kross.”

She takes the gun. “Holster it,” I demand. “I swear to God, if you don’t follow my orders, you’ll regret it when I get you home. I may love you, but I’m still your man. At the end of the day, there can only be one alpha, and it will always be me. Let’s ride.”

And just like I’d expect, she storms out the door, brushing past Chevy toward the farthest end of the garage. I hope this doesn’t get messy. My dad hasn’t spent my entire life teaching me how to be invisible for me to fuck up now.

Lux

I stare out the back window of Chevy’s SUV as we pull into the driveway, coming to a stop in front of the garage. My mind is racing a million miles a minute, wondering what in the hell they’re doing to her. The thoughts bring back the memories, and the memories bring back the emotions of being someone’s puppet. And once again, an innocent baby is stuck in the middle.

Men don’t understand what it’s like to be a female. We’re always deemed the weaker party; expected to keep quiet and be obedient. When someone is used for blackmail it’s always us. Our bodies are the ones that get put on display for sick pleasure and abused as if it’s only an object. I’ve spent years training myself to be anything but those things after everything I went through.

My obedience is what got me pregnant. My silence, in my eyes, is what put my daughter in the ground. My body was used to pay a debt, over and over. I will never be silent again. I will never obey when there is something at stake.

She is my best friend. I will not play it safe when she’s in trouble. I will not sit at home as if it’s a typical Friday night while she’s out there somewhere, probably experiencing something horrible at the hands of a man. I will lay everything down to try to bring her home, even if it’s my own life. That’s what you do for family. You sacrifice. You protect them. You seek vengeance on those that harm them. That baby means the most of all. She has no way to protect herself. She relies on us. I will not bury another baby.

Kross walks out the front door carrying one large bag strapped to his back and one in each hand. They must be heavy the way his tattooed neck muscles are strained underneath the light of a full moon. He’s wearing dark jeans and a black, long sleeve thermal, a knife strapped to his upper arm and weapons attached to his belt. Jeez, I wonder what he has hidden if all of that is in plain sight.

I can’t read his expression like I can most people. It’s completely void. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the man crack a smile except for that brief encounter all those months ago when we walked in his tattoo shop. I can’t tell if he’s angry, if he’s worried, or if he’s sad. That’s what worries me most of all. I want to know the loss of her is enough to destroy him. That’s the kind of love she deserves more than anything.

He walks to the rear of the SUV and opens the back, putting the bags inside. I turn around when the overhead light comes on. His eyes fall on me almost immediately, before he looks at Kaston in the front seat, disregarding me completely. “What’s she doing here? Have you lost your goddamned mind?”

“Just leave it alone. It’s her best friend. The argument is dead in the water.”

“Yeah, well, she’s your problem if shit goes south. You’re crossing a very distinct line. You’re exposing someone important to you to people that look for something to use against you. My focus is on one. The rest of you know how to take care of yourself. She’s going to be in the way.”

“Fuck you, Kross. In case you missed it, I’m right here. You have something to say about me you can say it to me, not to my fiancé. I’m a big girl. I made the decision to come on my own. You got her into this shit and we’re helping you. Stop being a fucking asshole. She’s no less important to me than she is you. If anything, she’s more. Accept that you have to share her and move on.”

“Watch your back,” he says, and with no other response he shuts the back and walks around to the other side.

Kaston turns around, cutting his eyes at me for backtalking, pissed as all hell. “What?” I whisper-shout. “I don’t like being talked over.”

I shut up when Kross opens the back door, getting into the vehicle. Before the overhead light fades out from him shutting the door, I notice something pink gripped in his fist, laid over his thigh. It’s so dainty and obvious against the dark ink covering the back of his hand, and so small compared to his large size. I think back to all the stuff we bought for Emery yesterday. It was a lot of clothes because she was finally buying some things, so we went a little crazy since she had nothing prior. I finally remember the small, long sleeve newborn onesie that said ‘Daddy’s girl’.

It was part of a five-piece set, so if he’s holding that then he’s gone through the bags. A man that does not care doesn’t go through shopping bags. A man that does not care doesn’t risk everything to go after her. He cuts his losses. I welcome the relief amongst the worry. Maybe I was a bitch. So, even though I hate apologies, “I’m sorry, Kross. I didn’t mean—”

“When she’s back . . .” he interrupts, looking out of his window. “When they’re back, I need you to help her with the baby’s room. I’ll give you the fucking money since she’s stubborn. Get whatever she needs. All I saw in there were clothes. I may not know shit about babies, but I’m smart enough to know they need more than that.”

I smile in the dark, realizing that he didn’t say ‘if’ but ‘when’ and that choice of wording makes all the difference in the world. Chevy backs up and pulls out into the drive. “Okay, Kross. I can do that.”

Shopping . . . I can definitely do that.