“Oh, we won’t need any help,” Maverick says almost wistfully.
“I’m coming with you,” Indi speaks up, and I see Ellis standing beside her.
Lincoln shakes his head. “You stay here, I’ve got her now. She’s safe.” His menacing growl is enough for Ellis to place a protective hand on Indi’s waist and pull her against him.
She looks at me and nods. “You better have her, I’m not afraid of you, Lincoln Saint.” Just then, Ryker joins her and his twin, looking just as protective as Ellis does.
He chuckles, his chest shaking where he holds me. “I don’t think you are, and that makes you either very brave or very stupid. Thanks for the call, Ellis. We’ll be seeing you both soon.”
He starts to move, and my eyes flutter closed.
The next time they open, he’s belting me into his car, being more gentle with me than he’s possibly ever been. “Sleep, V. I got you.”
* * *
Linc pulls me from the car and against his chest. I’m not sure what Raleigh drugged me with, but I’m starting to get control of my extremities back, and my brain doesn’t feel quite as foggy as it did before. “I can walk,” I murmur, but Lincoln holds me tighter.
“I’m sure you can, but I already told you I’ve got you.”
“What the fuck happened?” East’s voice reaches us, and Lincoln sighs. He gives him a brief rundown of the night’s events, but that only seems to piss him off more. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“You weren’t with us. Would you have preferred we left her to be raped because we were busy getting you instead?” Lincoln argues, and a shiver runs down my spine.
“Let me down, please?” I ask him quietly, but his arms tighten around me. I place a hand on his cheek and bring his gaze back down to me. “Please?”
He watches me intently, but I see the moment in his eyes that he relents before nodding. He lets me down, catching me as I stumble while struggling to find my footing. “Thank you.”
Ireallyneed to fucking shower.
I walk toward the front door slowly but pause when I see it.
A note on the doorstep.
I brace myself on the door to pick up the note, my heart racing as I do. I pull the black card from the envelope and my heart fucking stops.
You’re out of time, Miss Royal.
We’re coming for you.
Ready or not.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lincoln
Then
“What the fuck do you mean she’s coming home?” Fear runs down my spine unlike any I’ve ever known.
She was supposed to be safe. That was the deal he made. Lose one, keep one. No matter how hard the decision was.
“Her dad’s dead.” Finley’s words pack a punch, practically sitting me on my ass.
“How?” This can’t be right. We did everything right.
“Suicide, apparently,” Maverick grunts as he hits the punching bag in the corner of the room.
East drops onto the sofa and throws back his glass of whiskey. “You really think Stone Royal would commit suicide?”