His eyes narrowed on his brother. “That’s my fuckin’ woman,” he hissed. “You got something more to say about her?” It was a challenge, a dare for him to keep talking about the perfect fucking being Gage had somehow managed to clutch in his scarred and bloodstained hands. He was willing to kill for her in a heartbeat.
His loyalty to his brothers wasn’t even important if someone, even fucking Asher, tried to come for her.
Asher held up his hands in surrender. He’d seen that reaction before. All the brothers had. Just not usually directed at someone wearing a Sons of Templar patch.
“No, brother. Not anything bad, that’s for sure… which is kind of the point. I don’t think it would be humanly possible to say anything bad about her. Which is why I’m confused as all hell. She’s not crazy. And she’s yours, that’s fuckin’ easy to see.” He paused, looking at the door. “And fuck, you’re hers too. Blind man could see it. But fuck, I just imagined you with some crazy badass chick who blew up kittens or something.”
Brock chuckled.
Even Cade smirked.
Gage did not. Because Asher had hit some form of truth without knowing it, and something tugged at the corner of Gage’s mind.
“Get with the program,” Lucky interrupted Gage’s thoughts on stabbing Asher. “This fucker would never find a woman to out-crazy him. If he did, it would not end well. Only so much depravity can exist within an enclosed space, you know? And Gage has Amber and the greater Southern California area covered. Even fucked-up crazy motherfuckers like Gage need something to keep them a little sane. Like their constant, you know? Like a lighthouse. She’s his lighthouse.”
The entire room looked at Lucky. Gaped at him.
As did Gage. Because the motherfucker was right. Lauren was his fucking lighthouse.
“All right, I’m callin’ Nicholas Sparks and tellin’ him he’s outta the job, because you’re gonna be killing the romance world if you keep talkin’ about fucking lighthouses,” Brock said.
But he stopped talking about lighthouses.
Because Amy burst into the room, and the look on her face had every single man standing and drawing their pieces.
“You don’t need them,” she said, eyes on the guns, her voice quiet, shaking. “But Gage….”
She didn’t finish speaking before Gage sprinted past her and into the silent living room.
As silent as a fucking tomb.
Which it was.
Since in the middle of it, Lily was doing CPR on Lauren’s fucking prone body.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything, sir, since you’re not family.”
Gage’s fists tightened beside him and his skin crawled with the need for a fix. The need for blood. Violence. His mind craved something, anything to take the edge off.
“I’m afraid I’m gonna have to rip one of your fuckin’ arms off if you don’t tell me exactly what I need to know in the next thirty seconds,” Gage bit out, voice even, words a promise.
He wouldn’t fuckin’ hesitate to put the doctor through the glass doors directly in front of them. The only thing giving him pause, keeping the little fuck alive, was the possible fact that Lauren might need the doctor.
The fuck in the white coat paled and tried to step back, eyes darting around for the security they’d taken care of on arrival. They’d done this shit before. Too many fucking times.
“Not so fast, Doc,” Brock said, grinning as he stood behind the doctor, hindering his escape. His grin was more a baring of teeth, the rest of his brothers taut and wired, Gage expected out of concern for another woman wrapped up in this shit. A woman his wife had become close with, and the fucker would rip the stars from the sky if they were just a smidge too bright for Amy. So he was about to do anything he could to make sure she wouldn’t be burying her new friend.
That they wouldn’t be burying Gage’s woman.
His insides coiled and shredded with the mere thought of that. The paralyzing terror that came with the thought of having to stand while another precious thing in his world—the last he’d ever had—was covered with dirt.
No, it was simple. He wouldn’t be standing if that happened.
He’d be burying the person responsible.
He’d be covered in their blood and pain.
Then he’d plunge a needle into his vein, pump so much junk into his blood that it wrenched him down into the grave.
He wouldn’t survive losing her.
That much was certain.
Which was the rest of the reason that Brock wasn’t letting the doctor go anywhere. Why both Bull and Cade flanked Gage, Ranger and Lucky close by. Because every single brother knew what Gage was capable of. Knew how unhinged he was in the best of circumstances.
This was not the best of circumstances. This was the worst of them.
So they knew Gage might very well burn this fucking building to the ground if shit went any further south.