Page 27 of Queen of Diamonds

Perfect.

Glade might have killed me.

She might have a bit of a kitty headache, but it was nothing compared to what would happen if the Brotherhood found her in Glade’s apartment.

I didn’t put cat cruelty past Ace at all.

I went back to her room to grab her gym bag and stuff it full of clothes—who knew how long she’d be staying, then I scooped Lucy back up in my arms and made for the sliding door.

I’d never had a pet, but she was kind of cute: caramel coloured, with an obscene amount of fluff, and a big bushy tail. And she was kind of big for a cat. That was a good thing. If I did have one, I preferred a pet big enough to hug.

Good call from Glade, really. Lucy would be a perfect addition to our family.

I know Zed and Knight were furious about what we’d just got tangled in, but I wasn’t. Our pack was tied to the Brotherhood. Couldn’t help it. The question wasn’t if Ace would come for us, it was when.

Zed might deny it, Knight might tell me not to waste my time worrying about shit that I wasn’t sure about, but that was the thing.

I was sure.

Knight cared all too much about me, but there were parts even he couldn’t reach. Parts that knew Ace would never truly leave Zed behind because Ace and I, we weren’t that different.

Two sides of the same coin. Same people, different paths.

I supposed I did have Knight to thank for that. Without him, I’d have never packed up. Without him, I might be as lonely as Ace.

Re-adjusting Lucy in my arm and readying my gun in my other, I hurried up the steps toward the new spot we’d parked, still grinning stupidly and trying to stay alert for watching eyes.

Come to think of it, I’d be even less lonely now and even further from Ace, because I had my girl back.

10

GLADE

“Acat?” Zed was absolutely livid. “You almost got Kyan killed for a fucking cat?”

I could barely hear him as lights from Vegas streets flashed in the window. “Why isn’t she moving?”

“She’s fine.” Kyan sounded defensive. He scratched her head and I heard a low purr rumble to life.

Oh, thank God.

“This isn’t a fucking joke,” Zed snarled.

“We scared them off.” Kyan sounded unperturbed as he drew Lucy closer, examining her carefully. “Was a cinch.”

“Kyan—oh for fuck’s sake. You can’t—” Zed tried to snatch Lucy from Kyan’s arms, but Kyan growled, drawing his jaw along her fur. His lightning storm scent filled the car like a scent bomb—to me, anyway. I knew that to everyone that wasn’t me, Kyan smelled like autumn persimmon. That was just how it had always been.

“Did you just scent-mark a cat?” Knight demanded as Kyan drew her close enough that Zed couldn’t wrangle her away.

“Don’t hurt her!” I snapped.

“She’s gonna love me.”

“You knocked her out,” I hissed. “She won’t.”

“You’ll eat those words.”

“Stop talking to her,” Knight growled from the front, levelling a death glare through the rear view at me.

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