Page 126 of Full Throttle

We were sitting on the seats that lined the wall of the plane, the three of us in front of the Dark Horse while Mina and Dontell were sitting across from us, the Fairlady in front of them. Xander, Collin, and Grayson lingered up by the cockpit, the three of them standing in a small circle, talking in low tones. Nik stirred beside me, and I wrapped my arm around her. Leon waited until she was settled, falling back into slumber, before answering me.

“Jer told me Grayson served with one of Denver’s cowboys in the Marines,” he explained.

Memories tugged at me. “Mags,” I said instantly.

Lee sat up, his spine straightening before he gave me a single nod. “Yeah, him. Why?” he asked, his eyes scanning my face.

I looked back to Grayson for a moment. “Mags watched me like a fucking hawk when we transferred that shit to Hallow Ranch back in the fall,” I explained.

Lee’s brow furrowed. “You get a bad vibe from him?”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “But I’m getting the same vibe from Grayson. That’s why I was pressing you and D about it earlier.”

He nodded in understanding, then looked over to the bounty hunter. “Look, if Jer trusts him and Collin trusts him, that’s got to mean something. After everything those guys went through together, I trust their judgment.”

I sighed quietly. “Yeah.”

“But we’ll keep him at arm’s length, yeah?”

I agreed, and we both got quiet once more, the plane engines humming around us.

“Is Amara going to be okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, she’s got people watching over her. Pretty sure Dom appointed himself as her chauffeur while we’re gone,” he told me, a soft smile on his lips. “To be completely honest, I didn’t think I’d be here.”

I stiffened. “What do you mean?”

He rolled his neck, his head against the wall of the plane. “The way Mina and I were brought up, surrounded by darkness and the bullshit our father brought down on us…I didn’t think I’d see thirty, much less thirty-five.”

“I hear you,” I muttered, understanding exactly where he was coming from.

“Didn’t think someone like Amara was in the cards for me.”

My eyes dropped to Nik, her head on my shoulder, her lips parted as little soft snores left her. “I don’t deserve Nik,” I told him. When I looked back to him, his face was twisted in disbelief.

“Cain, out of every man here, you deserve a woman like her the most.”

I blinked.

He wasn’t done.

“You’ve spent your entire life surviving and protecting. You sacrificed years to save your brother. You’re always putting everyone first, brother. So yes, you do deserve her. She was made for you.”

His words rocked me.

I stared at his profile as he stared straight ahead, his jaw jumping. “I know I don’t deserve Amara, but she’s mine.” His eyes met mine, and I could see the darkness swirling within the gold rings. “I’m not letting her go. She wasn’t in the cards for me, but I took her anyways.” He looked straight ahead again. “Loved her from the moment she told me her fucking name.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement and followed Leon’s eyes to find Dontell rising from his seat. He turned around, bending down, his arms moving. I saw a glimpse of a blanket, and I knew he was covering up Mina. When he was done, he walked between the cars, heading to us. He leaned against the back of BMW parked in front of the Dark Horse. He folded his arms over his chest and crossed his ankles, his face serious.

“Need you boys to know,” he began, his tone dark. “If shit goes south, I’m going to handle it.”

My blood ran cold as I felt Lee stiffen beside me. “The fuck?” he whispered.

Dontell’s eyes held Lee’s for a few moments. “Jer knows.”

I bit off a curse and ran my free hand through my hair. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I hissed.

D’s eyes met mine. “For once, I’m not joking.”

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