Page 161 of Back in the Saddle

“We should do a rotation of Raye and Cap’s slot, because it sucks,” I noted.

“Yeah. That’s the worst one,” Harlow agreed.

“Aw, you guys are sweet,” Raye said.

“Why am I with Knox?” Luna demanded.

We all looked at her, though Daisy did it with a mini tinkly bell laugh.

“Why not Knox?” Raye asked, and she did this suspiciously.

“Why not Liam? Or Gabe?” Luna retorted, I will note, without allaying Raye’s suspicions.

“Because Liam is managing the surveillance room since they haven’t found someone to do that,” Raye explained. “And because Gabe is Stella’s officially unofficial detail.”

“Roam then,” Luna kept at it.

“Roam needs to find a house to live in,” Raye retorted. “And get his legs under him here in Phoenix. He’s only been here days. The others have been here months.”

“Then why can’t I have Brady?” Luna didn’t let it go.

“Do youwantBrady?” Harlow asked leadingly.

Another mini trill from Daisy.

“No, I don’twantBrady,” Luna returned weirdly heatedly.

“Let’s go back to why you don’t want Knox,” Raye stated.

“I just don’t, okay?” Luna didn’t quite answer.

“Are you keeping something from us?” Raye demanded.

I stared in surprise as pink hit Luna’s cheeks (she wasn’t one to blush) before she narrowed her eyes on Raye and totally lied, “No.”

Now we were all staring at her.

“If I was fifteen years younger and my Marcus didn’t exist in this universe or any other, I’d want Knox,” Daisy said under her breath to Stella.

“Don’t tell Kai, or he’ll pull him from my detail, but I’d pick Gabe. He’s got those Luke vibes going on,” Stella replied.

“It’s in the blood,” Daisy noted.

“It sure is,” Stella responded. “Who would have guessed there was more Stark goodness floating out there? You’d think we’d sense it simply because we have uteruses.”

Another update: Gabe was the second cousin to one of the OG Hot Bunch, Luke Stark. I’d met Luke at the funeral too. And there was more than a mere family resemblance. In a number of ways.

“Luke do it for you?” Daisy asked Stella in surprise.

“The question should be, which one doesn’t?” Stella answered. “And the answer is, none. Though, the caveat is the same, with Kai not existing in this universe or any other.”

“I hear you, sister,” Daisy mumbled.

“We should get back to work,” Luna decreed.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook on this,” Raye called to her back as she left the bar.

Luna ignored her and kept motoring.

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