Page 32 of Serendipity

I saw the flash of jealousy on Solomon’s face before he shut it down.

Trigger slapped Cain on the back. “Way to go man. Does she taste as good as she looks?”

Every set of eyes in the room drilled into his skull, each look promising pain, even mine. Hell, even Goliath’s. I took back what I said about him being smart. If he said something stupid like that again, I’d rip his tongue out.

Trigger held up his hands. “Woah, woah. Kidding. I have no interest in your girl, I promise. I also have no interest in whatever thing you guys have going on with her. I might just go out and see what Shots needs for inventory right now.”

He fucking hightailed it out of the room like he was one second away from getting Goliath’s boot up his ass.

Cain slammed his hands down on the table, his shoulders rippling with tension. “We need to talk about this shit. Yes, I went down on Sera. Yes, I fully intend on fucking her whenever and wherever she wants it.” I watched the anger flow out of him. “She’s not just a fuck. She’s something more. I

can’t explain it.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “I want to know what happened last night. I found her crying next to the back fucking door.”

Every single eye turned toward me, and I knew how Trigger felt a moment ago. “I didn’t hurt her!”

Cain and Solomon looked like they wanted to draw and quarter my ass on their Harleys. Goliath let out a scary ass grunt that could have been anything from outrage to a lament that I didn’t actually hurt her. Could never know with that fucker. He did save her last night though. He hadn’t asked for his shirt back. Goliath’s fucked up feelings were a problem for another day. “I kissed her. Then I felt guilty because I enjoyed it. Laura and Max are dead in the ground, and I was dying to kiss another woman.”

Solomon’s face softened in a way that made me want to slit his fucking throat, but Cain still looked hard and unforgiving. “Why would that make her cry?”

I shrugged, but I knew why. I wiped her kiss off my mouth like she disgusted me. But it wasn’t her kiss that repulsed me. I disgusted myself. Then I stormed off like a fucking teenager. Sighing, I slumped down in the chair.

“We need to talk about this,” Sol repeated softly. He was right, but I was scared. Fucking terrified. I couldn’t tell him that though.

“Not fucking now, Sol.”

Cain slammed his fist down on the table, making it creak in protest. “Yes, fucking now. Laura is dead, Judas. The men who loved her are all dead too. We aren’t those men anymore. We are the fucking Horsemen.” He swallowed hard. “I loved Laura so much that when she died, I didn’t think I could possibly love another woman again. I felt like my heart had broken into a billion damn pieces and I’d never find them all to put it back together. Hell, I never even looked. I was happy to bury it down there with her.” He took a deep breath. “But Sera, man. It’s like she was made for us. It’s fucking kismet. A half-blood angel wanders the earth for thousands of years and then magically ends up in the hands of the Four Horsemen of the goddamn Apocalypse?” He scoffs. “If she had any idea what the hell we are, I’d be suspicious. But she is just sad and scared and she needs us. All of us.”

I shook my head, and Sol frowned. “Do you think we loved Laura any less than you? Any less than Goliath? Laura was my fucking universe. My best friend. The best thing that had ever happened to me in my shit fucking life. She would absolutely hate the way you two have closed yourself off. She would abhor that you made Dippy cry. She would have kicked your ass repeatedly for how you treat women, G. You need to give yourselves a chance. If not with Serendipity, then with someone else.

Because you don’t get to be fucking assholes while Cain and I do what Laura would have wanted and find love again!”

Cain raised an eyebrow at Sol. “Love?”

A slight red tinge lit Solomon’s cheeks. He was fucking blushing. “You know what I mean. Don’t be an asshole.” He straightened his shoulders. “I love you guys. You are my Brothers. My best friends. I have your back ‘til the literal End Of Days. But I want Dippy, if she will have me. I want to see where that goes. Eternity is a long time to be alone.”

With that, Solomon turned and left, closing the door softly behind him.

We all stared at the door for a heartbeat. Then Goliath marched over to it, wrenched it open so hard the doorknob came off in his hands, and stormed away.

Cain sat down heavily opposite me, the table between us. I leaned back and pulled a bottle of Hennesy from the wet bar in the corner of the room. I poured us both a generous splash of booze and slid him the eightball glass.

“As soon as you brought her into my office for the first time, I knew she was going to be trouble

for us. That she was going to fucking change everything.”

Cain took a sip of his cognac. “Maybe things needed to be changed.”

I nodded, downing my drink and repouring another. “Maybe you’re right. But I’m fucking scared, Cain. So fucking terrified we won’t be enough to protect her and she’ll die and it’ll be that pain all over again. I can’t do that a second time.”

He nodded, but he was silent. He wasn’t going to lie to me. There was a chance we wouldn’t be enough again. We were better now. More equipped to protect what was ours. But the enemy that wanted to take her was far worse than anything we had ever faced.

I looked at Cain, trying to decipher why he was so damn calm. As if he could read my thoughts, he clinked his glass to mine. “I’m scared too. But she’s worth the risk.”

He downed his drink, and walked out of the room, leaving me alone with my what-ifs and guilt.

15

GOLIATH

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