Page 22 of Savage Lust

When she talked about them, everyone seemed so normal, and I felt more like I wasn’t an outcast.

“You’re wrong though,” I said as I rolled up on an elbow. “I can’t see you ever being a bitch.”

“Not to you, not yet.” She winked and swatted at my knee. “Now, let’s go find these two assholes and see what we are doing today.”

nine

Riley

Turns out we spent the day looking through Archer’s stuff, like we did every day for the next week. I learned I enjoyed Merc and Dylan. She was easy to be around, and he had a gruff charm that was growing on me.

Cam was in and out. Mostly, he stayed away from me. It’s like he’d sent the Merrick siblings to keep an eye out so he didn’t have to. I was okay with that. The space made it possible for me to breathe, to process the lies my mom had constructed about Archer, and compare them to what I was learning each day. About the Desert Kings. About him. About this life.

By Saturday, Merc and Cam had moved to the garage, meticulously going through every toolbox, like they were searching for some sign of how to move on with the Kings without him.

The lawyer had put off reading the will, per the request of investigators. I found that odd, but I’d have to wait until we werealone and ask Cam. Which didn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon.

Dylan and I went through closets, finding countless pictures, boxes of mementos, and a literal arsenal.

“What are we looking for?” I asked her from Archer’s bedroom.

On the bed, we’d laid out at least a dozen guns. Ammunition piled up on the floor. Nervously, I’d made sure all of them were pointed away from me—just in case.

Dylan seemed to ignore the question, standing and surveying the weapons. “What in the actual fuck?”

“Jester said your brother prepares for zombies.” I laughed to myself as I thought about how earnest his face had been when he’d tried to sell me that line. “Maybe Archer was too.”

“I mean, you could mow down dozens of them with this thing.” She picked up an automatic rifle I doubted was even legal, then put it back with a weird look on her face. “I’d rather hit someone. Seems more satisfying.”

I could see it. Dylan was curvy and feminine, but I had little doubt she could kick some ass if need be.

“It’s fucking Christmas.” Merc whistled low and walked into the room, Cam on his heel with two large duffle bags.

Merc went right for the rifle his sister had just held, pointed it at the ground, and unloaded it with several quick, well-practiced hand motions. “Cam, brother—”

“There are more.” Cam tossed the bags on the bed and picked up several boxes of ammo and shoved them in.

He glanced up at me with a sexy half grin. “The other night, I thought I was a dead man when I heard you in here. Figured someone had found Archer’s stash. Scared the shit out of me.”

“I’m betting I was more afraid than you.” I stepped toward the door, making room for the boys and their toys. There werefour long guns, a shorter barreled shotgun, and almost a dozen pistols. I had a hard time imagining the need for that many.

Merc took apart and unloaded the rifles before stashing them in the other bag.

“Nobody in this room is going to hurt you, darlin.” Cam watched me across the bed, a box of bullets in his hand. “But it goes without saying, for all of us—nobody ever hears about this.”

“I got you.” Merc nodded and went back to work.

“Leave the thirty-eight, that chrome forty-five, and a rifle.” He spoke first to Merc, but his eyes never left mine. “We good?”

Asking me to keep his secrets required a massive amount of trust. I was proud he put that much in me. But the resounding drum beat in my head reminded me that this was a world I didn’t belong in. My mouth opened and a single word came out. “Absolutely.”

“You think it’s that bad?” Dylan whispered.

Merc sent her a glance that told her to mind her own business, but she didn’t back down. “I have a right to know.”

This was obviously a familiar argument, because Merc sighed heavily.

“But you don’t.” His voice was calm, but underneath there was an edge.

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