Page 111 of Their Property
We found Kyrie, Chris, and Tiff in the dining hall where the governor had hosted many dinner parties. Some of which we'd been invited to, some not.
“There they are,” Chris called from the head of the long table in the middle of the room.
“About time,” Tiff chimed in, sitting to his right.
Across from her, Kyrie was bent over a plate of food. Her cheeks were puffed out when she looked up, jaw moving furiously to chew and swallow everything she’d shoved in there.
“Little lady,” T-Bone laughed as he approached her. “Did they not feed you in here? We're leavin', you don't gotta store everything in your face like a chipmunk.”
“This girl went on hunger strike for your asses.” Chris stared at her with a mixture of awe and disbelief. “Refused to eat until she knew you'd be let out.”
“What? Kyrie!” All the humor dropped from T-Bone's expression as he stepped back to let her chug some water. “Why would you do that?”
“I'll tell you right now,” I said, nudging my way up next to him. “No man on earth is worth skipping meals for.”
“Mm-hm.” Grudge shook his head in agreement, coming up to T-Bone's other side.
Chris' eyes slid to his wife. “Would you go on hunger strike to get me out of jail?”
Tiff rolled her eyes. “Does a fish walk on land?”
Kyrie finally swallowed her food and looked at the three of us with so much relief, it made my chest ache. “You guys are okay?”
I swept her up in a hug that lifted her off the ground, catching her mouth in a kiss before settling her back down to earth. “We're fine, beautiful. Never been better.”
“You're sure?” Her hand remained wrapped around my shoulder as she reached for T-Bone.
“We'll be better once we're out of this fucking territory.” He caught her hand and kissed her wrist before letting her palm reach his face. “Anywhere you'd like to go?”
Kyrie released me, her hand trailing down my arm as she kissed T-Bone with a laugh. “You're leaving it up to me?”
Meeting T-Bone's eyes over her head, I shrugged. “Fuck it, why not? We go where the road takes us.”
Kyrie went to embrace Grudge while Chris and Tiff rose from the table. “While this has been fun, we'll head straight to the clubhouse,” Chris said. “Enjoy your honeymoon or whatever you do. We have prospects to find.”
Tiff nudged him with an elbow. “And business to do.”
“We'll be back before long,” T-Bone assured them. “Thank you both for backing us up on this ride.”
We said our goodbyes, then Grudge said something to Kyrie in sign language. She smiled, then turned to speak to all of us as she signed a reply.
"Honestly, I'd just like to go back to the clubhouse too," she admitted, hands flying gracefully through the air. “These last few weeks have been nonstop, and I'd like some time to rest. Obviously I'm not an ambassador anymore, so I'd like to figure out what's next for me.”
T-Bone stroked a hand along her cheek, his gaze warm and affectionate. “So, that's it? You and your dad...?”
Kyrie shook her head, her lip wobbling for a moment before she steeled herself. “He doesn't support me being with you, so this is how it has to be.”
I took one of her hands and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. “I'm sorry, gorgeous. We all know what it feels like to have family not support you.”
“Hm.” Grudge wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her against his chest while he gestured to all of us.
“Exactly, you have all of us,” T-Bone elaborated. “And we'll support whatever endeavor you choose.” He leaned down, lips hovering over hers. “As long as you remember you'reourproperty.”
Damn, that turnedmeon. Kyrie shivered before slapping a playful hand to his chest, her cheeks flushing. “Like you'll ever let me forget.”
T-Bone chuckled darkly, then kissed her before straightening. “Going home sounds great.” His eyes met mine. “Maybe we'll take the scenic route.”
The groan left my chest before I could stop it. “Oh, you dirty dog.”
