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“Okay.” Axel clears his throat. “How’s Kira settling in over there?”

I can’t help the ridiculous smile from spreading across my face. “She’s settling in fine.” I still can’t believe Chelsea hasn’t told him anything. I’m going to have to send her an expensive gift as a thank you. Kira admitted telling the girls what was happening, not realizing it could get back to Axel. But she looked so happy at making friends that I couldn’t bring myself to be the least bit angry. “I feel better that she’s here and not in the dorms.”

“Me too. Chels loved hanging out with her. She’s already planning the next girls’ day.”

“She’ll be down,” I laugh.

Axel clears his throat again, and I know he’s gearing up to ask something. “What’s going on over there, Ari? I know Chelsea is hiding something, and I don’t like surprises. It’s none of my business, but I don’t want to be blindsided.”

I consider how much to tell him and settle on something simple. “We’re taking care of her. That’s all you need to know.”

“Goddamnit, Ari,” Axel says, but he’s not pissed, almost like he expected it. “Kane will gut every single one of you for touching his baby sister.”

“She’s a grown-ass woman.” A good example of that statement is her standing up to me. I have to admit, it was fucking hot. Until she called me a bigger ass than Kane. That one kind of stung, but I understood. “I’m not going to stop what’s happening just because he might throw a tantrum.”

“A tantrum,” Axel says dryly. “He carries a machete around as a weapon, and Blaze? Is certifiable. They aren’t a joke, Ari. One of the most important people inbothof their lives is Kira. He won’t take this lightly.”

“Whatever. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“It’s your funeral. I’m going back to bed since you’re a cocksucker and woke me up.” The line goes dead, and I walk into my office.

I plug the cloning device into the laptop Nolan gave me, follow his instructions, and let it run. He said it could take a while, so I set it to the side. I check the cameras that run constantly like I do every day, and there’s still no sighting of that black Taurus. We couldn’t even see anything on the ring camera that we found in the neighborhood where Keon got shot.

The shakiness in Gavin’s voice when he called still sends shivers down my spine. He was freaked out of his mind but still managed to get Keon back to us safely. He still doesn’t believe me when I tell him he made the right call. He’s stuck on the fact that he could have taken the guy out but didn’t because he felt important. I’ve told them to always listen to their gut, and Gavin has damn good instincts.

I work for a while longer until I hear movement in the kitchen. When I walk in, Kira is quietly pulling stuff from the fridge. “Hey,” I say before I walk over to her so I don’t scare her.

She smiles and turns around, waving her hand behind her. “I wanted to make breakfast for everyone.”

I pull her into my arms, and she comes willingly, wrapping her arms around my naked waist. “You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

I nod and bury my face in her neck. “Are you okay with what happened last night?”

Kira’s hands smooth down my back, and my head jerks back when she grabs two handfuls of my ass. “I’m more than okay.”

“Alright then,” I laugh. “Do you need help?”

Kira shakes her head and turns toward the counter. She flicks her wrist over her shoulder, shooing me away. “No. I’m good. I’ll come get you when I’m done.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I grumble but smile when her laughter follows me out of the kitchen.

When I walk around the corner, Tyler is stepping into the living room, stretching and yawning. I want to go to him, but I want to see how he reacts to what happened last night. “Hey, Papi.”

I roll my eyes. I should have known he would be fine. “Hey, shithead.”

Tyler gives me an exaggerated pout. “What happened to Pretty boy?”

“You have to earn that.”

“I can think of a million ways that I wouldloveto earn that title.”

“Shut up,” I grouch but jerk him into a hug. “How are you?”

“My ass is crying if that’s what you’re asking.” I tense up thinking I hurt him, and he laughs. “I’m fine. Last night…” he shrugs, “was awesome. No complaints.”

“Are you okay with what happened with Gavin and Jason?”