All Hail - J. Bree Page 0,27
collar, I’d decided what was going to happen, not him.
I can’t look at him.
Aodhan steps in close to me so that he’s blocking Luca from my view, his back to the other man like his presence means nothing to him. I find it oddly comforting… like this moment between us was real and we did survive this together.
I’m so confused.
“What was the necklace he took from you?” Aodhan murmurs and I startle. I didn’t think he’d notice something like that.
“It’s… it was a gift from the Wolf. Something that means a lot to us both, it’s something very personal to our family.”
He swallows and nods before glancing up at Luca. “You trust him? Can I leave you with him and know you’re going to make it out to the Wolf? He offered to kill me for you so my guess is yes but I need to hear it from you.”
I glance over to Luca but he’s watching us both carefully. Shit. “Yes. I trust him.”
Aodhan nods and hands me the gun Luca just handed him. “Shoot first.”
And then he disappears, stalking out and into the lair like he’s going to find the Jackal and slit his throat for what he’s done and… God, I hope he does. I hope he gets that kill for us both.
I think I’m in shock.
Luca waits for a second and then motions towards the door until I follow him out. There are men waiting at the end of the hall dressed in suits so I’m certain they’re Atticus’ men.
I have to speak up before there’s a chance they can overhear it.
“Luca… I don’t want Atticus to know,” I whisper, and he nods.
“I’ll take it to the grave, Avery. Chin up, if they ask why you’re crying remember how badly your feet hurt.”
Chapter Seven
Aodhan
Watching Avery’s stiff back as she walks into her giant, empty fucking mausoleum of a house on heels that could kill a man is a special form of torture.
Not just because she’s the most fucking heartbreaking woman to look at that I’ve ever met but because I know just how broken she is inside right now and there’s nothing I can do to fix it.
Nothing except to break Luca’s jaw.
So I get right onto that.
The Butcher chuckles under his breath when my fist connects with the asshole’s jaw, his attention still on the door Avery just walked through so the blow lands fucking perfectly and sends him to him knees.
The Crow snaps at me, “Maybe you should wait until you’ve built a name for yourself before you start burning bridges, Stag.”
The Butcher scoffs from behind me but I keep my eyes on the asshole spitting blood out onto the driveway. “You speak to her like that again and I’ll fucking kill you. I don’t care who you belong to, I’ll take you the fuck out.”
The Crow snarls at me again, “You might have taken your seat on the Twelve during a war but that isn’t how this works.”
The Butcher steps right up until he’s chest-to-chest with the Crow again. “Nah, that’s exactly how this works. The Wolf has made it clear that anyone who fucks with Avery is dead. Keep your inductees in line before I do.”
Luca straightens up and rolls his shoulders back like he’s ready to fight back but his eyes are wary of the Butcher.
I get it.
The man is a fucking machine, bigger and more deadly than the three of us put together, but Luca still looks ready enough to jump in for his boss so I guess that’s something.
“I will deal with the new dealer in town. Keep your noses out of it and stick to what you’re good at. Contract killing and drinking yourself to death with errant bikers.” The Crow sneers and then he steps away from the Butcher, jerking his head at Luca until they both climb into the Rolls Royce and finally leave.
The Butcher watches as the taillights disappear down the private road, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face that I’m not sure a lot of men see and live to talk about it.
“You told Arbour you were with her the whole time.”
I nod slowly and he pegs me with a look. “So why the fuck is she shaking over seeing that asshole? What the fuck did he do to her? Because I don’t give a fuck who his boss is, that girl is family. She risked everything for the Wolf and that loyalty means a helluva lot more to me than