"Archer," I said, finding enough strength in my voice to make it a command. "He's got my knife."
He scowled at me. "So? I'll get you a new one."
I glared back at him. "I don't want a fucking new one. You gave me that one, and I want it back." Bracing my hand in Steele's grip, I pulled myself up on shaking legs like I wanted to go after my attacker personally.
Archer gave me a conflicted look, then cursed and ran his hand over his short black hair. "Fine. Fucking hell." He stabbed a finger in Kody's direction. "You get her home safe and don't fucking let her out of your sight, clear?" Kody nodded, giving no arguments. "Come on." This was directed to Steele who smacked a quick kiss on my lips, then handed me off to Kody.
Within seconds, they were gone. The faint rumble of Archer's truck faded out of the parking lot, and I frowned up at Kody.
"I don't think I was totally serious about chasing him down," I murmured, confused as fuck about what had just happened.
He snorted. "Yes, you were. You want your knife back, and I don't blame you. Those fuckers are one of a kind, and Arch hasn't given one to anyone. Ever."
"Well, yeah," I admitted, "but how the hell are they going to catch him if he's in a car that they haven't seen? He could literally be in any car on the road."
Kody gave me a broad grin, his warm palm rubbing my upper arm in soothing strokes. "Aw, MK, it's cute how you think we're not secretly superheroes in disguise. I mean, shit, Arch even showed you the Bat Cave."
Rolling my eyes at him, I pushed away and moved to the sink to wash my hands. Somehow I doubted we were going to report this to the local police and go through the whole DNA testing process. The guys may not be superheroes, but they sure as shit operated on their own set of rules.
"Well, how are we getting home, then?" I asked him, drying my hands off on a paper towel, then tucking them under my armpits to try and stop the trembles that had started up. “They just took the truck to go rescue Gotham City."
Kody grinned, pulling me back into his body for a tight hug. His palm rubbed circles on my back, and I shuddered in his embrace. The fear of what'd just happened was creeping up on me, and I was terrified of breaking down.
"Babe, I'll get us an Uber. It'll all be okay. Okay? Let's go back out and get some cake and coffee while I check the diner security footage." He all but carried me back out to the main diner as shock started to set in for me.
The waitress—the only other person in the diner who could have heard me screaming—did a bit of fussing about if I needed to call cops or an ambulance. Kody brushed her off, though, with some assurances all was okay.
Back at our table he politely ordered a slice of every cake and pie available, then pulled me into his lap.
"You don't need to baby me," I grumbled as he stroked his fingers through my hair and whispered reassurances.
He huffed a short laugh. "What if I like taking care of you, MK?" he shifted so he could meet my gaze, his green eyes serious. "So, let me. It's the least you can do after making me think you'd just been shot or something." There was a teasing edge in his tone, and I rolled my eyes.
"Don't be dramatic, Kodiak Jones."
"I'm not, Madison Kate. Have you heard you scream? I feel like I had a heart attack and an aneurysm all at once. So sit here and eat some sugary desserts while I convince myself that you're okay. Again." His voice was gruff, and the way his fingers tightened on my shoulder made me understand he wasn't joking. He'd been genuinely scared for me, and that... that wasn't something I was used to.
He wasn’t even subtle when he lifted my shirt and ran his thumb over my scar—like he could somehow feel if I’d hurt myself more than I let on.
I stayed there on his lap until at least a third of the plates of dessert were gone, then he gently slid me onto the bench seat and gave me clear instructions not to move. Not that he was going terribly far. Only as far as the counter,