was Steele’s woman, responsible for making certain everything ran smoothly. One of the patch chasers, Betina, came right over.
“I’m Betina. That’s Heidi.” Her arm swept toward the other woman. “Is there something you want us to do?”
Breezy knew that was code for, is there a particular man you want us to get close to? She smiled at the woman and shook her head. “Unless Steele or Czar says differently, you have a good time.” Happy hunting, she added silently. She hoped both women found what they were looking for. She’d been in a similar position.
Betina grinned at her and hurried back to the man she’d chosen for the night. Breezy took a deep breath and stepped farther into the room, her gaze once again sweeping around, taking in everything. She went straight to the bar to refill the wooden bowls set around the room with nuts and chips. Already beer bottles were everywhere. She started to gather them up, but Heidi was there first, taking them from her.
“I’ll do this,” the woman said, deference in her voice.
“Thanks,” Breezy said, working at keeping the shock from her voice.
“Hey babe.” Gavriil Prakenskii greeted her, circling her shoulders with one strong arm. He’d never done more than nod to her before. He had a woman with him and by the way he was holding her hand, she clearly meant something to him. “Breezy, this is my wife, Lexi. It’s her first time here. I was hoping you’d take her under your wing and look out for her when I’m mixing. We’re just here for the barbecue.”
“Hi, Lexi.” The woman looked much more nervous than she was and Breezy’s heart went out to her. “The food looks great. Blythe is around here somewhere.”
“I brought a variety of salads, and extra produce. Where should I put them?” Lexi asked.
“Produce in the kitchen and the salads outside on the long table,” she answered immediately.
“I’ll show you,” Gavriil assured, his voice softening. He bent to brush a kiss on his wife’s head. “Thanks, Breezy. Baby, you need anything, or you get overwhelmed, Breezy’s the go-to girl. She’s got this.”
Lexi nodded her head, smiling, but Breezy could see she was already overwhelmed and made a mental note to keep a close watch over her. She’d taken two steps toward the hall, when Casimir, another one of Czar’s brothers, stopped her.
“Breezy, I want you to meet Lissa, my wife. We’ve brought a ton of food with us and need to know where you want it. Lissa, baby, I want you to meet Breezy. You need anything, and you can’t find Blythe or me, hit Breezy up.”
Breezy found herself liking Lissa, with her bright red hair and watchful gaze. She laughed, but her eyes were moving around the room, reminding Breezy of Lana and Alena. That gave her more confidence, that there was another woman watching out for all of them. She liked that. Lissa displayed an ease, being in the same room with all the men, as if she knew they didn’t dare touch her if she didn’t want to be touched. They chatted for a few more minutes and then headed for the kitchen.
Breezy had taken several more steps and one of the newcomers, a tall man with a serious face and wildly long hair, intercepted her. She was forced to stop when he stepped directly in front of her. He wore his colors and his patch declared him sergeant at arms. Her heat beat wildly, and for a moment the edges of her vision went dark. She forced air through her lungs and plastered a smile on her face. As she did so, her gaze swept around the room.
Keys was there, not six feet from them and edging closer. Transporter had swiveled around on the barstool and was watching through narrowed eyes. One of the prospects, Fatei, the acting bartender, had paused in making a drink, his gaze on them. Absinthe, walking through the clubhouse, stopped dead in his tracks and turned toward them, changing directions.
Everywhere Breezy looked, there was a member of Torpedo Ink. Watching. They suddenly didn’t appear as if they had no cares and were out for fun. Just the opposite. They looked every bit as lethal as she knew them to be.
She glanced toward the entrance and it didn’t surprise her to see Steele’s tall frame filling the doorway. She shook her head slightly as her heart began to settle. She had to handle anything that came up on her own. She was