that it was his own way of keeping everyone calm when nerves were a problem. He could pinpoint which person was thrumming with the most tension, and he knew exactly how to get their attention enough to piss them off or make them laugh, easing that tension. It was a skill that came in handy, even if it was irritating as hell.
“Hey,” I said in surprise as I saw Farrah in the hallway carrying Olive. “You know where Cec is?”
“I think she just went in to shower,” she said, her expression taut with worry. “I can’t believe you’re allowing this bullshit.”
“You think I could stop it?” I asked seriously.
Farrah paused. “No,” she griped, shaking her head. “I told Cody it should be me.”
“The thought crossed my mind,” I said, a little guiltily. If Farrah went in Cecilia’s place, she’d be in the exact same danger.
Farrah huffed out a small laugh. “I bet it did,” she said knowingly. “But Cody was right. CeeCee would never allow it. We’d have to literally lock her in here.”
“Yeah.”
Farrah stood there for a moment, her eyes unfocused. “It feels like I just got her back, you know?” she said, shooting me a helpless look. “It took years to get to where we are now. If we forced her to stay here—”
“I get it,” I replied. Farrah and Casper were in the same boat I was, and the knowledge of that pissed me off even more. It was like we were walking on eggshells to keep Cecilia happy, and that didn’t sit well with me at all.
“It is what it is,” she said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve disagreed with a club decision and it won’t be the last.”
“More than a club decision,” I pointed out.
“Haven’t you learned yet,” she said, no trace of bitterness in her voice, “in our family, everything’s a club decision?”
“You’re okay with that?” I asked curiously.
“Cecilia was in trouble and she had somewhere to go,” Farrah said. “A place where she knew the people would protect her, or die trying. That’s worth it, don’t you think?”
I didn’t reply.
“She’s in the bathroom next to your room,” Farrah said with a sigh. “You might be able to catch her, if you hurry.”
She left me standing in the hallway by myself, turning her words over and over in my head. Logically, I knew that Cecilia could’ve gone to the police. They would have protected her as much as they could. I also knew, in my gut, that Farrah was right. No one would protect Cecilia more diligently or wholeheartedly than the Aces—not even my own team. She was one of them, for better or worse, and they protected their own.
As I turned on my heel and headed for the bathroom, I thought about the times when I’d gone to the club, knowing that I was welcome, no matter what. The way they’d paid for my medical bills when my mom couldn’t—not only after the shooting, but before that, too. Amy and Brenna had taken me to get almost all of my vaccinations growing up. I grimaced, remembering the time I’d ended up in the hospital at fourteen. Cam had driven up to Salem, where I was living with my mom, and beat the shit out of my dealer—ensuring that he’d never sell mushrooms laced with poison again. They’d even taken care of those hospital bills.
“It’s me,” I said, opening the door to the steam-filled bathroom. I stepped inside and closed it behind me as Cecilia poked her head out from behind the glass shower door.
“Everything okay?” she asked, her eyebrows rising as I stripped off my t-shirt.
“Room in there for two?” I asked. The question was rhetorical, and I didn’t wait for an answer as I toed off my boots and stripped off the rest of my clothes.
She was still healing, and I needed to keep my head on straight for the shit we were facing, but there was no way in hell that either of us was leaving that bathroom until I felt her skin against mine. Enjoying Cecilia naked and wet wasn’t an opportunity I was willing to let pass—not anymore.
“Are you bigger?” she asked, pressing her lips together to keep from grinning as she stared at my dick. “Because I don’t remember you looking like that.”
“You know just the words to make a man feel ten feet tall,” I replied, climbing into the shower. “Or two inches tall—depending on the situation.”
“I’ve always excelled orally,” she replied in mock seriousness.
I couldn’t