So many lives have been lost. It is staggering to think it was all at the hands of a decorated police officer. As a result, the press is having a field day with it, especially when the corpses within the chapel had been identified. Most had been young women, some had been there for five or ten years, the oldest being his mother.
“Earth to Reign, testing, over.” I look up into the amused eyes of the McHotty twins who had been trying to get my attention.
“Gah, I’m sorry. I always seem to turn into a space cadet after great sex,” I tell them, making people around the table laugh.
“I think that only happens to you,” Erza says, waving his fork at me.
“Nah, you just haven’t had truly mind-blowing sex yet. Maybe your skills need a little work. Saint does this thing with his—” A hand over my mouth makes the rest of what I say turn mumbled.
Saint shakes his head at me before removing his hand. “Behave, or I won’t do that thing you like so much.”
His phone rings before I can offer a witty comeback. He frowns down at the screen before answering. “Tate? What’s up?”
I scowl, wondering why Tate’s calling Saint instead of me when the phone drops from Saint’s hand. He stands, and I kid you not, he grips the table before flipping it over. Food and glasses fall to the floor in a clatter. People step back cursing as they end up covered. Saint bends at his waist, placing his hands on his thighs, and roars.
Everyone freezes at the sound. It’s a war cry filled with anguish and vengeance.
I stand and make my way over to him as Bates tries to yank me back. When I’m in reach, I place my hand on Saint’s shoulder and he reacts as if I shocked him. Standing so fast, he almost clonks me on the chin with his head.
I step into him and cup his jaw with my hands, forcing him to look down at me. His eyes are wild, roaming around before they settle on mine. He drops his guard and lets me see his pain.
His words change everything.
The players might have changed, but the game is still being played.
He takes a deep breath and whispers, as if saying the words out loud will make everything more real. “Derek is dead and my sister is missing.”
Bates is the first to react. He is beside us in a second with his hand on the side of Saint’s head, talking to him quietly. I try to process what he’s saying, but I can’t think straight.
Derek’s dead.
Ava’s missing.
The girls Garrett killed, they were never stand-ins for me, they were stand ins for her. The original temptress. Breathing in slowly, I swallow down the bile in my throat as the truth washes over me.
I stand with my head pressed against Saint’s shoulder in a disconnected daze, watching as Priest takes out his phone and makes a call, then another and another while the rest of the club members tidy up the mess and offer their silent support.
When Priest walks over to our little huddle, we break apart as Saint looks up at him warily.
“The FBI has deployed. Tate and his team are working it behind the scenes, even though this isn’t his case. Luna has mobilized her brothers and I called in a group of our own to find her. They won’t come home empty-handed, brother.”
“Who?” his voice croaks.
“Diesel, Lucky, and Rebel,” Priest tells him.
Saint nods before turning and walking away.
“Give him a minute,” Bates says when I move to follow. Reluctantly, I agree, rubbing a hand over my face, trying to mentally prepare myself for the war that’s about to be waged.
“We need to find her.” I look up at Priest, who is staring at the door Saint just disappeared out of.
He looks at me before gathering me in his arms, “We will. Diesel, Lucky, and Rebel won’t come home without her,” he promises, and I believe him.
“You picked well,” I whisper. “They might be hard when they need to be, but there is a softness to them that Ava is going to need,” I admit, trying not to imagine what the poor girl might be going through.
I just hope they find her in time and those three funny, sweet bikers with jagged edges of their own might have something special in them that can heal Ava.
And put all her broken pieces back together again.