Through a round of what-the-fucks, Eva tightly embraced Nika. Gabriel vaguely noted the redhead’s cringe as the hug was returned.
“What are you doing here?” Eva’s eyes flashed back to Paynne who was leaning on the counter.
“He flew in this morning,” Nika explained, slowly extracting herself from Eva’s hug with a fleeting grimace. “When I couldn’t get you on the phone, and when you didn’t call him back like you said you would, we came by to make sure you were okay.”
“I’ve tried calling you a hundred times,” Eva said.
The redhead pulled a face. “My phone’s fucking up. Sorry. Anyway, when you didn’t answer our knock, we let ourselves in. I thought for sure we were gonna find the two of you handcuffed to the headboard, fighting over who hid the key where. Nice lips, by the way. Looks fresh.” She held up a hand to receive a high five.
From Gabriel.
He gave it to her with a grin. Man, he liked her.
“Nika!”
Eva’s and Caleb’s voices mingled. Hers embarrassed. His amused.
“You’re mental,” Eva chastised, kissing her friend’s high cheekbone before she turned to the brother.
But Paynne was looking at Gabriel, and Gabriel couldn’t help but approve of the way the biker stared him down without apology. Not that it would do him any good, but still, it was nice to see a man with a strong core…
Eva’s ringtone suddenly sounded off in Gabriel’s mind, snapping him out of his budding bromance. He narrowed his eyes in warning. This was his territory, and that territory included the woman…who was now moving away from him. Toward what could possibly be the competition.
Eva went right into the bastard’s waiting arms to accept an overly familiar embrace that had Paynne’s hard body meshing with her softness from chest to thigh. Gabriel forced himself to turn away under the pretense of adjusting his gun to a more secure position in the waistband of his jeans. When what he really wanted to do was go back a few minutes and actually pull the trigger on the fucker.
Guess she’d forgiven the biker for his part in the deception.
Eva’s quiet sniffle had him looking back, and he just about popped a vein when he had to stand there and watch the biker cup her cheeks and brush away her tears with his thumbs.
Quan nudged his ribs, a disapproving expression on his face. “Take a breath, man. They’ve been friends for years.”
“Hey,” Paynne said quietly to Eva. “What’s all this?”
She sniffled again. “Even though I’m not speaking to you because you’re a liar, I’m happy to see you.” The biker’s hands moved from her face, which was good, but then loosely clasped her upper arms. Not good.
“Finally clued in, huh? Took you long enough,” Paynne chuckled.
“It’s not funny, Caleb. How could you lie to me?” The tips of her fingers brushed over the guy’s shiner. “What happened?”
Paynne dropped his arms to his sides and glanced over to Gabriel. “Grim Reaper came in for a kiss.”
Gabriel frowned. Vincente had gifted the guy with a right hook? Good.
“Well, he saved me the trouble,” Eva said dryly. “Jerk.”
Gabriel watched, as if in slow motion, her lift a hand to playfully run it down the length of Paynne’s face. That soft palm touched his broad forehead, closed eyes, a fairly straight nose, and then…another man’s lips. Concern remained in her eyes over the well-deserved shiner.
“Wasn’t my story to tell, Priss.” Paynne smiled and copied the infuriating face brush.
Gabriel turned away before he puked and addressed Nika. “Sorry for scaring you earlier. We thought you were someone else.”
“Caleb told me a little about what’s been going on, so I get it. Thank you, for all you’ve done for her.” She reached up and gave him a hug, her body going rigid when he put an arm around her back to return it. He released her quickly. Girl clearly didn’t like being touched.
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s been my pleasure.”
“Hers, too,” Quan murmured from where he was peering out the kitchen window, his back to them.
Eva then filled the Paynnes in on her newfound family; her cousin received the majority of the attention because he was actually in the room.
“This is crazy,” Nika breathed, clearly taken aback. “I just saw you the day before yesterday and you knew none of this then?”
“I found out last night,” Eva said.
“Holy shit.”
“Who broke the front window?” Paynne asked.
Gabriel took that one. “Furio.”
“Who’s he?” Nika was curious, and paying attention.