Page 42 of Bound by Adoration

Nyx leaned heavily into my side. “And I just sit here like a duck in a pond and do nothing?”

“Oh, babe,” Deke said low. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty to do with these two.”

Nyx rolled her eyes to Deke. “Not what I meant.”

“Yeah, but your reaction is funny.”

“Nyx,” Cruz said. “Right now, you need to stay with Raid and Liam. Know it’s not ideal. But we need to get the info so we can plan. Then we’ll all talk again. But I’ve gotta trust you, that you’re not going to leave here. If not, I’ll lock ya up at the clubhouse.”

Nyx’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”

“Fuck yeah, he would. To protect a woman, yeah, that’s the least he’d do,” Cooper said, smiling. Nyx had no idea how we were with our women, but she’d soon find out. We just needed to get through this pile of shit we were wading through.

Then I’d show her everything.

15

NYX

I felt like shit. No, worse than shit. What was worse than shit?

All these people were putting themselves on the line to protect me. Raid tried to tell me over dinner that the situation was bigger than me. It was club business. Except, it didn’t feel that way.

The more he tried to reassure me, the worse I felt. Having others get hurt because of me didn’t sit right. Made me sick to my stomach actually.

“I’m gonna go lay down,” I told the men who were working on laptops, doing searches while I did stupid shit around here to keep busy. Of course, they only had two computers which left me either hovering over them or finding something to keep myself occupied.

Liam even told me at one point to watch a movie. I mean, seriously. Sit on my ass and watch a movie? While everyone around me was working their asses off on finding out more about the Hamiltons and creating a plan; he wanted me to just forget it all? He had to have lost his mind there for a moment. He knew me better than that.

All this nervous energy, though, was killing me.

I was a doer. At the bar I was always on the move. Been that way since I’d left Atlanta because I had no choice. I wanted to survive, and surviving meant working hard. Something I’d actually loved. Now, here in this moment, I was waiting. For what? I had no idea. There was no plan yet. It was all an “information grab” as Raid would call it, and I was out of the damn loop.

“Sounds good. I’ll be in soon,” Raid said, to which Liam turned his head sharply to him.

“We’ll be in soon,” Liam responded, and surprisingly Raid didn’t have a comeback for it which was totally out of character for him. So much so it made my steps falter, then I shook it off.

“Will Screech be back soon?” I asked, walking toward the hallway to the bedrooms, but still in the same room.

“Ax called, and its takin’ a bit longer to get all of his shit together. Said it’ll probably be morning,” Raid answered, and a chill went down my spine.

This I didn’t like. I’d wanted him close tonight too. Protected.

But it appeared nothing was ever what I wanted these days.

“Okay. Night.” Arguing wouldn’t do a damn bit of good. So what was the point?

My arm was grabbed softly, and Raid pulled me into his arms, kissing me hard and deep. He pulled away and looked into my eyes. “Be in soon.”

Breathless, I nodded. Only to have Liam come and do the exact same thing. His lips touched mine and sent an electric shock zipping between my legs. With Raid near and Liam’s lips on mine, I was in trouble.

Liam pulled away. “Almost done on the lead I’m followin’. Be there soon.”

Raid glared at Liam but surprised the hell out of me once again by not saying anything. Wonders never seem to cease. I wasn’t going to get my hopes up, though. Raid would just crush them with his alpha energy.

Leaving them, I went into the biggest bedroom I’d found earlier and changed out of my clothes, putting a tank and sleep shorts on from my bag. Washing my face, the woman staring back at me was haunted.

She was lost.

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