Page 18 of Shadow Touched

Leia smiled. “Yes, he did.”

Martha clasped her hands together and got adreamy expression on her face. “So, it was love at firstsight.”

Leia’s smile faltered. “Um … let’s just sayBrim is very persuasive.”

“That he is!” Martha laughed. “His fatherwas the same way, rest his soul. When he died, I thought my lovelife was done, but then I met Striker. He showed me life doesn’tend at my age.”

She winked at Leia.

Piper’s little girl waddled up to her andLeia bent down to smile at the little girl.

“Hello,” she said. “What’s your name?”

The little girl put a finger in her mouthand smiled around the digit.

“That’s Bexley and her brother is Knox,”Piper said as she grabbed a juice box from the fridge. She handedit over to her daughter. “Kix insisted we use the letter xsomewhere in their names since his has one in it.”

She rolled her eyes. Bexley waddled overwith her juice box to the television and pointed. Martha grabbedthe remote and turned on a cartoon channel.

“You said you’re having another boy?” Leiaasked.

“Yep,” she said, touching her belly.“Penises are going to outnumber us. Haven’t picked a name, but I’msure my husband will find something weird.”

“Brim isn’t too old to have more children,”Martha said as she came back into the kitchen.

“Oh, well, we haven’t discussed any of thatyet,” Leia replied, uncomfortable. That was straying intounscripted territory. “I’m not sure Brim would want that.”

Martha sighed. “Men never know what theywant until a good woman convinces them they need it. You’re themiracle I was praying for, Leia. You go back with him to his cluband you clean house. I’m sure it’s turned into a pigsty.”

“I can assure you, Martha, that Brim isdetermined to do just that.”

Martha grinned and clapped her handstogether. “Let’s get dinner started. There’re a lot of hungrybellies to fill.”

The rest of the afternoon was spentpreparing food. Lots and lots of food. Piper told stories of howshe used to keep her brother’s MC in order. How at age eighteenshe’d had to witness the death of her family. How she’d hiddenunder the protection of her brother until she’d met Kix. So far,everything Leia thought she knew about motorcycle clubs had beencompletely wrong.

****

Brim stepped into the freezing modularbehind Kix. Cables, monitors, and keyboards were everywhere. He hadto watch where he stepped. Mac, Kix’s hacker, didn’t even botherlooking at them as he yelled for them to quickly close the door. Hewas a tall, skinny man, wearing fingerless gloves and scarf aroundhis neck.

“Got a project for you, Mac,” Kix said.“Need you to find any scuttlebutt on the Death Riders.”

Mac looked pointedly at Brim. “Isn’t thathis job?”

“This goes no farther than this trailer,”Brim warned.

Mac sat up straight. “What type of shit am Ilooking for?”

“Assassination shit,” Brim replied grimly.Mac’s eyes widened. “I need to know what the hell is going on withmy club and who might be a traitor.”

Mac glanced at Kix, who nodded, beforetwirling around in his chair and typing furiously on hiskeyboard.

“Does your club use any type of web-basedsurveillance equipment?” Mac asked.

“No—”

“Got it.”

“What?” Brim asked just as the monitor nextto him went black before flickering to show the courtyard of hisclub. “What the hell is this?”

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