Page 24 of Underworld

“Stop worrying so much,” Jace says from the couch.

“I just want everything to go okay,” I whine.

Howe rubs my shoulders and asks, “Why are you stressing so much? We see them at work all the time.”

I huff a sigh. “I don’t know. I guess . . . I just want everything to go okay. These are the first friends I’ve had in like ten years. I want to make a good impression.”

Zane grunts. “Silas and Jax like you already.”

I groan. “How do you know?”

He shrugs. “Just do. I can tell they respect you. Jax seems to have taken a liking to you, and Silas doesn’t interact with many people, but he seems to talk to you. Luka is easygoing; you’ll have no problem with him.”

“He probably won’t look anything like them, though. He’ll be wearing something different than he normally wears for the public. He doesn’t want anyone to know he’s affiliated with Silas and Jax when they are posing as Alpha and Beta,” Alec adds.

Howe hums his agreement. “True. He’ll probably change once he gets inside, though. I know he hates the shit he has to wear when he’s undercover.”

The bell rings, and I jump. Damnit! Why the fuck am I so jumpy? Howe gives my shoulders a squeeze before giving me a kiss on the cheek. “It will be okay.” He releases my shoulders and makes his way over to the door.

I wipe my hands on my sweater dress, trying to make sure I don’t have any wrinkles. I look up when I hear Silas’ voice. “Hey, thanks for inviting us over.”

Zane and Jace give him a handshake, then Howe and Alec give him one of those tough bro hugs. Silas sees me over by the kitchen and gives me a nod and a small smile.

I take a deep breath before smiling back. “Hey, Silas.” I make my way over to him. He reaches up, puts a hand on my head, then messes up my hair. I swat at his hand with a scratch as I mutter, “Don’t fuck up my hair, dickhead.”

He grunts out a laugh. “Much better.”

I roll my eyes but smile as he walks around me and leans against the kitchen island. I turn just in time to let out a squeak when Jax picks me up in a hug. I squeal in laughter as he spins. He laughs as he sets me down. “Hey, Sweets!”

“Hey, Jax.”

He shifts and holds out a hand to the door, saying, “As promised, we have brought Luka.”

My jaw drops when I see the man who walks through the door. He doesn't look like the Luka I’ve seen on TV. Instead, he looks like . . . a man from my past. “Ben?” I ask in a whispered voice.

His blue eyes meet mine, and his brows furrow as he says, “I haven’t used that name in years. To be honest, I haven’t used that name since . . .” He squints at me for a moment, and then his eyes widen. He quickly walks over to me before reaching out a hand but pauses before he touches my face. “Emma?”

I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face as I jump on him. I wrap my arms around his neck and say, “It’s been so fucking long!” I pull away, looking at his face.

His grin is enormous as he gives me one last squeeze before putting me down. He shakes his head, letting out a laugh. “Girl! You’ve changed your hair. It used to be red, right? And you had green eyes.” He steps away and makes a twirling motion with his finger. “Give me a twirl.”

I laugh as I spin around, then stop in front of him. He snorts a laugh as he teases, “I like the new hair. You weren’t much of a redhead.”

I slap his chest. “I made more money as a redhead, and you know it!”

He rolls his eyes before he says, “You would have made money with any hair color, Em. Although, I guess your name isn’t Emma, is it?”

I grin, holding out my hand. “I’m Jane. I’m officially the Queen of the Underworld.”

He matches my grin as he shakes my hand. “Luka Steepe. I run the Underground with my brothers.”

A growl behind me makes me realize I’ve completely forgotten we have an audience. I turn to find everyone staring at Luka and me.

Silas is the first one to break the silence. “How do you know each other?”

Jace growls. “Yeah, how do you know our girl?”

I look at Luka before sighing. Guess I will need to tell my boys about my past sooner than I thought. I rub the back of my neck as I awkwardly explain. “Well, when I was on the run from my dad, I needed to make some money somehow.” I point to Luka beside me. “I met him at a strip club. He must have seen how desperate I was because he gave me a job.”

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