Page 35 of Under His Control

“Where did you go?” Romeo said, shooting to his feet. Like the rest of us, he was alert and concerned, taking in all the injuries that bled or swelled.

“I’m calling Danicia.”

Liam exhaled a long breath, showing how exhausted and beaten he was. A protest might have been on the tip of his tongue, but he wasn’t so stubborn as to actually turn down medical care.

“Probably for the best.” He winced as he staggered another step into the room, and Franco stood there to help him or catch him if he fell. “I rode off the highway a bit.”

“To the east or the west?” Romeo demanded.

“West. I stopped at a roadside bar near Lannin.”

“Fuck.” Romeo glanced at Dante, who frowned after setting his phone down.

“I couldn’t get Danicia, but I left her a message.”

Liam huffed, waving him off. “Whatever.”

This was not a situation to dismiss with a grumpywhatever. I stood, holding Olivia still, worried that she’d gone quiet because of how wounded Liam looked but also because of hisgrimace. I’d caught on quickly that babies—or at least this one—were perceptive of the facial expressions they saw on others. It made perfect sense. And unfortunately, Liam was about as approachable as a cross bear, scowling and grimacing in pain.

“That’s near the Devil’s Brothers’ compound,” Nina said with a shaky voice. She stepped closer to Dante, who grabbed her hand and held it on his shoulder.

Liam groaned. “Do I even want to know?”

“Did anyone mention any names?” Franco asked.

Liam drew in a long breath and shrugged one shoulder. “I didn’t catch them referring to each other with anything but road names.”

“Any stand out?” Romeo asked.

“Yeah. Bones. Oh, and Reaper.”

Oh, shit.I shared a worried glance with Tessa and Nina, recognizing the President of the MC who’d teamed up with the Giovannis to take us down. The Devil’s Brothers MC had already killed off and broken up the Domino Family, a rival of ours. Now that Dante had stood up to Reaper and Stefan Giovanni—more than once—he’d ensured that those two groups would be hellbent on attacking us.

“But Liam?” I wondered aloud.

“What?” he snapped, looking up at me.

While I hated his attitude, I didn’t hold it against him. He’d been hurt by someone who couldn’t have known was an enemy.

“I don’t know,” Romeo replied to me, seeming to think the same thing.

“What the hell are you saying?” Liam demanded. “Who are these fuckers?”

“The Devil’s Brothers MC are led by an asshole named Reaper.”

Liam shifted on his feet, favoring his right. “And let me guess, this MC isn’t a fan of your family.”

Franco shook his head. “No, they are not.”

Liam narrowed his eyes at Nina and then at Dante. “Wait. This is the MC you stole her from?”

Nina winced but Dante glowered. “No. She never belonged to them. She shouldn’t have been bet on in the first place.”

“But you waded into their affairs and started this all?—”

Dante stood. “No. I don’t care how it looks or what it sounds like.”

Liam shook his head. “Hey, I’m not saying to hand her over or anything, but that’s what started it all. Right?”

---