Page 45 of Now You're Mine

“Stop!” I yell, interrupting Jackson. Goddamn. Talk about testosterone poisoning. I swear. These guys are just looking for reasons to fight, but unfortunately, we havewaybigger fish to fry. Like Nathan lying dead right below our suite at Exeter House.

“You’re forgetting that Ash is a Sacred Son now,” I say. “He’stheSacred Son while you guys are waiting for your tribunals…”

I really shouldn’t be reminding them why they’re mad at me, but if Ash isn’t going to leave the room quietly like I’d hoped he would, then I need to remind everyone who isactuallyin charge here, whether they like it or not.

Jackson hisses. “That’s fucking bullshit.”

Roman pulls me closer to him, so close that when he speaks, I can feel the rumble in his chest. “You’re lucky we don’t have time to deal with you right now,” he says to Ash, then refocuses his attention on the guys. “Nathan came to our suite at Exeter House, and tried to kill Lux.”

There’s a collectivewhat the fuckmoment that I absolutely share. I still can’t believe it myself. I don’t think any of us saw this coming.

“He also killed Bree,” I say, my voice hitching on Bree’s name. “She overheard you guys talking about your plan to manipulate me, and Nathan killed her to keep me from finding out.”

Ash steps forward, all of that bravado from a couple of seconds ago gone. “Wait,what?” His shocked gaze lands on me. “What plan? Did these guys do something to you, Lux?”

Dear God.This is far too much to explain right now. “I’ll explain everything later,” I say again.

Lucas’s handsome face is hard and angry. “Where’s Nathan now?”

Roman’s hand squeezes my hip. “Splattered on the rocks under our balcony.”

“Oh, fuck,” the guys hiss in unison. But it’s Jackson who asks the follow-up question, “Did he jump, or was he uh,helpedover the railing?”

Roman meets his eyes. “He attacked Lux,” he says like that’s the only explanation required. Jackson nods, and Lucas starts pacing.

Christian leans against the pool table, and lights up a blunt, pulling in a lungful of smoke. He nods like he’s thinking. “I’ll talk to Byron. He’s on the senior counsel and has a stake in Exeter House. I’m sure he’ll want this Nathan shit swept under the rug quickly. A murder investigation isn’t exactly good for business, right?”

Roman nods. “Thanks.” His gaze sweeps over everyone’s face. “Any news on James?”

“Not really.” Jackson crosses his arms over his chest. “Though my uncle at the Sheriff’s Station did say there were a couple of thefts in the area. One house had a gun stolen.”

I suck in a sharp breath, and I must have made a sound because everyone turns toward me. “James could have a gun?”I’m trying to keep the panic out of my voice, but I’m not sure I’m successful.

Roman brushes his thumb over the curve of my cheek. “We don’t know it was James,” he says softly. “Anyone could have stolen that gun.”

I nod and swallow back the tears that threaten to erupt all over again. I know logically that Roman is right. It’s no use jumping to assumptions. But, still, the knot in my stomach tightens, and I suddenly feel nauseous. Just thepossibilitythat James could have a gun is terrifying.

Christian pushes off the pool table with the blunt hanging loosely from his perfect lips. “Jamesprobablydoesn’t have a gun—” His gaze slides toward me like he’s saying that to comfort me. “But I should let the SEALs know that it might be a thing.” He holds a finger up and strolls toward the door. “Don’t say anything interesting until I get back.”

I blow out a breath slowly to try and calm my nerves. It’s not working, but it feels like I’m doing something constructive, so I continue doing it.

“Everything I just heard is so unbelievably fucked up.” Ash crosses his arms over his chest. “And I have no fucking clue what’s going on. But if Lux is in danger, that’s all I really need to know. What do you need me to do?”

Roman sighs. “Grab a few of the other members, and canvas the campus. We need to find James.”

Something has shifted in Roman, just slightly. Maybe it’s Ash’s willingness to help, even though he knows next to nothing about what’s going on. Or maybe it’s Ash’s sentiment about me. Whatever it is, the anger in Roman’s voice has been tempered.

“Got it,” Ash says, and with one last lingering look at me, he turns to leave. Just as he’s about to walk out of the room, into the hallway, he lifts his hand in the air. “Keep your phone handy. I’ll text you.”

That leaves Lucas. “I guess I’ll help Jackson figure out what we’re doing about Nathan. We need to get the narrative about Bree’s murder out there before Nathan’s very wealthy family finds out, and starts working on damage control.”

I lean against Roman and nod faintly. I’m so tired. I really just want to go upstairs, curl up in Roman’s huge bed, and fall asleep with my face buried in his chest.

“Let’s go upstairs, baby,” Roman says, reading my thoughts. His pale gaze flicks over my face. “We both need some rest.”

With another nod, I follow him upstairs and as soon as we get to his room, I collapse onto his bed. The mattress at Exeter House was heavenly, but there’s just something aboutthisbed. Roman’s bed. Just crawling under the covers makes me feel safe. I know that’s just an illusion, a lie, but I cling to it with white knuckles, because it’s everything I need right now.

Roman moves around the room, checking to make sure James isn’t hiding in the closet, or the shower, then he makes sure the windows and balcony doors are all locked. Once he’s satisfied the room is secure, he kicks his shoes off and climbs under the blankets, facing me. He adjusts the pillow under his head, then reaches up to brush the tip of his finger across my bottom lip. It’s such an intimate thing, lying here like this, I can almost pretend the last few months never happened.

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