Page 78 of Whiskey Run Heroes

They all stop and stare at me, surprised. It’s then I realize how dumb that sounded. “I mean, come on, she’s had a rough few days. Just don’t be so intense.”

“Got it,” Dylan says.

Bear merely gives me a grunt and walks into the living room and sits down. His height and build alone is enough to probably spook her, but at least sitting down he won’t be towering over her.

I shake my head and follow the rest of the guys.

“I got what you asked for,” Aiden says as he hands me a bag. I open it up, and it looks like he got everything on the list. I hate the idea of Aiden buying Kali things she needs, but I didn’t want to leave her.

The room goes from loud to almost completely silent, and I lift my head from the bag and look in the direction all the guys are looking at. No doubt they know that Kali is walking out of my bedroom. She’s in my T-shirt, and even though it’s longer than any dress and comes to her knees, she still looks sexy as fuck.

I walk over to her and hand her the bag. “Here you go. I had the guys bring you some clothes. Why don’t you get dressed and then I’ll introduce you to them.”

I’m walking her across the room, using my own body to shield my friends from seeing hers. I know I’m acting crazy. I know I can trust them, but I don’t like them seeing her like this.

She takes the bag, and her face is flushed. “I’ll pay you back for this.”

I don’t respond. I merely close the bedroom door once she’s inside it. I take a deep breath and turn around to face the guys.

They’re all staring at me open-mouthed, and I know they will be able to see through any bullshit I try to tell them.

“Wait. That’s Nico’s sister-in-law, right? Isn’t that what you said, Dylan?” Logan asks.

Dylan is looking at me like I’m crazy. He knows Nico, and he knows how he is about family. No doubt they all are thinking I have a death wish for even thinking the things I am about Kali.

“I’m protecting her, that’s all.”

Dylan looks at me doubtfully, but he has my back. He looks at Logan. “Nico called him, Logan. He knows he can trust Knox.”

He says it meaningfully, but I don’t miss the doubt on his face. I don’t blame him. I’m sure it’s obvious to anyone paying attention that I already have a thing for Kali.

I sit down on the chair facing the guys, and we get to talking.

When Kali comes back in, she’s in a pair of tight blue jeans and a black V-neck T-shirt. I had guessed at the sizes, and I was pretty close, but the clothes she has on show off her curves in a way that has my jeans tightening in the crotch. I pull a chair over next to mine, and she sits down.

Kali

“Kali,this is Dylan, Bear, Logan, Aiden, and John,” Knox tells me, pointing to each of the men as he goes. I know my eyes are big looking at each of them. I’m used to being around handsome men. My brother-in-law and all his friends are handsome but these men are too. They all have different features that stand out, but they have a rugged air about them. They’re sort of beautiful in a scary, overpowering, manly kind of way.

I nod and give them a little wave and blush immediately. What kind of dork waves at them? I do.

“Dylan... so what did you find out?” Knox asks one man.

I can’t help but fidget in my seat. Knox smiles at me, and I know he’s trying to comfort me. Right now, all I want to do is curl up in his lap and have his arms wrapped around me. That would make me feel better.

Dylan goes from laid back, leaning into the couch to sitting up, elbows on his knees work mode instantly. “The guy that is targeting Kali is named Nick Tanner. Like she said, he’s the twin brother to Miles. He just got out of serving five and a half years in prison for a manslaughter charge that was cut short to a lesser charge.”

“Where is he now?” Knox asks while giving me an apologetic look.

Dylan clears his throat. “He’s on his way to Tennessee. He’s in Oklahoma. He’s taking it slow, making stops along the way. We’re getting intel to find out what kind of stops, but I’m sure he’s tracked her car. Isn’t that where you left it?” he asks me.

I nod. “So do you think he had a tracking device on my car?”

Riggs nods, and I want to bang my head against the wall. How dumb could I be? Of course he was tracking me. I should have ditched the car way before I did.

As if sensing exactly what I’m thinking, Knox interrupts my thoughts. “It will be fine. It will take him a while to figure out where you went after that, and we’ll be ready for him.”

I nod and then wince. “My car broke down just a few blocks from the bus station. The guy I sold the car to probably won’t give me up, he was pretty nice, but I don’t think it will be hard to figure out I took a bus when he finds out my car stopped running.”