Page 47 of Ruthless

Axel snorts. “You’ve got balls. I like you, Short Stack.” He cranes his head in Zane’s direction, emphasizing the nickname he’s given me this time, and is met with a shake of the head from his brother.

“Uh, thanks.” I turn to Zane as another thought comes to me. “So?”

Zane takes his time swallowing his latest bite of scrambled eggs, no doubt running it all lover in his head, and just when I’m about to lose my patience, he nods. “After you eat and get ready, we’ll go get your stuff—and your car.” Zane adds that last bit as an afterthought. Since his truck is totaled, it makes perfect sense to have my car here. He jerks his chin toward my plate, and it takes me a bit to realize what he’s said.

“I can’t eat all of this.” I shake my head and glance down at the mountain of food that he piled onto my plate.

“Ah, ah, ah.” Axel shakes a finger at me like I’m a little kid. “We can’t leave until you finish all of your food like a good little girl.”

“Fuck off, dickhead. You ain’t invited.” Zane glares at him and then turns his attention on me. “Eat what you want and leave the rest for Axel.”

“Really? How were you planning on getting there then? Walking? Your truck is fucked, and there’s no way I’m letting you drive Ellie-Mae,” Axel taunts in a singsong tone as he bounces Lily on his lap, causing her to show off a gummy smile. I fight not to do the same myself at their banter, and the way it reminds me of my own family as I take a few more small bites of food.

“Gertrude,” Kelsey corrects him.

“No way, Wildcat. We’ve talked about this.” Axel points his fork at her. “That is the name of someone’s grandmother. Not a lifted beauty like her.”

“Well, I won the bet, and I say it’s Gertrude.” She shrugs and stuffs more scrambled eggs into her mouth.

“You still owe me a rematch.” He wriggles his dark eyebrows, and something tells me that whatever the stakes are, they’ll both be declared a winner.

“Fine.” Zane’s teeth grind together as he realizes that Axel has a point. “You can come, but if you talk too much, I’m shoving a gag in your mouth.”

Axel rolls his eyes at him but grins so big his dimples show. When he sees me staring, he just shoots me a wink and goes back to playing with Lily. “Uncle Z is a softie at heart.”

She giggles and claps her hands together like he’s said the funniest thing ever and then steals a tiny fistful of egg off his plate. It’s halfway to her mouth when Axel reaches down and snags it from her. Lily laughs again, lightening up the somber mood, and that’s how we spend the rest of our breakfast.

When we arrive at my apartment complex, I can’t jump out of the truck fast enough. It was an awkward and tense drive. My stomach has been in knots ever since we left. I’m not sure if it’s just nerves or if my breakfast wants to come back up. I can’t wait until I have the privacy of my own vehicle again.

Axel wasn’t the only Savage brother to invite himself along to collect my things. Asher didn’t give Zane a choice to turn him down, so the four of us drove over here. Axel drove with Asher riding passenger and Zane in the back next to me, but it didn’t stop Axel from talking my ear off the entire way. The easygoing banter between us helped make things less awkward, but the underlying tension couldn’t be ignored. Other than a few grunts thrown in as an answer, Zane remained quiet and lost in his mind while he chewed on more gum. I don’t miss the way his fists tighten, and his head is constantly scanning the roads, looking for any signs of the car that shot at us.

Things don’t get any better from there. When we exit the elevator and walk up to my front door, we find the jamb busted and the door barely hanging by its hinges. Splinters of wood cover the surrounding ground.

The body language of all three Savage brothers instantly changes. They stiffen and pull out their guns from the waistband of their jeans. What happens next is a bit of a blur. One minute I’m standing in front of my door with my keys in my hand, and the next, I’m looking at the back of Zane’s head as Axel grabs the crook of my elbow and gently pulls me back next to him. The move is slight, but it’s enough to jostle around the food in my stomach and spark my nausea back to life.

Asher takes up the space beside Zane, ready to go in after him. They’ve made a shield out of their bodies and barricaded me in the middle.

“Stay behind us, Ken,” Zane orders without a backward glance.

“I’ve got her.” Axel pulls me in even closer until his side is pressed against mine and wraps an arm around my shoulders. He’s so close that all I can smell is the fruitiness of his gum. “You two go inside, and we’ll wait out here until you give the all-clear.”

Asher nods but doesn’t say anything else. I’ve learned that about him. He’s like my brother Connor. They don’t like to waste their time on unnecessary words. He and Zane make their way into my tiny apartment with their guns raised. The further they go, the harder my heart pounds in my throat until they’re out of sight. I clutch the ring of keys in my hand tighter against my chest as the floors creak from underneath their weight.

Doors slam open so hard I hear the drywall crack, causing me to jump. My nerves are shot. Every little noise is putting me on edge.

Axel puts a hand on my shoulder. “Easy there, Short Stack. We aren’t going to let anything happen to you.” His words ease my pounding pulse enough for me not to feel like I’m having a mini heart attack.

I switch my keys over to my left hand and wipe the palms of my sweaty hand on my leggings. Even the humid August air isn’t enough to calm my nerves. It takes everything I have to control my rapid breathing, but there’s no stopping the butterflies somersaulting inside me. My hands press against my stomach, where our baby is growing. We better make it out of this in one piece.

Seconds tick by as we wait. The entire time Axel’s head never stops roaming the hall, scanning our surroundings. He’s on constant alert, which is putting me on edge.

“What the fuck!” Zane shouts from inside.

Axel shoots me a look and rushes in to see what all of the commotion is about, leaving me standing there by my lonesome.

I’m torn between being out here alone or taking my chances inside with them.The latter option wins out. When I step over the threshold, my insides shrivel up. Everything I own is trashed. Stuffing from the few throw pillows I own litter the floor in a sea of white like a giant snowstorm came through. My couch is tossed on its side and torn apart as well. Things are just as bad inside my kitchenette. All of my cabinets are open, with the contents littering the floor. Broken glass and food are everywhere I look. Nothing has been left untouched. They purposely wanted to destroy any shred of me they could find. I can’t even imagine what my bedroom must look like.

When I get to my bedroom doorway, Zane has a man I’ve never seen before pressed up against the wall and a gun pressed to his temple. His dark skin is covered in tattoos like Zane’s, and his clothes look like they have seen better days.

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