Page 15 of To Catch A Rook

“It would take a Russian nuke to hurt your feelings,” she sassed back, and that alone brought me some reassurance. “I’m trying to spare yourworrying.”

“I’mprotective, not a worrywart.” I shrugged as I passed her the fresh coffee and started on Travis’s cup. “We’ll talk about this later, when I can corner you properly.”

I stopped pressing the coffee grounds and spun to face the group, recognizing the opportunity in front of me. “And speaking of protective, care to tell me why Kellan is back in town?”

Cam stared blankly back at me; his piercing blue eyes careful. “I didn’t know he was back in town. We don’t talk business, Hillary. We’re not putting our family at risk, especially with Noble to consider.”

Travis nodded in agreement; his normally smiling lips tight in a firm grimace. “We stay away from the ‘family business’ entirely, Hill. I have no idea what he’s up to.”

Winter took a cautious sip of her coffee, guilt flashing across her features. “Okay, I knew he was in town, but not for any specific purpose. When he messaged me, I figured you two had another blowup and it wouldn’t hurt for him to apologize.”

Her eyes filled with a naïve hope as she posed the question, “Did he? Apologize, I mean.”

I barked a disbelieving laugh and rolled my eyes before shifting back to the machine to finish the last two orders. “Yes, Winter, the man who is possibly more stubborn thanme, waltzed up to my office with flowers and diamonds.”

“Too bad,” Logan drawled, his grin one of wicked intent. “Make-up sex is the best sex.” He winked obnoxiously at Winter before turning his dastardly grin on me.

My annoying bastard of an ex-husband knew just what buttons to push.

“Wouldn’t know,” Drew said cheerfully, leaning in to kiss Winter’s temple. “You’re the only one who pisses her off enough to get make-up sex.”

“We’ve had make-up sex,” Shane piped up, wrapping his arms around Drew from behind, nipping the tip of his pinkening ear. “And it was very, very good, wasn’t it, baby?”

“Enough sex talk, please!” I snapped, shoving the sloshing mug into Cam’s waiting hands. I pulled Winter from Travis’ hold and pushed her in front of me, aggressively nudging her toward the patio door.

“Time’s up—I’m stealing her for the rest of the morning.”

“Hey! What about my coffee?” Shane protested.

I didn’t miss a step. “Stop pissing me off, Quicksilver. I don’t make coffee for delinquents.”

“You made Logan’s coffee.” I caught his grumble before I marched my friend out onto the sunny concrete patio facing the beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains.

We spent the rest of our time together giggling, reminiscing, and catching up on the chaos in our lives.

I made a vow to myself I would keep a sharper eye on Winter in the coming months. I couldn’t be in her presence every day, but I’d be in her ear, making sure she never forgot how much she means to me.

Lane Loyalty was a pact for life. And few would ever get such a luxury.

Visiting Winter had been the best pick-me-up treat I could ever give myself, but Cam’s Southern cooking was a little too much so. My body wasn’t used to processing the pounds of butter in each bite. I hoped my morning run would work it through my system and not out of my pores.

The noxious fumes of burning asphalt and car exhaust filled my lungs, as the traffic symphony provided the perfect beat to set my pace. Pavement rose to meet my feet as I ran through the streets of the busy downtown core. My condo building sat at the edge of a large public park, but it wasn’t big enough for my usual ten-mile run, and I got bored of the same landscape every day.

I enjoyed the challenge of dodging vehicles and pedestrians in the most trafficked district in the city, and used my daily cardio as its own practice ground of sorts. Bodyguards and personal drivers were a requirement in my line of work, but when all else failed, we only had ourselves to rely on—a lesson I would never need to learn again.

I didn’t run to music, preferring to keep my wits sharp. My runs were the exact opposite of meditation; an exercise in heightened awareness to sharpen my predator instincts.

I felt the redheaded man’s presence long before I saw him in my periphery.

“’Allo, Blondie.”

Lucky, the apparently always happy leprechaun, smoothly fell into step beside me; our combined width on the sidewalk an obnoxious presence for pedestrians to move around. Still, I didn’t move to make any more room for him. He was intruding on my run—he could be the one taken out.

I slowed my pace just enough to take him in. Leprechaun was an unfair assessment; other than his Irish heritage and impish grin, Lauchlan was anything but.

He wasn’t slim and taut like Aaron, and he didn’t have Kellan’s bulk either. He was dressed casually in basketball shorts and a loose tank, revealing temptingly honed shoulders and biceps, decorated with colorful Celtic symbols. Sweat ran down his temples in rivulets, darkening his hair and highlighting the freckles along his cheekbones. His green eyes held my stare, their mischievous glint checking me out in the same way.

Whoever this mysterious man was, there was no denying he was hotter than sin, and he knew it.

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