Page 111 of Sinful Mates

Slade raised his palms. “They’re green. I can’t leave them to do this alone. It’s too dicey and they might fuck everything up.”

“Fuck.” Exasperated and out of options, I pushed off him.

“Come here, sugar.” Slade tried to catch me and drag me back, but I moved away, biting my nails. “You’ll ruin your sexy nails.”

“Fuck my goddamn nail polish, Slade!” Goddess, I was getting hysterical. About to break something if I didn’t get hold of myself.

Fiery heat engulfed me, and I wanted to punch him. Punch Zethan for getting caught up in this. Hell, punch myself in the face for getting caught up in the Jackals’ world and falling for these four dangerous men.

“Calm down, sugar.” Slade crushed me, pinioning my arms. “I simply meant I need my kitten to slash some faces if things get rough.”

I snorted a little. “Not funny.”

Things were rough, and by all indications, about to get stormy.

“You laughed.” I hit him for that reply. “Sugar, I need you to stay here with Castor.” He glanced at Alaric. “Hawk Boy, I need you scouting for me.”

Alaric’s nerves heightened on the bond like an overly tightened piano key out of tune. “I can’t go to jail, Slade. I fucking can’t. I’ll scout for you, but that’s all. You’re on your own for the run.”

Relief trickled through my body at hearing this, but not that Slade was on his own unprotected. If cornered, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill a threat, and I worried what he might do to get out alive. How he, Castor, and the club would bury that news to protect the club. How they would respond if more cops turned up asking questions.

Darkness strangled Slade’s bond as the news of the general’s last soldiers’ desertion sank in. “Hawk Boy, get me a map of an alternative run. One that the cops won’t ever think of. I don’t give a fuck how many potholes or dirt roads we have to navigate. Get it to me. You have a fucking hour.”

Castor raised his hands to fight this like a barrister arguing in court. “Slade, that’s impossible. How’s he supposed to do all that in a short timeframe?”

Slade ignored him, scrambling to strategize when his bond was a mess of chaos and fury. “Castor, get distractions ready to go. Flood emergency lines with calls and get the cops off our tail. Organize a last-minute street drag race. Ready two dummy trucks to leave in an hour. Use one with the toy donations.”

“You can’t do that, Slade,” I debated his last suggestion. “What if the police confiscate it? What will we do for the Christmas charity? Zethan’s advertised it and parents have signed their children up to receive gifts. We can’t just cancel it.”

My question pushed Slade to the point of losing his patience. “Sugar, if you’ve got a better idea, say it.”

Fuck. My head hurt with the news of Zethan’s arrest. My heart aimed to soothe Alaric’s anxiety. I fumbled to calm my fiery mate.

Only Castor held his own among my men and me.

When I didn’t offer an alternative, Slade let me go and paced the room. “I can’t believe this.” He was furious and disappointed at his men. “I didn’t think they’d all be gutless. Not you, Alaric. I understand your reasons.”

I looped my fingers around Slade’s arm. “The other men had reasons too.”

“We’re a fucking outlaw motorcycle club, sugar.” Fury banked on the bond. “We’re criminals. That’s our job.”

Before it devolved into all out of war with words, Castor announced, “I’ll go,” and the room descended into a thick silence for five deathly seconds.

Slade slashed the air with his hands. “No. You’re staying here and taking over if I go down.”

Rules were rules… occasionally broken by Slade when he felt like it.

The argument stalled when Mia’s screams called us out into the party room. She lay on the floor, crying hysterically, Rusty’s wife trying to calm her. My frantic eyes cast to Slade for yelling and probably upsetting her.

I crouched on my knees and curled her onto my lap. “Honey, it’s okay. Slade didn’t mean to yell.”

Slade and Alaric came to rest beside me, the president stroking her flushed face. “Hey, Bossy Boots. I’m not angry at you.”

“Little bird, it’s me.” Alaric held her hand and she crushed his.

“He killed them!” she wailed, eyes red and watery. “He killed my parents!”

Fuck, her amnesiac barrier broke, unleashing the horrendous memories of Danny murdering her parents.

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