Page 106 of Steel

“Fuck,” I whisper. “I didn’t know.”

Emmy Lou sighs. “I know. It’s the only reason I’m not down your throat further than I am.”

The laugh I let out is brittle and filled with sharp edges. “Don’t let me off the hook, Emmy Lou. I knew they weren’t going to be happy about it, but I didn’t know they’d view it as a betrayal.”

“You have time to tell them. They love Steel. They’re going to know that he didn’t do it with ill intentions. At least, they better fucking not. He’s given them so much of his loyalty, they shouldn’t question it, but I also know they’ve had members, men they considered brothers, betray them in the worst ways over the last decade. This is going to be a blow, and I really hope you and Steel are both ready for the fallout.”

“I’ve got him no matter what. I’ll be sure they know this is on me. He would never have done it if I didn’t beg him to,” I reply to Emmy Lou.

“Steel is a big boy, Lee. He knew what he was doing when he agreed, so don’t play the martyr. Nobody cares for them. Just . . .” She blows out a quiet breath. “Just don’t let him face any of this on his own.”

“I’ve got him, Emmy Lou. I know he’s your best friend, but he’s the man I love. I’ve got him until I no longer do.”

“Good. Then you two need to sit down and figure out how to tell the club because if there’s anyone who’s going to get us the information we need on Killer without any casualties on our end, it’ll be Desdemona,” Willow says.

“Yeah, okay. I understand. I’ll make sure he gives you all a call once we’ve told them. That way, you all can get a visit in to her as soon as possible. I want this shit finished before anyone else ends up hurt because of it.”

An unfamiliar voice chimes in the background letting Emmy Lou and Willow know their client has arrived and is waiting for them in the conference room.

One of them sighs and replies before coming back to me. “All right. Business calls. Make it quick, Lee. There’s no telling when Killer will strike, and we want to hit him before he gets to hit you,” Emmy Lou says.

We say our goodbyes after I promise to talk with Steel soon. I’m not looking forward to having that talk with the club, but I am looking forward to maybe having a chance to finally be free of Killer. If Desdemona can get us that, then my discomfort means jack shit. Plus, now that I know the rules they live by, I can’t stomach letting Steel keep this from them any longer. If he loses that part of his life, I’m going to be the one to blame, and my heart can’t take that. Because even if he says differently,resentment will build inside him until he’s looking at me as the enemy.

A knock on the apartment door startles me, but my shoulders drop when I hear the keys in the lock. As far as I know, Steel is the only other person who has keys. Sure enough, his familiar boots are the first thing through, and once he’s inside, his eyes find mine and they trek over me, making sure I’m in one piece before he marches over.

He doesn’t even say anything, just locks his hand around the front of my throat and drops his mouth to mine. Steel shoves his tongue inside, demanding me to play, and I give this man what he wants.

Right as I’m about to beg him for . . . something, he pulls back and rests his forehead against mine.

“Missed you,” he admits gruffly.

Well, if I wasn’t already madly fucking in love with him, this would have done it. Steel, or at least the version Iusedto have of him, wouldn’t willingly open himself up like that. He wouldn’t allow me to have that type of emotion from him.

“Missed you too, bossman,” I whisper, closing my eyes and soaking this closeness in.

After a few minutes, I pull back and peer up at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Come to get you. Lyric is at the house with a sitter. Comin’ to stay with us. Pack for a few days. Don’t know when I’m goin’ to bring you back here.”

“Everything okay?” I ask, lifting my hand to cup his cheek. “You look exhausted, Jericho.”

“Fuckin’ am, Hummingbird. Burnt the fuck out. Need you in my arms tonight.”

“Then you’ve got me.” I lift to my toes and brush my lips against his. “Let me go dump some clothes in a bag. What aboutwork? Will you bring me back here? It really sucks not being able to have my own car right now.”

He aims a look my way. “Don’t actually have to work. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I do. I can’t go out and shoot pictures, which is what I really want to be doing. I already had to cancel too many appointments. Letting my clients down is something I’ve never done before, and I hate the way it makes me feel. So, there’s no way I’m leaving Reva high and dry. Plus, I like working here with the girls.”

He doesn’t say anything to that, just follows me to the room and takes a seat on the bed as I grab a duffel bag from the closet.

I talk to him about things that don’t really matter while I pack the bag, feeling like he needs a breather for just a second from all the crap that he’s been wading through between Killer and the stuff for his club. He doesn’t input much, not that I expect him to.

It’s gotten much quieter in the room when I come back from gathering some things from the bathroom, and I come to a halt when I notice Steel’s position on the bed.

My heart melts because if this was anyone else, I truly don’t think he’d have allowed himself to be vulnerable enough to fall asleep. Exhaustion weighs heavily on him, though, and even in his brief cat nap, I can see it on his face.

His shirt has lifted a little and one of his hands rests on the bare skin of his abdomen, his fingers sitting about half an inch inside his waistband. I follow the length of his other arm to see it sitting a few inches from the gun he must have pulled from behind him before lying back.

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