Page 163 of Steel

“No. Didn’t see the point until Rachel started her shit.”

“Steel, that club is your life, which means anyone in it is a part of your life. You know how those women can get sometimes,” Emmy Lou says.

“Know that. Warned Lee before we walked in.”

“But she still went in there thinking the last time you were with them was that night you went to rescue her. You didn’t inform her you’d fucked them after you all had already been intimate. That gives them ammunition to hurt Bailee if they choose to.”

“Don’t know why. We weren’t together or exclusive,” I say stubbornly.

“God, save me from dense fucking men,” Emmy Lou mutters. “Do you really believe that’s going to stop Bailee from being hurt? You’re not dumb, Steel. You know how she feels about you. Hell, you’ve known how she’s always felt. She was never good at hiding it. Now, you aren’t responsible for the way she feels about you in that aspect, not really. You never made her promises as far as I know, but Steel, you are responsible for your actions. It doesn’t take much to be a decent person and take care with her.”

“What the fuck do I do then? Tell her? Only goin’ to hurt her more.”

“Would you rather she hear it from you or be blinded by Rachel again with it?” Atlas chimes in.

“What would you do?” I ask him.

He starts to say something, but then his words get muffled. Knowing Em, she slapped her hand over his mouth.

“Atlas doesn’t get to give you that answer because he never really told me about his ladies of the week. If I wasn’t good at my job and didn’t already know about them, the run-in we had with Miss Wednesday not too long ago would’ve been uncomfortableas hell.” She sighs. “Look, it’s always been a little toxic between you two.”

I open my mouth to refute that, but snap it closed when she tells me to stay quiet.

“Just be quiet and listen. It’s always been that way. Bailee always wore her heart on her sleeve when it came to you, and you took advantage of that. You knew she’d always open her door to you because of it, no matter what. That’s not to say you didn’t care for her. I believe you did. Probably deeper than you know, and for some reason, that scares the hell out of you. So, you’d pull away, giving her scraps of yourself until you couldn’t stay away any longer. That made Bailee feel like she wasn’t enough, and when you made it official with Heather, you really rubbed that in for her. We know why you did it, but it doesn’t change how it made her feel. Now, she’s learning all this other stuff with the club girls, and it’s bringing those feelings back up for her.”

“What do I do?” I ask, my voice gruff with emotion after listening to how my relationship with Bailee looked through my best friend’s eyes.

“You apologize. Be genuine with it. Then you be honest and transparent with her. You tell her about you being with the girls since she’s been back in your life, and you explain why you didn’t go to her after your split with Heather. It may help, it may not. Regardless, if you care about her as much as I believe you do, just be there for her while she feels what she does. Validate her feelings, Steel. Answer her questions. Prove to hershe’sit for you.” Emmy Lou pauses then asks the one question I’m not sure I’m ready to answer. “Do you love her, Steel? Are youin lovewith her?”

“If I am, you ain’t goin’ to be the first to hear it,” I mutter, staring out into the woods as I let the question bounce around in my head.

Am I in love with my little Hummingbird?

“Atta boy,” Atlas crows, causing my lips to twitch as I lift the bottle to them again.

“Look, man, I know apologies and explaining isn’t really your forte. You’re not used to it, but you got to find your balance if you care about her. I don’t know a shit ton about your lifestyle, but I know there’s gonna be shit you won’t be able to share with her. My suggestion is to show her she’s a priority of yours too by protecting her when you can. That means being open to her and not letting others have ammo that can be used against her. You feel me?” Atlas asks.

“Feel you. ‘Preciate you both.”

“Always. You know we’re here. We love you and Lee. How’s shit going your way? Killer Kitties say it’s been good so far when they’re on duty. You really should make an appointment with them because they’ll clear your kitten’s issue up permanently.”

I rub my jaw as I decipher her words.

Did she just tell me those ladies would take Killer out? I know they’ve been working in the background when we need to keep Lyric and Bailee safe, but are they fucking . . . assassins?

Is that what she’s trying to tell me?

Who the fuck is my best friend hanging with, and how the hell did she meet up with a group of fucking female assassins?

‘Course, I can’t just ask her that shit over the phone.

“Keep that in mind,” I reply.

We chat for a few more minutes before I end the call and climb to my feet.

There’s an urgency under my skin now to get to Bailee after my talk with Emmy Lou and Atlas.

After tossing my bottle in the bin, I arm the security system again and make sure all the lights are off before heading to my woman.

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