Page 96 of Steel

“Speak to him as you normally would so he doesn’t become suspicious,” Steel says in my ear.

I smile at Cecil, hoping he can’t read the unease in it. “Yeah, suge. Heading out. You have a good night and stay out of trouble.”

Cecil chuckles and pushes open the door for me. “Now, where’s the fun in that, darlin’?”

As soon as I walk out the door and into the muggy night air, Steel is standing at the front of his Bronco waiting for me. He nods at Cecil and ends the call with me, sliding the phone into his pocket and striding over to meet me.

Steel wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me to him, dropping his face toward mine and planting a hard kiss against my lips.

“Come on, baby girl. Let’s get you out of here.”

The fear that I’d been holding in all night comes rushing out of me as soon as he grabs hold of me, and my body trembles.

Steel tightens his fingers around mine. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

He opens the door to the Bronco, but when I go to climb in, he stops me and turns me to face him. Lifting the hand he’s not using to hold mine, he grabs my chin and tilts my face so I’m peering up at him. “Not goin’ to let anything happen to you. You know that, right?”

My eyes water at the fierceness of his tone. I bring my hand up and wrap it around his jaw. “Yes, I know that. I trust you, Jericho. I wouldn’t have come to you if I didn’t.”

“Good.” He drops another hard kiss to my lips before stepping away. “Get in so we can go.”

As soon as my ass hits the seat, a beautiful, melodic voice chirps in my ear. “Hiya, Bee.”

Closing my eyes, I rest my head back against the seat and reach my hand back between them to squeeze her leg. “Hiya, my heart song.”

This.

This is where my heart rests.

Inside the cab of this vehicle with these two people.

And while Steel does what he can to keep me safe, I make a vow to do the same for these two. No matter what, there’s nothing I won’t do to keep these two people who I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with safe.

Chapter twenty-six

When Bailee calls meabout Miranda, it takes all I have not to lose my shit. Since I have Lyric with me, I got to make sure I keep her safe as much as I do Bailee. The club will be converging on that alley as soon as they get the call about Miranda’s body being found, and I need to get Bailee out of there before then. She tells me she didn’t touch anything in the alley, and the places she did touch can be explained by her being an employee there. Hopefully, that shit doesn’t come up, though, because then Wraith and them will find out and want to know. If I find out that Miranda is in any way connected to Killer’s shit, there’s no more putting off bringing them in. If she’s not, that means the club has even more problems and won’t need even more issues piled on top of that.

I tell her to come to me out front so I can get her out of here, and I keep her on the phone because even if she may not act like it, fear shakes in her tone anytime she speaks.

Pulling up to the front of Sinful Saloon, I turn and peer back at Lyric. “Just goin’ to be right outside the door waitin’ on Bailee.”

Lyric replies with a smile and a nod before turning back to watch out the window.

I lean against the hood of the Bronco as I wait for her to walk out. When our bouncer, Cecil, speaks to her, I tell her to talk back to him as she normally would because the last thing we want is for anyone to be suspicious of her that usually wouldn’t be.

Any other time, I’d find his flirty tone amusing, but considering we don’t know who the fuck to be suspicious of, I’ve become suspicious of fucking everyone. Including our flirty bouncer. Bailee must feel the same way too because I can detect the unease in her tone when she replies back to him.

The door opens, and I straighten from my position when they both step through, him holding it open for her by leaning his shoulder into it. Cecil glances up at me, and I give him a respectful nod of thanks. He returns it without question, and surprisingly, his eyes don’t bounce between me and Bailee in curiosity. Either he already knows, he’s a plant for Killer, or he just honestly doesn’t give a fuck who my woman is fucking. Never really got any bad feels from him, so I’m going with the latter.

I put an end to the call with Bailee now that I don’t need it and slide my phone into my pocket as I stride over to meet her partway. As soon as I reach her, I wrap my fingers around the back of her neck and pull her to me, dropping my head down to plant a hard kiss on her juicy lips. Partially so I know she’s okay, but mostly because I missed the fuck out of her and I’m unable to resist grabbing a quick taste of my woman.

“Come on, baby girl. Let’s get you out of here,” I rumble as I pull away and entwine my fingers with hers.

As soon as our fingers are tangled together, her body trembles as the emotions she’s been holding at bay surge through her now that she knows she’s sheltered from harm.

Tightening my hold, I reassure her that I’ve got her and that she’s safe, but I’m not sure that does much, so I wait until she’s about to climb into the cage before I turn her to face me so I can look into her eyes.

I grab her chin and lift her face. “Not goin’ to let anything happen to you. You know that, right?”

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