Page 19 of Torn Souls

Kirill’s narrowed eyes study me for a moment before his shoulders slump and he sits back in his chair. It’s as if something settles inside of him with my words. It would be laughable if this weren’t so serious.

“I want her,” Kirill announces without preamble.

“You want her, or you want to take the deal?” The question slips past my lips before I can stop it.

My brother’s eyes are sharp when he looks at me. It’s a look I’ve seen him give to his enemies and the thought of him lookingat me the same way, over a woman, has me sitting up straighter. Oh shit.

“You felt the same thing I did,” I exclaim, the surprise evident in my voice.

“She’s mine,” he confirms with a decisive nod. “I know there is more at play, but I don’t care. If he can use his daughter as a bargaining chip, I have no doubt he’s trying to use her in other ways.”

“Maybe he thinks she’ll be a mole if he can get her in our inner circle,” Baker offers, his voice soft. When I look at him, it’s clear he has more to say. Huck has the same look on his face.

And I know. They want her as well.

Have we found the woman meant to be shared between us? The women who will become our heart?

My own heart pounds in my chest at the thought. I never thought we would find a woman capable of taking on all of us. The strength of such a woman would have to be astounding. There’s no doubt in my mind, given what I saw from Chambers tonight and what I already know about the way he’s conducted business, Oaklynn has that kind of strength.

“I want her too,” Baker finally admits and when I look at Huck he’s nodding his head.

“There’s something about her,” Huck adds.

Their words feel like a lifeline. I didn’t even realize how tense I was at the thought we weren’t all on the same page. I should have known better.

These men are more than my friends, more than blood, they are my family. Of course, when we meet the woman meant to be ours, we would all recognize it.

“Chambers has something up his sleeve,” Kirill’s voice is threaded with steel. “He’s not going to be happy I didn’t jump at his offer.” His gaze meets ours in turn. “It’s going to take all of us to protect our woman.”

Our woman.

“Oh shit,” Huck whispers, the words resonating with him the same way it feels like they reverberate through me.

Kirill’s eyes widen as he realizes what he’s said. But he doesn’t try to backtrack, not that I would expect him to. He’s always been a man of action.

Our woman.

The declaration settles around us, wrapping us each in the certainty of the truth hidden in something so simple. Something so fucking right.

The looks shared between us go from surprised and confused to determined and possessive. I can’t keep the smirk off my face. Oaklynn has no idea what she is in for, but she will. Soon.

I hope she isn’t in on whatever her father has planned. My gut is telling me she’s innocent. I’ve gotten damn good at reading people over the years and even though she tried to hide it, I saw the flash of fear on her face along with a fire in her eyes she tried to keep from us.

“There’s a fire in her,” I murmur, “but there is also pain in her eyes.”

Huck sighs and slumps into a seat on the large, oversized couch in the room. “I saw it too,” he admits, his eyes fixed to a point in the distance only he can see. Pain flashes across his face for a moment before he schools his features. His voice is pained, “Do you think he’ll hurt her?”

Kirill’s head snaps in his direction, anger radiating off him. “Did you find any evidence of past abuse?”

Huck shrugs while shaking his head. “Not specifically. There were some medical records, but I didn’t dive into them. Nothing raised any red flags in that direction, but I was focused on finding out everything about Chambers, not his daughter.”

“Dig deeper,” Kirill growls.

Baker cracks his knuckles and pulls out one of his knives, a menacing look on his face. “If he’s hurt her, I’ll gut the bastard.”

“You’ll have your chance,” my brother promises.

Hopefully, Baker leaves a little bit behind for the rest of us to play with. When I glance in his direction, his face is hard and his jaw is clenched. The joking air about him is gone, replaced by cold fury and determination.

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