Page 95 of Savage Promises

I hike to the Navigator idling out front where my guard is waiting, leaning against the back door. I’d fought hard to keep him out of the club earlier. I didn’t want to be seen that way. Someone spoiled with a guard, the way Neve flaunted Lars.

“What the fuck happened?” my brawny guard grounds out, looking at my face.

I freeze and think quickly. “A rowdy customer bumped into me.”

“Someone fucking hit you? And you didn’t come get me? Your husband will kill me!” He runs a nervous hand through his hair.

“It was an accident.” I hadn’t considered how this might affect Dorian and his standing with Shane. “I’llhandle it with my husband. I promise.”

I get into the backseat and push away the feeling of wanting to cry. I glance at my reflection in a makeup compact and wince, understanding Dorian’s horror-filled expression. My lip is swollen and there’s dried blood already caked over a cut.

My hair is disheveled, and my is blouse ruined with blood stains on the collar.

By the time I get home, I’m a mess inside and out, and my lip feels even bigger. It’s late and I’m grateful the house is empty. Shane and I have eased into a routine where we each come and go as we please.

I rush up the stairs and slip into my bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I’m grateful for the first time that I have my own bedroom. I blot my lip with a damp cloth to clean off the blood.

The sight of my busted-up face sends a fresh wave of anger through me. At Garrett. At myself. At everything.

Just as I reach for the door handle, planning to go to the kitchen for more ice, the door creaks open. Shane is standing there and horror floods my veins.

His eyes narrow on my face.

“What happened? Who the fuck did that to you?” His sharp voice startles me.

I didn’t have time to come up with an excuse, and I don’t know if he’s spoken to Dorian. Did my guard rat me out?

“I was at the gym. Kickboxing. Someone got too close. A kick went wide.”

His eyes bore into mine, and I know he doesn’t believe me. He steps closer, his fingers brushing against my stained blouse.

“You went to Club Echelon,” he says quietly. “I saw it on your phone.”

With a dry throat, I say, “Yeah. I stopped there afterthe gym. My nose was still bleeding when I got dressed.”

The tracking device he put on my phone recorded me being there.AndClub Echelon, where according to my lie, I waltzed in there with blood on my clothes.

“Are you lying to me, Lennox?” Giving me a suspicious once-over, Shane speaks in a deceptively calm voice. The tension radiating off him is unmistakable. And terrifying.

“No,” I whisper, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “I’m not lying.”

For a moment, he just stares at me, his expression unreadable. Then he exhales, brushing a kiss against my forehead.

“I just stopped home to see you,” he says. “We have another weapons shipment coming in. We’re all working tonight to keep the fucking Albanians off our backs and the Feds looking the other way.”

“Okay,” I say, holding my breath.

“Get some rest.” Shane kisses my forehead again, and when I wince, he growls. But he leaves without another word, the air thick with unspoken tension.

As I sink back against the bathroom counter, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve made a grave mistake covering for my brother.

Again.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Lennox

“Shane?” I call out, stepping inside the brownstone and ringing out a wet umbrella.

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