Page 174 of Nothing More

Cass got to her feet, all her laughter gone, her face paling. “Who is it?”

Toly had gotten to his feet, too, hands hovering at his hips, where Raven knew he had at least two knives stashed, and maybe a gun. “It’s a big chapter,” he said, voice calm, but gaze tight as it flicked from window to window. “Someone’s always coming and going.”

But Lean Dogs didn’t drive Jaguars, a truth none of them needed to voice.

Crunch of gravel outside, hum of an expensive engine as the car pulled up to the house.

Bang.

Raven jumped, and Cass yelped.

Tenny and Toly came together, a single unit of aggression, sliding shoulder to shoulder in front of Raven and Cass, as the side door burst open and slammed back against the wall of the hallway. Steel winked in both their hands, and Shep, who’d come in from the side porch opposite the driveway, skidded to a halt, hands lifting; he held a gun in one.

“Whoa,” Shep said, looking between them. “It’s me.”

“There’s someone coming up the driveway in a strange car,” Raven explained, when it became obvious that neither Toly nor Tenny were going to explain, nor back down even though they recognized him.

Possibly later she would examine all the ways Toly was like her brothers, and have a little Freudian crisis about it.

Shep, hands still up, brows still raised, looking ridiculous, said, “Yeah. I saw. That’s why I’m down here.” His brows lowered, and he shot each man a dark look in turn.

Toly slipped his knife away first; a fast sleight of hand trick, wink of metal and gone. It was rather impressive, and did rather impressive things to her libido…when she wasn’t in a state such as this.

Tenny turned away from Shep, finally, but didn’t sheathe his knife. Crossed the room with it held low and ready against his thigh, headed for the kitchen, and then the back hallway, where coats were hung, and boots were lined up.

Raven followed, ignoring the hand Toly stuck out in an attempt to hold her back. “Tennyson, don’t you dare stab someone’s old lady.”

“I never stab anyone I don’t mean to,” he said over his shoulder.

“You nearly stabbed Shep just now!”

“Who says I didn’t mean that?”

“Thanks,” Shep muttered. Then: “It looked like a Jag on the video.”

“It is,” Tenny said.

The back hallway was narrow, too narrow for them all to stand together. When Toly hooked her elbow with a hand and maneuvered her behind the three of them, she went, but with a frown.

Cassandra crowded in close behind her. “Maybe Ian got a new car.”

“Maybe,” Raven said, but the men were all tightly-wound and ready.

In the confines of the hall, the trill of Raven’s phone was startling.

“Christ,” she muttered, and pulled it from her pocket, intending to silence it. But the screen was lit up withKINGin all caps.

She hesitated.

“Shut that off,” Tenny snapped.

She switched off the ringer. “Shut yourself off,” she shot back. Watched the screen go black…and then light up again, vibrating with another call. King again. If he of all people was calling back-to-back, it was important.

“Yes?” she answered. “Kingston?”

A deep, long-suffering sigh came through the line. In a weary voice, he said, “I’m sorry.”

Raven frowned. “What? Sorry for what? What are you talking about?” Her voice was shrill, physical fear bleeding into it. She didn’t have time for him being enigmatic.

---