Page 112 of No Apologies
Chapter Twenty
He couldn’t believe that he’d actually let her come along to this meeting and from the looks on his cousin’s faces, neither could they. No doubt he would get shit about being whipped from here to eternity over this. Not that he cared. He would happily spend the rest of his life wrapped around Skylar’s little finger and his cousins could go to hell.
That wasn’t why he hesitated.
He was having a tough time wrapping his head around Skylar being a part of this dark, dirty side of his life. He hadn’t just let her touch the darkness this time. He’d brought her straight to it.
He’d tried explaining to his cousin that he and Skylar had come to an agreement and there was no need for this meeting at all. When Lincoln insisted they have a sit down, he’d even tried convincing him to come to the apartment, going so far as to use his injuries as an excuse. But Lincoln hadn’t been swayed and in the end, he’d said they’d better be here, at the barn, on time, or they would regret it.
At that threat, he’d immediately started thinking of ways to keep Skylar away.
That was before he’d talked to his brothers. Plural, which was still strange to him. In one way or another, the person he’d always been most accountable to was Cash but Colt was still getting used to having Remy around too. They were all feeling their way through the rough spots and figuring out how they fit together as adults but there had never been any question that both his brothers had his back. They’d said they were coming to the meeting and that was final.
He hadn’t even bothered to argue with them. It would save him another fight with his girl if they went. Skylar being in Bomar territory, facing down his cousins, worried the hell out of him enough to take back the promise she’d coerced that she could go. But if he had Cash and Remy there to back him up in case things went sideways, he didn’t have to disappoint her.
Even still, her safety was his first priority and his brothers were under strict orders that if anything more than voices were raised, they were to get Skylar out first. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Lincoln. At this point, he did. He thought his cousin honestly had his best interests at heart. But he didn’t know exactly what he was walking into and he didn’t like that, not when it came to the Bomars.
He’d been tense all day but walking into the barn made his every muscle bunch with the expectation of a fight. It wasn’t a regular barn. What use the Bomars could ever have had for a barn, he didn’t know, but for as long as he’d been alive it had been a hub of underground action.
Sometimes it was storage. Sometimes, like now, it was simply a meeting place. But most of the time, it was Abel’s version of a fight club.
Just looking at it now, it was impossible to see it. The cage was gone. The dirt floor was freshly swept to get rid of the hundreds of footprints from the weekend crowd. To the naked eye it only looked like a well-maintained but otherwise unused barn. That was the point. Even if the cops did get word of Abel’s extensive gambling ring, they’d never think to look here.
But everywhere Colt looked he saw his violent past. He saw himself throwing punches and breaking bones. He saw himself grinning and holding his arms up in the air after a victory. He saw himself bruised and bloody on the ground as the crowd cheered and jeered. And his fists automatically balled the moment he stepped through the doorway.
“Hey.” A soft, familiar voice pulled him back from the darkness that threatened to overwhelm him, “You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.” He loosened his fists so he could take Skylar’s hand and kissed it gently, “Stay close okay?”
“I’m not leaving your side.” She squeezed his hand and then nodded, “Let’s get this over with.”
Colt glanced over her head at his brothers. They’d flanked him coming in, one of them on either side. Remy’s jaw was tense and his eyes kept scanning the perimeter. Cash looked tense too but he met his twin’s eyes and nodded slightly. Cash understood what he had asked better than Remy could. His twin had threatened to lock Jemma up when she asked if she could come too. In the end, she’d agreed to stay behind but Cash knew all about wanting to protect the woman he loved. He’d get Skylar out if things went bad.
“Yeah, let’s go.” He kept her hand as he headed deeper into the barn.
His brothers followed in silence. They didn’t have to go far. His cousins were waiting for them in the middle of the bar in a loose semi-circle. He’d known Lincoln would be there. He’d even expected Abel would be part of the meeting since it was happening in his territory. But when he saw both Ford and Noah standing respectfully just behind their older brothers, he almost stopped walking.
They’d each brought their second in command. Backup. This was more serious than he’d thought. Apparently he wasn’t the only one expecting a fight.
Skylar squeezed his hand and he caught her smirk when she greeted them all, “Lincoln. Abel. Nice to see you again Noah. And Ford… it’s a pleasure.”
Colt growled and jerked her into his side, “Really?”
“What? I was just saying hi.”
His jaw clenched when she grinned up at him innocently. If there was anything he’d learned about his angel in the past few weeks, it was that she was nowhere near as innocent as she looked. She knew exactly what she was doing greeting his cousins like that. No, not his cousins, just Ford.
He growled, “Don’t even think about it.”
“What?”
“You’re trying to provoke me and now isn’t the time. You’re not going to touch him.”
“Maybe just a hug?” Her eyes twinkled with laughter.
“Sky…”
Lincoln cut him off with an amused chuckle, “As much as I’d love to know who she isn’t allowed to hug, we have some important business to tend to.”
