Page 37 of Pretty Dark Vows

“Chill,” I tell him, which has Maddoc snorting in the background since it’s one word we all know is the polar opposite of any state Logan is capable of existing in.

Logan’s eyes narrow. “Not while she’s under this roof.”

I bite back another grin. Yup,bothmy brothers are definitely reacting to her.

“The only reason you’re pissed about having Riley land in our laps like this is because you’re the only one of us who hasn’t noticed how fucking gorgeous she is,” I say, just to rile him. Well, that and because it’s true. “But you’re welcome to take the stick out of your ass anytime, you know. Maybe try having a little fun once in a while?”

We’ve gone round and round on this particular topic more times than I can count, and this time, Logan doesn’t blink. He barely fucking moves.

Which makes the punch he lands in my face feel like it comes out of nowhere.

That’sthe brother I know and love. My head snaps to one side from the precision of the blow, and I laugh and flip him off, feeling a little high on the rush of adrenaline that comes after the burst of pain.

Logan rolls his eyes, and I lick away the coppery taste of blood from the corner of my mouth. We both know he’ll never thank me for giving him an outlet for all that bottled up bullshit he carries around inside—just like he’s not gonna come out and verbally appreciate Madd pushing him like that—but hey, I don’t need him to skywrite his gratitude. I’m happy just knowing I’ve done my part for the greater good.

I turn toward the hall leading down to the basement, but before I can leave the two of them to it, Maddoc grabs my shoulder, his other hand landing on Logan’s.

“Maybe Riley’s sister doesn’t matter,” Madd says. “Maybe she does. We’re not going to know until we dig a little deeper here, and that’s my call to make.”

He gives us each a hard look, and we both nod.

“Good,” he says with a sharp nod of satisfaction once we’ve both acknowledged his authority. He let Logan say his piece because Logan needed to, and because he’s smart enough to know that both Logan and I sometimes see shit that he doesn’t. But he’s right. Maddoc’s not just our chosen brother, he’s our leader. I’ve got no problem with the fact that his word is Reaper law, and under all that hissing and scratching, neither does Logan.

Maddoc has earned the right to our loyalty ten times over, and he’s got it from both of us until the grave.

He drops his hands from our shoulders and glances back toward the stairs with a calculating look in his eyes. “If you think Riley’s sister doesn’t matter, Logan, then it’s highly likely McKenna feels the same.”

We all trade looks. Sounds like an opportunity.

“What are we gonna do about that?” I ask.

Maddoc’s grin is fucking predatory this time. “One thing I learned from my father is that it’s the seemingly inconsequential things that often yield the biggest results. It’s the little weaknesses an organization doesn’t even realize it has that are the easiest to exploit. And even if she doesn’t matter, taking Riley’s sister back from them will fuck with McKenna’s head.”

I like it already, but Logan scowls.

“And what if Riley becomesourweakness?” he asks.

“She won’t,” Maddoc says flatly, his tone daring us to disagree. I can tell Logan is about to do just that, but before he can, Madd’s eyes go hard and he lays down the law. Reaper law. Inviolate. “We’ll do this thing for us, keep her close because it’s smart, but that’s it. She doesn’t get her hooks in us. We don’t have sex with her. None of us.”

“Too late,” Logan says, giving me a pointed look.

Maddoc clearly isn’t amused. “From here on out, it doesn’t happen again. Sex will just cloud our judgment.”

That’s bullshit. Sex is just sex. And sure, it’s a stone cold fact that fucking her was the best I’ve had in, shit… a long damn while. But still, getting my dick wet has never affected my head, and it’s never going to.

I know Madd’s history, though, so I keep my mouth shut and give him a lazy smile, agreeing to his edict. If I need some relief, I can provide that with my own right hand. And if that’s not enough, it won’t be a big thing to go find it elsewhere, no matter how fucking convenient it might be to get it closer to home while Riley is under our roof.

Logan looks like he’s swallowed a whole lemon, but I’m pretty sure it’s not because he’s being denied the chance to bang our new houseguest. More likely, he’s pissed about the whole “under our roof” part. I’m sure nothing that Maddoc said has changed Logan’s point of view, but he drops it for the moment and fucks off to go do whatever else is on his agenda for today.

I can tell this little conversation has managed to defuse his rage enough that he’s not about to go out and carve anyone up, so I still call it a win and am more than happy to fuck off myself for a while and get shit done without the two of them breathing down my neck.

That’s the thing with being closer than brothers. I’d lay down my life for either one of those two, but not gonna lie, sometimes I’m also glad this place Maddoc invested in for us is big enough that we’re not always in each other’s back pockets.

Besides, he gave me a job to do. I think I know what I’ll find—a whole lot of nothing, since I believe Riley’s story and mostly believe that my trust in her isn’t just my dick talking—but I’m still pretty curious to see if I’m right.

So I head down to the basement to find out.

Madd has enough weapons stored down here to outfit half the gang, but more importantly at the moment, it’s where we store other tools of our trade. I head straight to a workbench in the back and spread Riley’s clothes out on it. I felt up the seams while I was upstairs and didn’t notice anything suspicious, but my attention wasn’t fully on it.

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