Page 24 of Pretty Vengeful Queen

“Austin?”

She makes a face. “Yeah.Prick. But they put in, like, atonof effort to make sure they’d be able to get you out of there okay after they knew where it was going down. They called in a bunch of other Reapers and planned out the whole thing.”

“I know,” I say, and it’s true. But hearing her talk about it as she starts to tell me all about Logan letting her help out with the digital search, and some of the other lengths my men went to, affects me more than I’m prepared for.

Or maybe that has something to do with how comfortable Chloe is with them.

I can tell by the easy, familiar way she talks about Maddoc, Dante, and Logan as she describes the time she spent with them that she feels secure here, just like I do. I can tell she not only likes the three of them; she trusts them too. And normally, Chloe doesn’t trust any easier than I do.

It means something to me that she’s obviously found a place for herself here.

I like it.

She hugs me again, and when we separate, Maddoc is standing in the doorway, watching us. “We need to talk.”

Something in his tone has me tensing up, and Chloe picks up on it.

“What? What are you talking about?” she asks, worry filling her eyes all over again. “We got her back. Everything’s good now, right?”

Maddoc sighs and scrubs a hand over his face. “Can you two come into the living room?”

Dante and Logan are already in there, and no matter what Maddoc is about to spring on us now, having everyone I care about all together is always gonna be a good thing.

“It’s good to have you home, wildcat,” Logan says with a small, enigmatic smile that earns him a sharp glance from Maddoc but warms something in the center of my chest.

I squeeze Chloe’s hand, pulling her along with me to the couch where Logan’s sitting. We settle next to him as Dante lounges near the wall, hands in his pockets. His stance is relaxed, but I can read the signs of tension in his body that belie the outward appearance of ease.

“What is it?” I ask Maddoc, cutting to the chase.

He doesn’t sugarcoat anything, either. “We need to get you two out of here.”

“She just got here!” Chloe bursts out.

“I said both of you,” Maddoc tells her, his voice a little gentler. “I’m not going to separate you again.”

Chloe relaxes, and Maddoc looks to me again, those gorgeous dark-rimmed gray eyes giving away the depth of emotion that he manages to keep out of his voice.

“Shit with West Point is gonna get worse before it gets better here in Halston. You won’t be safe here, but now that McKenna got what he needed from you…?”

He turns it into a question even though I was right there when Austin told him I signed all the money over to him.

I nod, and Maddoc grunts, but then gives me the hint of a smile. “I guess it was too fucking much to hope he was lying about that shit, but at least it means West Point has no reason to care about the two of you anymore. You should be safe once we get you out of the city.”

“Relatively safe,” Logan murmurs next to me, a hint of dissent in his voice.

I lift my chin, narrowing my eyes at Maddoc. I don’t care that he just made me all but promise not to put myself at risk anymore. If they’re here, I’m here. If they fight, I’m fighting too.

“Logan set up a safe house out of state,” Maddoc says, staring me down.

“I’m not going.”

Across the room, Dante crosses his arms over his chest, giving me an apologetic smile. “We got some of our best people on the way here to take you right now, princess. The Escalade’s been in the body shop, getting new glass and reinforced siding, and they’re bringing it. Madd made sure you’ll be safe on the way there, and we’re going to leave a few guys and some serious firepower—”

I shake my head, my eyes never leaving Maddoc’s gray ones.

“Quit being stubborn,” he growls, looming over me like he thinks he can intimidate me into obeying him now. “You’re going.”

I spring to my feet, tipping my head back to glare up at him. “The hell I am.”

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