Page 32 of Moonlit Temptation

We may have taken ourselves off the board, but they're mistaken if they think we're out of commission.

We just remade the board.

One where we prosper, mostly above the board finances, and live without the constant threat of bloodshed. We created a new kind of living, a brotherhood born of camaraderie and not coercion. The Hell Hounds could have followed suit. But they chose to stay rooted in the old ways.

I mull over ideas on next steps, trying to find the flaws in each and adjusting. “I'm happy to send them a reminder of our agreement.”

“Nah, not yet. Check-in with Redford first, see if he's noticed anything. Where are the guys Eddie caught now?” Silas asks.

Sheriff Anthony Redford was a year out from his retirement now. We've always had an understanding between us, but we grew into an arrangement once we pulled the club out of the shit right about the time Hunter was born.

But all that's gonna change when he retires and his protégé, Ethan Bellfleur, steps in as sheriff. I caught him trying to throw his weight around just two weeks ago, the pompous dick.

Nova runs his hand across his jaw. “Said we were his first call. Didn't have the manpower to restrain both of the guys, and they split when he called me.”

My gaze narrows on him. “And why did he call you and not me?”

Nova looks at me, his jaw flexing. “Am I not a Reaper? A St. James?”

I settle back into my chair, folding my arms across my chest and settling in for the shit he's trying to stir.

I don't answer his questions, they're rhetorical and we all know the answers. But he got out, for a couple years at least. And Silas and I did our best to shield him from all the shit that was flying daily when we were growing up. So it's yeah, he's a Reaper, but he's more a modern-day one. And that's something I'm grateful for, even if he doesn't understand it.

The shit I've seen—the shit I've done—it haunts me if I let it. I'm glad he wasn't here for those years.

I keep my face neutral, not giving anything away. “Usually I field those calls, that's all I'm saying.”

He nods slowly, but the tension still lingers. “Probably because I was just there.”

“When, just now?” Silas narrows his eyes at his younger brother.

Nova rolls his head slowly, looking at Silas with a carefully blank expression. “Why don't you just say what you want to ask me?”

I watch them, my gaze ping-ponging between the two like it's a tennis match and not a casual conversation between brothers.

Silas's brows cave in, and a moment later, he offers him a small nod. “You told Ma you were meeting someone at The Wild Boar.”

Nova exhales through his nose, the sound thick with exasperation. He shakes his head, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk, and I already know whatever comes out of it will rile Silas up.

“Man, you need to get laid.”

And there it is.

Silas sits up straight, tension vibrating his body like it's a live wire. “We're not talking about my sex life.”

15

BANE

“Sex life?”Nova says somewhere between a scoff and a laugh. “Now I know you've been talking to Ma too much. Say it with me brother: fucking.”

Quick as a snake strike, Silas leans over the side of the table and tries to push his shoulder. Nova blocks him, and the chairs scrape against the wood floor as they try to fight for dominance.

Normally, I'd be all-in for their stupid show of affection, but it's been a long week and it's fucking Monday.

“Are you done yet?” I bark out the question, loud enough to break through their ribbing.

“Yeah, yeah,” Nova says, brushing invisible lint off his shoulder. “I'm just saying: Silas needs to get laid, then he won't be so worried about my sex life.” He mocks the last two words, sending Silas a pointed glare.

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