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“Will do.”
I want to tell him that I love him too, because I do. I’m just not in love with him anymore. I’ll always love him. But I don’t want to give him the wrong idea either, so I just stay silent.
We end the call, and I sit down at the dining table and wonder if I did the right thing by not telling him the truth—that shit has gone to hell—but then he would come right here and probably end up dead. If the MC wanted him to know, they would have told him themselves, so I suppose I need to go along with that. I just don’t like lying to him, and I know he’s going to be angry when he finds out the truth.
I hear Clover talking to Aries and calling him Atlas too, and laugh to myself that it wasn’t just me making that assumption.
After we finish eating, Decker and I get in the car and drive to his house. When we get there, he checks the perimeter while I settle into his bedroom. It’s quieter here, and it’s nice to have a moment to myself. My phone beeps with a message.
Clover: I miss you already, come home.
I smile at her text.
Decker and I spend the rest of the day at home, being lazy, and we even have dinner in bed, talking, planning and organizing for all kinds of different scenarios. I find Decker watching the live security feed on his phone before I take a shower and then hop on the soft white bedsheets to cuddle up next to him. “What a clusterfuck of a day.”
“We’re all okay, that’s all that matters,” he murmurs, putting his phone away and giving me all of his attention. He rests his chin on the top of my head. “I’m sure we can find a way to make this day better.”
I grin as he rolls on top, making sure not to put his weight on me, and presses his lips against mine. My fingers run through his hair, his masculine scent driving me crazy. I’m so glad that I’m here with him, and it’s a little terrifying how much I enjoy having him around. It’s like we’ve known each other for a long time. I don’t know how else to explain it. We just get each other. And it’s more than just the amazing sex, it’s something else, something I can’t name.
He’s about to start undressing me, his lips on my neck, when we hear a knock on the front door. Decker grabs his phone to check the security feed, and sees that it’s Aries and Atlas both standing there. Atlas has a bloody nose from the looks of it, and he’s holding a tissue over it.
“Stay here,” he says, rushing out of the room.
I quickly send Clo a text letting her know something must be up, and follow him instead, hoping they aren’t here with any bad news. I watch while Decker opens the door. When Atlas steps inside in the light, I can see that he indeed has been hit in the nose—the tissue in his hand is covered in blood.
“What happened to you?” I ask, frowning. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he replies. “Sorry to come over so late, but I just spoke to CJ.”
He just came from speaking to his stepbrother and he has blood on his face?
“He hit you?” I ask.
Atlas stretches his neck from side to side. “Let’s just say the last time I saw him we didn’t end on good terms.”
Aries silently heads back outside, to keep watch, I’m assuming, and then we are interrupted by Clo and Felix’s arrival, and Clo is dressed in her all-black fighting gear. She kind of looks like a ninja. I bet she has at least three weapons on her. We all sit down to hear what Atlas has to say.
“So he didn’t tell you shit, then?” Decker guesses.
“Nope, he did. Like I said, family is complicated.”
“What did you find out?” Clover asks.
“The kid who got shot, he’s going to be okay. The bullet hit him in the leg, but he’s their leader Marko’s son. And Marko doesn’t want to let it go. He’s pissed and not thinking straight, and he wants revenge,” Atlas explains, bringing his gaze to me. “They want Rhett, but they can’t find him and they know where you are. They think you are his woman, and I told CJ otherwise. He said he will try to tell Marko that, but he doesn’t think he will care, because Rhett would still care about you, current girlfriend or not.”
“So he’s not willing to settle this at all?” Decker asks, eyes narrowing. “He’s just happy to let this war keep going until people are dead?”
“Like I said, he’s not thinking straight. CJ said he will try to talk to him, but I think the men have been trying to this whole time. End of the day, they will follow their leader’s orders. You all know how it goes,” Atlas says with a shrug.
“How much sway does CJ hold?” Decker asks him, jaw tense. “Do you think he could make Marko see some sense?”
“I don’t know,” Atlas replies, looking out across the street. “I guess we will have to wait and see, and stay alert until then. CJ said he will call me if he has any updates.”
“Thank you, Atlas,” I say. “Sorry you had to go there and get hit.”
Atlas touches his nose and smirks. “I deserved it. Last time we saw each other, I slept with his girlfriend.”
“Well, that would do it,” Clover mutters, eyes going wide.
