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“You’re giving me palpitations about what my future looks like,” Beth mutters.
Chloe’s eyes follow her little brother. “I can’t complain really. Jesse’s a good kid, but he’s at that awkward age between teendom and becoming an adult. He wants more freedom, but given everything he’s been through, I’m having a hard time cutting the apron strings.” Chloe sighs. “Noah says I should just let Jesse find his own way, even if he makes mistakes, but I want to protect him from anything and everything.”
“I think that’s normal, sweetie,” Sofia tells her. “Jesse’s a good kid, though. Whatever he does, he’ll turn out swell. You’ll see.”
Chloe smiles, but it seems a little forced. “I hope so. He’s been through so much in the last few years. I want his life to be easy. Instead, I’ve dragged him into whatever this is.”
“This,” Beth says, “is a blip. Things are not usually this crazy.”
“Noah said that too.”
“The stuff with the Reapers will get sorted,”I sign.
Beth translates.
Chloe looks me in the eye and says, “I hope so. I want to get back to normal life.”
“Honey, we all want that,” Beth tells her.
“I miss Noah.”
“I know. I miss Logan, too.”
I miss my brothers as well. Okay, Jem drives me crazy, Logan is overbearing to the point of irritation and Adam acts like he’s the older sibling, when I am over two and a half years older than him, but they’re family, and my anxiety for them leaves a hollow feeling in my gut.
“I hope they’re all right.” Chloe worries at her bottom lip and my stomach sinks. I hope they’re all right too. I have three brothers and a host of men I’ve known for years—some since I was born—all on the firing line.
Beth reaches out and takes Chloe’s hand. “They’ll all be fine. Believe that.”
I wish I had her conviction, but it’s hard to believe something I doubt will happen. Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it.
I leave the common room a short while later and head towards the room I’m sharing with my mum and Sofia. I barely make it halfway up the corridor before a voice says, “Hey, Mackenzie.”
I turn around and see Foz coming out of a room. I’ve met him plenty of times in the past, and he was at Beth and Logan’s wedding. He’s the Devils’ Road Captain—the same position my brother, Adam, holds. He’s also attractive as all hell, considering he’s named after a Muppet character. It’s the red mass of curls he has on his head that earned him that nickname—or so I was told in the past.
He smiles as he runs a hand over his bearded chin, full dimples coming out. “What’re you doing out here on your own?”
“I’m heading back to my room,” I tell him via text-to-speak. I’m having to rely on my phone more and more these days, because no one in the Devil’s Dogs knows BSL.
Foz crosses his arms over his broad chest, flexing his pecs. “You settling in okay?”
I nod.
“If you need anything, just shout out, yeah? There’s always someone around to help. If you can’t find an old lady look for Pepper. She’s the unofficial leader of our club bunnies. She keeps those girls in check.”
I wrinkle my nose. Don’t get me wrong, we have our share of women who hang around the club, aiming to get laid, but we don’t have club bunnies like the Devils do. I’m not sure how I feel about it either.
“Don’t pull that face, cupcake. Those girls are well looked after. They do perfectly fine out of this deal. Better than most women in offices up and down the country for working less hours.”
“I’m not judging, Foz,” I type in. “I don’t really care what people do in their own time.”
He scratches at his beard.
“Yeah, I reckon you probably don’t, but a lot of folk do.”
“I take people as I find them.”
His eyes sparkle. “I don’t doubt that. You seem like that kind of woman—”
