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A sense of foreboding washes over me when the captain announces we’ll be landing soon. Something tells me to brace myself because trouble is coming our way, and it won’t matter how prepared we are. Someone is going to get hurt. Hell, someone already has.

I rub my hand over my face, feeling suddenly tired. I wish I’d napped alongside Lil, but I’d been reluctant to take my eyes off her for even that long.

As the plane descends, Lil stirs again. She lifts her head, and her eyes meet mine for a moment before everything comes rushing back.

“We’re landing?”

I nod. Sensing her nerves, I wrap my arm around her and pull her to my chest. “It won’t be long now. You’ll feel better once we get you home,” I tell her, though I’m not sure it’s true. Not when she finds out everything that happened while she’s been gone.

She holds my hand the whole time we land, only letting go when I need to get up and get our luggage from the overhead compartment. She stays close, though, with me in front and Tink and Havoc bringing up the rear.

There’s a familiar truck waiting for us when we finally make it out of the airport. Con jumps out when he sees us and grabs our bags, throwing them in the back as he greets everyone. His eyes land lastly on Lil. “Hi, I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Con. I started around the time you left.”

“I remember,” she says softly.

“It’s good to have you back. You need anything, just let me know.”

I shake my head and sigh. I swear to god, Con collects old ladies like others might collect baseball cards.

That makes me pause. Lil’s not my old lady. Fuck, we’ve never even kissed. And after everything that’s gone down, I’m not sure that’s even a possibility. Hell, when everything is done and dusted, she might find she wants nothing more to do with the club or Raven Falls. I can’t blame her for that, but I won’t put my patch on a woman who won’t stay. I’m just not sure if, and when, the time comes, I’ll be able to let her go.

Once we’re all in—Havoc and Tink up front on the bench seat, me and Lil in the back—Con pulls out into traffic and starts the trek back home. It’s not long before Lil dozes off again on my shoulder.

“Jesus, are you sure that was just Ambien you gave her?” Havoc asks, his eyes on Lil as he turns to check on her.

“She doesn’t react well to meds as a general rule,” Tink pipes in.

“That would have been good to know before I drugged her.” I barely stop myself from snapping. I’d rather not have to deal with a rabid Havoc while trapped in a small space.

“She’s not allergic or anything like that. She’s just more susceptible to them. Makes her act kinda drunk and, more often than not, spill the beans about shit, which is probably why she doesn’t take anything stronger than Tylenol most of the time.”

I shake my head and sigh. But the truth is, it’s probably easier this way. She won’t have time to work herself up if she’s asleep.

“Does she know about Capone yet?” Con asks, snagging all of our attention.

“Back in my day, prospects were far less chatty,” Havoc grunts out.

Tink chuckles. “Back in your day, you could ride a T-Rex instead of a Harley.”

He turns his glare from Con to Tink. “Did you just call me old?”

“I would never.”

“I guess that’s just as well. I’d hate to have to spank you in front of my men.”

“Liar. You’d love it, you freaking caveman.” Havoc doesn’t deny it, so Tink redirects the conversation. “Don’t mind Havoc, Con. He thinks more than three grunts in a row is chatty. And to answer your question, no. She doesn’t know yet. Partly because we wanted to get her home first, and we weren’t sure she’d come if she knew. But mostly, she should be around family when we tell her. We all had each other to lean on, and though the whole situation was awful, none of us had to go through it alone.”

“I get it,” Con says quietly. “Though it doesn’t really matter how many people are around you feeling the loss too, you still grieve alone.”

Nobody has anything to say to that. Something tells me he’s not talking about Capone anymore.

I stare at the back of his head, feeling kinship with the man. I know next to nothing about Con and his past, but I do know what it’s like to lose people. It’s part of being a soldier. I might have left the sandbox a little more battered than when I entered it, but others weren’t so lucky. Everyone I lost left a scar, as a tiny slice of their soul scorched into my skin that I carry with me always. I’m okay with that because they deserve to be remembered.

Now Capone will join them. I might not have known him as well as the others, but there is no doubt that man left his mark on all of us.

I look down at Lil. This will leave more than a scar. It will leave a wound, one that will take a long time to heal if she lets the guilt fester, and something tells me that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

Chapter Three