Chapter 15

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

NATASHA

I stretched, feeling the tension in my muscles from the previous night's events. The house was quieter than usual, a sign that most of the men were already up and about, handling the aftermath of whatever had transpired. Pike had left early with Dimitri to set a trap for Kent, leaving me to deal with the day ahead.

I slipped out of bed and dressed quickly before bracing myself and going downstairs. The house felt different with the added security. Outside, I could see several from the MC standing at the doors, and Enzo and Luca were stationed at key points, their presence a constant reminder that we were under threat. As I descended the stairs, I spotted Enzo by the front door, his sharp eyes tracking my movements. He gave me a curt nod, which I returned before heading toward the kitchen. I figured they'd be all business now that there was a threat to track down.

Ronnie was already there, sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of her. She looked up as I entered, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Morning, Natty," she greeted. "Did you sleep okay?" Ducking my head, I avoided her eyes. I should have been asking her that. I felt like a bad sister for not even going to talk to her and find out about these weird gifts she was getting.

"Morning," I replied, grabbing a mug and pouring some coffee. I took a seat across from her, studying her face. She seemed calm, but there was something in her eyes—something she wasn't saying. "It was fine. You sleep okay?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light.

She shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. "I'm doing as well as can be expected with everything going on," she said, wrinkling her nose. There was a pause before she added, "There were so many people walking outside that I considered turning off the alert on the security cameras, but then I thought it would be the perfect opportunity." She cleared her throat and continued, "Anyway, I decided it was best to stay alert."

"Sure, that's smart." A tightness had started in my chest while she was talking. Ronnie was hiding things from me, and I disliked it. This feeling of being out of control was spinning wildly. "You were thinking maybe this Victor person would slip in with all the different men around." I spun the coffee creamer between my palms.

"Exactly." Ronnie was busy on her laptop, probably messing with the cameras, but I knew that tone. I also knew she had vetted all the MC members from the Cobras and the Brotherhood. "Hey, I saw Pike leave with Dimitri earlier."

"Yeah," I said, wrapping my hands around my mug. "They've gone to set up that trap for Kent, with the cameras and everything." I took a sip of my coffee, observing her over the rim. "Hopefully, they will get a good look at Victor, and this will all be over soon."

Ronnie nodded, her gaze dropping away from me to her cup. "That would be nice," she said softly.

"I'm surprised you didn't go with them. You know, to help with the system."

There was a silence between us, the kind that always seemed to follow after something important was said. I could feel it hanging in the air, a weight pressing down on us. I set my mug down and leaned forward slightly.

"I'm helping on this side with the computer set-up. I went over it with Dimitri this morning," she offered, fiddling with her laptop cord.

"Ronnie," I began, choosing my words carefully. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

She looked up at me, her eyes searching mine. I thought she might brush me off for a moment, but then she sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I know. It's just… complicated."

"Complicated how?" I pressed gently. "Is it about what happened last night? The things you've been seeing?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "It's Pike's brother," she said quietly. My gentle sister, her pale blue eyes, looked up at me from under her lashes. She was tiny and fragile; even now, just as she entered her twenties, I thought of her as my baby sister. Ronnie was like a porcelain doll from one of those shelves in a shop, so beautiful that you could barely fathom she was real, but she was easily broken. "He's been leaving me these… gifts." My heart skipped a beat, and I willed my body to be still.

"Eli?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, her voice barely above a whisper. " At first, I didn't realize what was going on. I just thought… well, it doesn't matter what I thought." Her foot swung back and forth under the bar, a habit she had from when she was little. "It's him for sure. He just leaves things at the door. Natty, … I don't mind."

I stared at her, trying to process what she was saying. "You don't mind?" I repeated a mix of confusion and concern in my voice. "What sort of things?"

"Stones, flower petals." She pulled a small rock from her pocket. I supposed it was a regular river rock, but I wasn't a geologist. It looked like any grey and smooth rock you'd pick up along a stream bed. If anything, it was pretty in a plain way with rounded edges, but I wasn't sure there was much special about it. "Huh." I nodded slowly, poking the rock. "Okay. Well, that's better than the skinned rabbit thrown at the window."

"That wasn't Eli." Her foot stopped its motion, and she leaned forward. "He was downstairs at my door when that happened. He was leaving me this."

"Did you talk to him?"

"No." Her voice sounded so disappointed that my anger dissolved. "He just leaves stuff outside my door. I would talk to him, though. You know?" she babbled. "If he wanted."

"Ronnie, that's not normal." I frowned.

"I know it sounds weird," she said quickly, as if she could sense my concern. "But it's not like he's trying to scare me. It's more like… I don't know if he's trying to connect with me somehow. And I guess… I kind of like it." I shook my head, struggling to understand.

"Ronnie, he's Pike's brother, and we don't know much about him. We can't be sure what his intentions are. He's been through a lot." We didn't even know everything that had happened to him. I felt like an absolute bitch bringing it up, but my sister wasn't someone I would gamble with. If Eli was dangerous then I didn't want him around her.

"I get that," she replied, her tone soft but firm. "But I don't think he means any harm. I think… I think he's just lonely, Natty."

Her words hung in the air, and for a moment, I didn't know what to say. Part of me wanted to tell her she was being na?ve that this was dangerous, but another part of me understood where she was coming from. She'd been through so much, and maybe, just maybe, she was looking for something—or someone—who made her feel seen. She deserved to make her own choices.

"I just worry about you, Ronnie. That I brought you down here with me to Arizona, and I made a mistake." My stomach heaved at the thought of something happening to her.

"No, Natty. Bringing me with me is the best thing you could have done." My cheeks blew out, and I shook my head in denial. I didn't really believe that. "You've allowed me to spread my wings and make my own choices. So much of my life, I thought each month would be my last." The words were voiced before she could draw them back, even though I could see she wanted to. That tightness around her eyes and the way she pulled back and scrunched down a little in her seat showed me that the bitterness that she held wasn't directed at me but at the shitty hand, life had given her. "I want to make my own choices. Even if they're wrong," she said quietly, brushing her blonde hair from her face. There was a flush on her cheeks, a bloom of pink that wouldn't have been there even last year. "Let me live ."

"You're my sister," I finally said, touching her hand. I hoped that I would say the right things. "I just want you to be careful, but I want you to have the chance to make those choices. But promise me you'll let me know if anything changes, okay? If you get worried or scared." I bit my lip, thinking about Eli's past, the abuse that he'd been subjected to, but I kept my mouth shut. She knew about all that and wanted to be a grown-up and make her choices. He was just leaving her gifts anyway, I rationalized. I slid the rock back over to her.

She nodded, squeezing my hand. "I promise."

We sat silently for a while, both lost in our thoughts. Outside, I could hear the low murmur of voices—Enzo and Luca, no doubt discussing the day's plans. The house might have been under lockdown, but it didn't feel like a fortress. It felt like home, even with all the chaos surrounding us.

But as much as I wanted to believe everything would be fine, a nagging feeling told me this was far from over. Eli's gifts, Kent's threats, the skinned rabbit—it was all connected, and it was only a matter of time before it all came to a head.