Chapter 29

“Take your top off,” Crew orders as I sit up.

I reach for the hem of my T-shirt and tug it up over my head and toss it aside.

“Bra, too,” he orders as Wilder shoves his jeans down his thighs and strokes his cock.

“You going to let me fuck your mouth, Lara?” Wilder asks with a husky edge to his voice.

I nod, then remember his words from the other night. “Yes, I want to taste you.”

He growls and steps forward, slipping one hand into my hair while the other guides his cock to my lips.

I open my mouth and let him in, relishing his groan of delight as I close my mouth around him.

“Fuck me, I fantasized about this a million times, but this is better than I imagined,” he admits.

Crew steps closer so he can get a better look, but he doesn’t touch me. He just watches as his best friend’s cock slides in and out of my mouth.

I feel myself getting wet. Crew’s eyes on us are only making things ten times hotter. I moan around Wilder, making him curse. His thrusts become more erratic, and his hand tightens in my hair to the point of pain, but not enough to aggravate the bump on the back of my head.

“I’m not gonna last much longer. It’s too good. I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

I hum in response, which seems to be his undoing.

“You going to swallow my cum, Lara?”

I nod my consent and feel him push forward and hold.

“Fuck, fuck.” He shoots cum down my throat, and I won’t lie, I have to focus on not gagging. It’s not the most pleasant-tasting experience of my life. But it’s not the worst, either. Besides, I like the way I feel when Wilder gives himself over to me.

When he pulls out, I suck in a deep breath and wipe my swollen lips.

“Thank you,” he rumbles, bending down to kiss me gently before he’s yanked away.

“Are you too sore to take me?” Crew asks as he strips out of his clothes and sits on the sofa beside me.

“I’m a little tender, but I can handle it.” I don’t know if that’s the truth, but only an idiot would turn down a ride on Crew’s pogo stick.

“Good. You just tell me if it’s too much, and I’ll stop.”

I nod and get to my feet, moving to stand in front of him.

“Wilder, take the rest of her clothes off.”

Wilder doesn’t protest. He just drops to his knees behind me and eases my leggings and wet panties down over my hips. When they reach my ankles, I step out of them after kicking off my sneakers.

“I want you on top of me so you can set the pace.”

I bite my lip. “I’m not sure what I’m doing,” I warn him, placing my hands on his shoulders to steady myself as I straddle him. Once I’m ready, I take a deep breath and lower myself gingerly down his cock. Oh, God.

“Jesus fuck, you feel amazing. Just do what feels good.”

“It all feels good,” I admit. Even the twinge of pain from the pounding I took yesterday. Using my knees, I start to move, slowly bouncing up and down on his cock.

I jolt when I feel hands on me and tip my head. Wilder looks down at me with a fierce look of concentration as he tweaks one of my nipples with his left hand and strums my clit with the other.

“Oh my God, it’s too much.”

“You want to stop?” Crew asks, but I shake my head.

“No, God, don’t stop. I just… I need…” Crap, I don’t know what I need. Lucky for me, Wilder seems to know.

“I think she needs a helping hand.”

Crew grins at me before grabbing my hips, helping to guide and steady my movements.

“Oh, Jesus. Oh, God.”

“I never knew you were so religious,” Wilder teases.

But I’m only vaguely aware of it as something coils tightly inside me. Suddenly, it bursts free, and I come, pleasure coursing through my body as my pussy squeezes Crew hard enough to make him curse.

“Oh fuck, condom,” Crew groans before he pulls his cock from my still-spasming pussy and comes all over my stomach.

“That was close,” he says, pushing a piece of my hair behind my ear. “You make me lose my damn mind.”

I smile at his admission.

“I almost said, fuck it. I find I really like the idea of you round with my kid.”

I bite my lip because I already have kids, and they need to be my priority for now.

“Someday?” he asks, sensing my hesitation.

I grin. “Someday.”

I sit on the porch, looking out at the field, letting the peacefulness wash over me. Sometimes my life feels like one giant ball of chaos. If I didn’t take the time to enjoy the simple things, I’d go insane. Or maybe I already have. The more I think about bringing the fight to me, the more I’m convinced it’s the right move. I just don’t know how to get the guys to agree.

Rufio lifts his head to look at me, like he can tell what I’m thinking.

“What do you think, boy? Should we keep running, or should we set a trap?”

He rests his head against my leg.

“You’re the strong, silent type, huh?” I sigh and lean back.

I think about Nash and what he’s doing. If he’s safe or if he’s going to get himself killed like Hendrix. If I tell Wilder and Crew about my gift, then Nash will have nothing to hold over me, and I can tell them he’s alive, and—I shake my head. I can’t tell them yet, not after explaining just how lethal my father is. They’d see me the same way, and they’d be right to. I’m every bit as deadly as he is, perhaps even more so. Unlike my father, my gift doesn’t drain me. Not like when I use my telekinesis. Using my gift is as simple as breathing. Maybe it’s because I’ve learned how to turn it off and on at will. All the things that caused my father’s brain to crack under the stress are irrelevant to me because my brain’s wired differently. I have the flow of emotions in and out, but I can turn them off when I need to as well, and that makes all the difference. The irony is that I probably picked up the ability by hiding my gift from him all these years.

I finish my drink, lost in thought, as I absently stroke Rufio’s head.

I turn my head when I hear the door open behind me. I look over my shoulder as a sleep-ruffled Crew walks out and hands me his cell phone.

“It’s for you.”

Tentatively, I take it from him and hold it to my ear. “Hello?”

“You have some explaining to do, young lady,” Oz’s deep voice says down the phone. I don’t know why it sets me off. Maybe it’s the lack of anger in his voice or the memory of him buying me books, but I burst into tears, crying so hard I can’t get my words out.

“What the fuck?” Crew grabs the phone from me and starts yelling into it. “What did you say to her?”

Crew looks at me before his shoulders slump. “No, I can’t just tell her to stop crying. When in the history of women crying has that ever worked?”

He listens to whatever else Oz says before rubbing his temple. “No, Oz, you didn’t break her.”

More silence as I finally manage to get my tears under control.

“She misses you. She misses everyone. I think hearing your voice just—” He pauses. “Yeah.”

He looks at me, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You good to talk to him, or do you want me to get him to call you back?”

“I’m okay.” My breath hitches in my chest, but I manage to keep myself together.

He hands me the phone and takes a seat beside me. Rufio, not liking that he’s not the center of my attention anymore, walks over to Crew so he can pet him.

“Lara?” Oz’s voice is softer this time.

“I’m here. I’m sorry.” I blow out a breath before the tears can take hold of me again.

“What you did… I should shake some goddamn sense into you.”

“I had to go, Oz. It was the only way for me to keep you all safe.”

“I understand why you did what you did, Lara, but you’re just as important as anyone else here. You’re family too.”

I swallow hard at his words and listen to him sigh.

“As mad as I am, I get it. I’m bone-headed enough to do something just as stupid too,” he admits, making me laugh. “That’s better. I don’t like making the ladies cry. I have a rep to protect, you know.”

“You have a woman who loves you and a baby you adore. You have zero rep to protect.”

“You’re just as mean as your sister. I’ll have you know it was my giant personality that one Salem over.”

“Actually, it was his giant—” Salem’s shouted words become muffled, like someone has covered her mouth.

I chuckle, missing them more than ever. But hearing them settles something inside me.

“Behave, woman,” he growls, but I realize he’s talking to Salem, not me.

“You guys remember I’m on the phone, right? I don’t want to listen to you having sex.”

There’s some arguing and jostling, and then I hear a different voice on the line.

“Lara? Are you okay?”

I smile through my pain. “Yeah, Greg, I’m okay.”

“Good, because when you get home, you are so fucking grounded.”

I laugh. “I’m eighteen now, Greg. You can’t ground me.”

“Watch me. Young’ins today, with so much attitude.” He sighs. “And so much courage,” he adds quietly. “I hate that you felt you had to do this, but I get it. I can be pissed and proud at the same time, though. I just want you home safe.”

He’s quiet for a second before speaking again. “How are Crew and Wilder holding up with the news about Nash and Hendrix?”

The ball of guilt threatens to choke me, with the lie tasting like ash on my tongue.

“They’re hanging in there, just waiting for news,” I whisper. At that moment, I know I have to tell them the truth. I’m worried about Nash, and though he trusted me to stay quiet, I owe it to Wilder and Crew to put them first.

“Just be there for them. It’s all you can do right now. The news coming in… well, it’s not looking good.”

“I’m sorry, Greg,” I murmur. And I am, more than he’ll ever know.

“I know. Me too. They’re good men. We all know the risks. What we do isn’t for the faint of heart, but we sign up for the job with our eyes open. It’s not the ones we lose, though, that have to deal with the fallout. It’s the ones left behind. And fuck, I’m so sick of losing people.”

“I know, but I won’t be one of them. I’ll come back.” I make him a promise I have no business making, but it strengthens my resolve. I think part of me hadn’t realized until now that I’d prepared myself for the worst-case scenario: that I wasn’t surviving this. My father might not kill me, though with how much he’s changed, there is no guarantee of that anymore. But I don’t trust myself enough not to do something radical. I can’t go back to being caged when I’ve only just gotten to taste freedom.

“How are The Lost Ones?”

“Missing you like crazy, but they know you’re okay and that Crew and Wilder will keep you safe, he tells me softly.

“I miss them too. I couldn’t risk my father getting anywhere near them. Not again. They’re strong kids, but they’ve been through enough.”

“You’re a good mama, even if it’s a job you should never have been given.”

“They never felt like a job. I’m not forced to love them, Greg. I give them that freely, and I know they love me back.”

“We all tend to find family in the most unlikely of places.”

I hear grumbling in the background. “Quit hogging her, old man.”

“Old man, my ass,” Greg complains. “I’ve gotta go. The boss wants to talk to you. Take care of each other, and we’ll see you soon.”

“Bye,” I whisper as the phone is handed off.

“Lara?” Zig’s warm voice makes me bite my lip. God, these guys are killing me. How did I go from having no one to having such a huge family? “Thank you.”

I sit up straighter, confused. “What? Why are you thanking me?”

“You kept the kids safe. My boy was a target before he ever left his mother’s womb. And you stopped him from becoming one again.”

“I don’t know if that’s true. He might come back and use them to draw me out, or he might just hurt you all to punish me. I feel like I can’t do anything right. No matter the decisions I make, someone is bound to get hurt.”

“You bought us time, Lara. Time we might not have had before. The kids are prepared and know what to do and where to go if there is an emergency. We have this whole place on lockdown, and Ev is scouring the files on the flash drive for information we can use to bring this to an end once and for all, but there are so many to go through, and we don’t have the time.”

“What kind of information?”

“Places your father and the other top-ranking men might hide out. If they have a secondary facility. Who their contacts are, and how much firepower they have at their disposal. Even people who you think are loyal to him and whether or not they are gifted—and if so, what those gifts are. There is a lot of info on the flash drive, but half of it is in code that will take time to break.”

“I can send you everything I know. I’m not sure how useful it will be. I’m sure he’ll have anticipated me spilling my guts.”

“I’m not so sure. He strikes me as the kind of man who believes he’s untouchable. He’ll think you’ll keep his secrets because you’re his daughter, forgetting that loyalty isn’t something you inherit through blood. It’s something you earn through kindness. And for an empath, he sure as hell fucked up with you.”

I huff out a snort of amusement. “You’re not wrong there. I’d better go. I need to talk to the guys about something. Can you say hi to everyone for me? Tell them I’m sorry and that I miss them.”

“Will do. Just remember, this isn’t forever. You’ll be back with us before you know it, only this time you’ll do it without having to look over your shoulder.”

I nod. “Thanks, Zig. I’ll talk to you soon. Stay safe.”

“Always. And the same goes double for you.”

He hangs up, so I hand the phone back to Crew, and taking a deep breath, I gather up my courage to continue.

“I need to talk to you and Wilder about something.”

“Okay. Do you want me to wake Wilder up, or can it wait a while?”

As much as I’d love to put this whole conversation off, I know I’ll chicken out if I don’t do it soon. “Now would be good, if that’s alright.”

He stands up. “I’ll go get him. I won’t be long.”

He presses a kiss against my forehead, and I close my eyes, savoring it as I send up a silent prayer that it’s not my last one after they find out the truth about what I’ve been hiding from them.