I almost smile.
We round the corner, and there she is, fierce as hell, barefoot at the stove like she owns the night.
Pie.Hasto be pie. Apple if the world still has any decency.
I sneak up and crush her in a hug from behind. “Still up, old girl?”
She snorts. “I’ll show you old, boy.” A playful nose-pluck. “You two down here to make amends, or just to stir up more trouble?”
Wyck sinks into a chair like he’s weighed down by something heavy. “Karter did what he did because she asked him to. Doesn’t make it right, but I get it. If it were me, I’d have done the same. Anything to stop her pain.”
His voice is flat. Honest. Deadly calm.
“Nothing’s broken that needs fixing,” he finishes.
I eye him. “You sure about that?”
He meets my stare. No games now. “Yeah. I’m sure.” A pause. “I’m not the only one whose feelings matter anymore. Whether I want to admit it or not, we’re hers. Her Devils. My alpha instinct just doesn’t like sharing.”
His lip twitches in a smirk that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sorry for punching your pretty face earlier.”
I bark a laugh. “No. I should be thanking you. Getting punched in this pretty face got me a very… generous reward in the club bathroom.”
His jaw clenches. “Iknow. Some fresh-faced Devil was guarding the door and wouldn’t let me in. Me.”
“You should’ve told him you’d fuck his mom and sister while Daddy watched.”
Wyck gapes. “You saidthat?”
I shrug, grinning. “What else was I gonna do? I didn’t want interruptions. Especially not from you.”
He narrows his eyes. “Who was the audience?”
“Fred and Ryan.” I lick my lips, picturing the way her mouth wrapped around me like she was starving. My cock stirs at the memory, forcing me to adjust.
“Karter,” he warns.
“What? She wanted to. Shewantsto be our dirty little slut. I’m just giving her what she needs. I suggest you do the same.”
His silence tells me he agrees, even if he hates hearing it from me.
“I know,” he finally says. “But the fun ends tonight. We have bigger things to handle. Leads are thin, and something about this whole thing stinks.”
I nod. “Bash?”
“More than just him. Niko and Felix found something. You’re not gonna like it.”
He says it like it matters. Like I haven’t lived off things I hate.
“Spit it out.”
He leans in. His voice drops.
“Our fathers… they’re in on it, too.”
My stomach knots. “What the fuck are you saying?”
He doesn’t blink. “They’ve got evidence. Yours. Mine. Onyx’s. All working together behind the scenes. But it doesn’t stop there.”
