Inmate of the Month (Souls Chapel Revenants MC 7)

At least, until I got to the ball cap.

The dirty red ball cap that had a not-so-white anymore star embroidered in the middle of it with a tattered bill that looked like he took it off and put it back on a hundred times a day.

Oh. Boy.

I’d never seen Laric in a ball cap looking so care-free before.

I just… wasn’t prepared.

I mean, I couldn’t catch my breath! He was that damn sexy in it.

Men sat straighter in their chairs as they watched him walk toward us. Women slowly turned their attention to him, even the ones that were sitting there with another man.

People moved out of his way as he all but marched his beautiful ass across the space toward us—toward me.

Because that was where his eyes were at.

On me.

And I wasn’t sure if I liked the intensity that was there.

“What’d she do to you?” he asked the moment he got close enough, seeing the pain on my face. “I saw you nearly cry out when you reached for your tea while I was outside.”

I grimaced and brought my hand up to my shoulder.

“The girl wouldn’t work with her,” Dad said helpfully. “Got there, checked her in, the therapist worked with her to get her started and check her progress, then the chick refused to get near her. Heard her talking to the big guy. Apparently, she ‘can’t be forced to work with the chick that broke up your engagement.’”

Laric scoffed. “I broke it off with her about six months before I even set eyes on Catori. Trust me when I say, she’s very good at making others feel sorry for her.”

“Well, she did,” Adam said. “He was a completely different person when he went back to work with her the second half of the session. Not sure if it was because he was put out because he was having to do that chick’s work, or because he felt bad for the chick. Whatever the reason, I think we were both a little bit pissed with him when we left. I was thinking about calling the guy that owns that place and telling him his people were acting unprofessional.”

Adam’s phone dinged just as Laric took the seat next to me.

When he sat down, I nearly moaned at the smell of him surrounding me.

I’d always loved how a guy smelled.

All manly and yummy.

But Laric?

I had no clue that the smell of a person could make you feel at ‘home’ but Laric definitely made me feel that.

I’d gotten used to him over the last couple of days and being without him today hadn’t sat right with me.

It would suck even more when Thor was found, and I would have to go home.

Speaking of Thor…

“Anything on Thor?” I asked, looking at Laric.

Laric had mentioned to me last night that he’d planned to hit Hunt up and see if anything had surfaced.

Sadly, like I’d told him last night, Hunt would’ve called us the instant he had something.

Which Laric confirmed moments later.

“Not a damn thing,” he grumbled. “I called in a few favors, and Lynn has a few feelers out trying to find him. Wherever he is, he’s hidden deep.”

“Not going to come out unless he sees her.” Dad jerked his chin in my direction. “He probably has someone watching her place and all of her usual haunts. If she’s not being seen, he isn’t going to bother to leave to look. I’m telling you, he’s a lazy motherfucker.”

My lips twitched. “He’ll show. As soon as I can move around better, I’ll start poking my head into places and see if I can flush him out.”

That got an immediate ‘fuck no’ from all three men at the table with me.

I rolled my eyes hard.

“You can’t expect me to live this life forever,” I said. “Eventually, I’m not going to be okay with being holed up in an awesome cabin with such fine eye candy. I’m going to want to go back to work, shop at the grocery store, buy underwear from somewhere that’s not online.”

Adam snorted, but it was the man at my side that said, “You also have to think about those people with you. You can’t even go visit your new nephew. Not without putting them in danger. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but, until he’s found, everyone that’s around you is in danger. And, just sayin’, but that won’t fly with everybody else.”

I slumped in my chair.

He was right.

I would be putting my family in jeopardy. Or hell, not even my family.

I could be doing it right now.

“I should go,” I admitted brokenly.

I didn’t even think that I could eat now that I thought about who was around me.

Would Thor march in here and spray a hail of gunfire my way, taking out the young waitress that brought us our drinks?