“Great. But after all the shit you found on Gwyneth’s phone, do you think there’s still any chance that baby is yours?”
“I can’t say positively until we get the results, but I have serious doubts that he’s even her kid.”
“And even after all the humiliation you put her through, she still didn’t tell you what the fuck she’s up to, huh?”
“Nope.” Liam shook his head. “Gwyneth stopped talking, so I left.”
“Well, hopefully by this time tomorrow, all we’ll have to worry about is getting her out of Beck’s condo.”
“I’ve got rope.” Liam smirked. “When we find out the baby’s not mine, I’ll thank Beck for use of his place and toy bag, then tie Gwyneth up and haul her to the airport. Then we can get on with our lives…with Raine.”
“Speaking of…”
“When did she say she’d be back?” Liam shot Hammer a worried glance.
“She didn’t, exactly.” It was after five o’clock, and she knew they planned to leave for dinner at five thirty. Hammer frowned. “Let me see where she’s at. Maybe she got hung up in rush hour.”
With furrowed brows, he pulled out his cell phone and launched an app. Liam stepped up next to Macen, looking at the screen. They watched a blinking green dot inch along a map of streets, coming from an all-too-familiar part of town. In tandem, both men raised their heads, sharing a look of abject dread before Macen swallowed tightly.
“Bloody hell,” Liam groaned. “Why is Raine near Beck’s condo? None of her favorite stores are near his place.”
Hammer felt his blood run cold. There was no logical reason for Raine to be in that neighborhood, unless…
“Son of a bitch. I wonder if she stopped by Beck’s.”
“I hope not. After the mood I left Gwyneth in, she’d eat Raine alive.” Liam scrubbed a nervous hand through his wet hair.
Hammer tried hard to connect the dots, dreading the implications. “It doesn’t make sense. She knew Beck was in surgery. Unless she’d decided to ask him why we left the lodge so suddenly.”
“Do you think she actually went to check out our story?”
“I wouldn’t put it past her. Shit. Hang on a sec.” Hammer punched another button on his phone. A snaking green line appeared showing the route Raine had taken since leaving the club. She’d stopped at the condo, all right. Hammer closed his eyes. His bowels turned to liquid.
“Oh, fuck no,” Liam moaned.
“We’d better get ready.”
“For Hurricane Raine,” Liam replied before he flattened his lips into a tight line. “This is going to get ugly.”
“Ugly isn’t the half of it,” Hammer agreed. “Looks like we’re at DEFCON one, brother.”
Liam hoped Raine would merely be pissed off. He could deal with anger, but if Gwyneth had crushed her tender feelings, that heinous witch would rue the day she’d ever met him.
Together, they watched as the green dot on Hammer’s phone moved steadily closer to Shadows and decided to intercept her at the entrance. No one needed to overhear what she was likely to shout.
Liam had no illusions. He’d seen Raine rail at Hammer when she’d sneaked into his room a month ago and he’d rebuffed her for trying to seduce him. Today, he and Hammer would be lucky if all they had to do was dodge dildos.
At least the truth was finally out, the deception and misdirection over. Now he had to deal with the nagging stress wrought by Gwyneth, his not-quite-son, and Bill Kendall. But the bright spot? When Raine had discovered their cover-up, she hadn’t simply run away, as she would’ve in the past. Even if she only came to Shadows to confront them, at least she was returning. They’d have the chance to persuade her they’d never meant to deceive or hurt her. If he and Hammer managed to end this evening with her heart still in their hands, he’d be eternally grateful.
But he worried that was too much to hope for.
Finally, Raine whipped her car into the lot and came to a screeching halt, straddling two parking spaces. Liam cocked a brow at Hammer. That’s our girl. As his friend nodded grimly, Raine tore out of the car and slammed the door, storming toward the entrance of the club. Even in her fury, she looked breathtaking…but she might not take the compliment well just now.
She shoved the door open, her cheeks red but stained with silvery paths. A knife stabbed into Liam’s heart and twisted.
From day one, she’d slipped under his defenses and into his very soul. Never had a woman created such chaos in his life. Or made him feel so much joy, immeasurable passion, and love—more than he’d realized he was capable of feeling.
What would his life be like if Raine were no longer in it?
When she caught sight of them, her bow mouth pursed. Fire shot out of her eyes, and she looked ready to erupt like a volcano. “How fucking dare you—”