“Hey,” Grinch says when I step into the kitchen.
“That asshole?” I immediately ask.
“Not dead,” he answers with a wide grin.
“But probably wishing he was,” Aro says as he approaches. “That was a lot of fun.”
“Don’t forget there’s a victim attached to beating the crap out of that guy,” Boomer says from the other side of the room. The reminder to everyone about Faith endears me to him a little. I know Faith probably wouldn’t like to be seen as a victim, but at the end of the day, she is.
“I can’t wait for our first mission,” Aro says, rubbing his palms together, as if Boomer hadn’t spoken. “That guy is going to be eating soft foods for the foreseeable future.”
“Good news, bad news,” Grinch says as he walks back up, handing me a steaming cup of coffee.
“Thanks, man. Lay it out for me.”
“The good news is that he was arrested. The bad news is, according to Colton, several women have filed police reports about being drugged around town.”
I swallow as I turn to place the cup of coffee on the counter. My stomach can’t handle it right now, especially after what he just said.
“Several?”
“Three off the top of his head. Two of them had been raped, but he used a condom, so they weren’t able to collect DNA.”
“That motherfucker,” I hiss. I knew why he’d drugged Faith last night. Men only do that to take advantage, but to hear he’d already done it with other women makes me sick to my damn stomach.
“They’re working on getting a photo lineup together, and hopefully the women will be able to pick him out,” Grinch continues to explain. “At least he’s off the streets now.”
A grumble of irritation comes from the other side of the room, and I look over, knowing the sound came from Boomer, but his head is now buried in a book about Area 51. The bruises and scrapes on his knuckles tell me that despite his shyness, he was just as involved last night as the others.
We chat a little longer, and it’s clear Grinch is trying to make me forget how I spent my night. I can’t really blame him. Getting over being involved in shitty things seems to be a part of our lives. If we dwell on the shit, it will eat us alive, but this isn’t a random woman in some third-world country. Faith is a Cerberus friend, and it just so happens that I couldn’t get her out of my mind before shit went down last night. Now, I know without a doubt, I won’t be able to stop thinking about her.
“Nice,” Aro says, drawing my attention to Sylvie as she walks into the kitchen, Spade not far behind her.
The marks on her neck combined with the satisfied look on his face say they had a good time last night.
“Faith?” she asks the second she sees me.
“She’s fine. She was awake when we left. She’s not supposed to drive for a few days, but she needs to go to the police station—”
“I’m going straight over there from here,” she assures me. “Thank you for taking care of her.”
“Like anyone could’ve stopped him,” Grinch says before quickly walking away.
Sylvie smiles at me, and it’s a knowing look. I want to ask her what their conversations have been like, ask her if Faith dislikes me as much as she seems, but we’re in a room full of people, and right now there are more important things to worry about than my crush on the local attorney.
“Babe, did you want coffee before you leave?” Spade asks from the other side of the room.
“Sure, if you have a to-go cup,” Sylvie answers. She gives my shoulder a quick squeeze before joining Spade near the coffee pot.
A flash of movement past the kitchen door draws my attention, and I rush out of the room in time to catch Apollo heading toward the front door with his arm around April’s shoulders.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Apollo turns his head, a huge smile on his face. “We’re having a baby!”
“No shit—oh! You mean right now?” Apollo nods. “Let me drive you.”
Others must’ve heard what was going on because by the time Apollo has April in the back seat of the SUV, people are rolling out of the clubhouse in waves. Although new, Boomer, Aro, and Slick are right there with everyone else. My eyes catch Spade pressing a quick kiss to Sylvie’s lips before he flags me down and jumps in the front passenger seat when I slow down.
“This is exciting, huh?” Spade asks as he glances into the backseat at April and Apollo.
Like a convoy of government vehicles escorting the president to a new location, we roll out of the property. Three motorcycles are in front, and I know there will be more at the end of our line. More than half a dozen SUVs caravan toward the hospital.