Judge (Shady Valley Henchmen 1)

“Was he lashing out on you?”

“Aside from accusing me of doing it to her, not too much.”

“What?” Slash asked, stiffening, tone getting even more growly than usual.

Slash may have let the Murphys kick the shit out of me for overstepping a line, but he was just as ready to go to bat for me if he thought they were doing the same.

“He’s just upset,” I reasoned. “Think we would all be in this situation.”

“Is he pissed at me?”

“Conor? He’s pissed at everyone,” I told her, shrugging.

“Cillian?” she asked, and something in the way she dropped her voice when she said his name made me realize that while Conor was the more outwardly aggressive one, those close to the family knew it was Cillian you really had to fear.

“He’s focused on Dell right now,” I told her. “Maybe when she’s home, he might want some words, but Dell bared her claws like a cat when Conor mentioned your name, so I don’t think she’s going to let anyone come down hard on you.”

To that, she nodded, taking what seemed like her first deep breath in hours.

“Okay. Well, I am going to stay here until I can see her. But if you guys want to head out—“

“I’m your ride,” Slash cut her off.

“I can call for a ride,” she said, not even looking at him, something that made Slash exhale slowly, then walk right past her like he didn’t know her at all, heading outside.

“If I give you my number—“ I started.

“I will give you updates,” she said, nodding. “Thank you, Judge. I didn’t say that yet. For finding her, and staying with her, calling her brothers. All that shit. I owe you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, taking her phone when she offered it, so I could plug my number in. “If she needs anything…”

“Her brothers will probably handle it,” she said, shrugging. “But I will let her know you were asking about her. I know things are… complicated between the two of you,” she said, walking off before I could object.

But, really, what was there to object to?

What was it if not complicated?

Forbidden as fuck because of her brothers.

Confusing as hell because I didn’t even begin to understand why I immediately felt so fucking possessive over her.

“Fuck,” I hissed, making my way back outside to find Slash gone.

And myself without a ride.

Which was fine.

Some time and space was probably just what I needed.

Though, in the end, I spent the entire fucking walk back to the hotel thinking about Delaney. Which was probably the exact opposite of what I needed. But I couldn’t seem to focus on anything else.

“Christ. You’re going out after the day we had?” I asked, looking at Sway and Crow as they walked down the lobby, both looking showered and changed.

I mean, even if we weren’t factoring in Delaney and her attack, we’d damn near been in a shootout. And Crow had done some serious bodily injury to someone.

If there was ever a night to hang out at the hotel room bar and go to bed early, this was it.

“Probably won’t be out this way for another half a year at best,” Sway said. “Gotta eat up all the pussy we can before we leave.”

And I was beginning to know Sway well enough to know he meant that literally. He was going to spend the entire night with his head or hips between women’s legs.

That was originally how I’d planned to spend my last night in Vegas too.

But just in between Delaney’s thighs.

The way I saw it, she might have been a little ticked with me the night before, but I could have easily weaseled my way back into her room for another round.

Now she was laid up in a hospital bed, hopefully hooked up to some kick-ass pain meds.

With a sigh, I decided to veer off into the hotel bar myself, throwing back enough rounds to take the sharp edge off of the day before heading back up to my room.

It wasn’t until much later, after I’d showered and changed, and dropped into bed, that my phone chimed with a text from an unknown number.

Did you both a favor and got Dell a burner phone. This is the number. Nyx.

It wasn’t ten minutes after that when it chimed again.

Did I remember to thank you today?

- Don’t need to thank me for shit, babe. How you feeling?

I have the good pain meds now. I’m not feeling much of anything.

- Good. Ride that wave while you can. So you’re staying the night?

Yeah. Just the one night, though. My brothers are bringing me back to Shady Valley in the morning.

- That’s good. You know you’re safe there.

There was a long pause then, making me wonder if she was trying to text me in private, not letting her brothers know she got a new phone. But then the text came in, and I figured maybe she was just trying to talk herself out of sending it.