Smolder (Georgia Smoke #6)

• Thirty-One •

“All right, little brother. You’ve gone and gotten territorial.”

Sebastian

Holding Royal in my lap felt different tonight. Before, I’d enjoyed it. I’d fucking loved it. Craved it. The urgency to pull her tighter to me, lock her in my arms, find a way to keep her with me was gnawing at me now.

I’d called her mine. I had said it out loud.

And she’d orgasmed.

My arms flexed around her.

I’d thought we had a week, if not more. I should have known they’d find us sooner than that. The person who had called my burner from an unknown number didn’t say a word. To those who didn’t know better, they’d think it was a wrong number or spam. But I knew. They’d found me. Even if I destroyed the phone, the location had been locked, and it was too late.

“Are you hungry?” I asked Royal.

“Not really,” she replied.

After I had taken her over the table, we had eaten sandwiches, then showered together. She asked to come down here and sit. For a while, I’d read to her, but then I had wanted to hold her in silence.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked her, pressing a kiss to her head.

She traced a pattern on my hand, not looking up at me. “What will happen next?”

“You’ll stay with me.”

Her head tilted back, and our eyes met. “I can’t do that. I have Grams to think about.”

Haven House was fifteen minutes from Athens and seventeen minutes from Shephard Ranch. I knew her Grams would be better there than at home with Royal, but pushing that on her would be a mistake. She felt responsible for her grandmother and their home. Even if that was something that should have never been placed on her shoulders.

She sat up, her eyes going to the window, and a smile spread across her face. “It’s snowing!” she exclaimed before leaving me to rush to the door.

I was behind her immediately to stop her from opening it. I didn’t want to deprive her of the joy she seemed to be getting from the snow that had started to fall, but they were coming. I had considered loading her in the Hummer and leaving to some other location today, but I hadn’t had time to set it up properly. I wasn’t going to take her somewhere without knowing it would be comfortable for her. Not when she was in danger.

“Don’t open it,” I told her, and she turned to frown at me.

Then, understanding lit her eyes, and she dropped her hand from the doorknob.

“Won’t the snow make it hard for them to get to us?”

I’d like to think so. I fucking hoped a damn blizzard came, but I doubted we would be that lucky. It was just October.

“Depends on how close they were when I got the call.”

“Oh,” she replied, no longer looking happy. “I thought the snow meant we had more time.”

I started to say something when the faint sound of a boot stepping onto the porch stopped me.

“Go to the bathroom. Close the door,” I whispered in her ear.

Her eyes went wide, and she shook her head.

I grabbed her hand and moved her back, placing her behind me. “Now, Royal,” I hissed.

“I’m not leaving you,” she replied in a quiet yet firm tone.

Damn stubborn girl.

“Baby, please,” I begged, but it was too late for all that.

The doorknob turned, and although it was locked, I knew it was coming open anyway. The loud sound of it being kicked in made Royal grab me as a small scream escaped her. I reached back and placed a hand on her to reassure her that she was safe.

My brother came strolling inside as if he hadn’t just broken down the goddamn door. His gaze slowly scanned the place as he took a cigarette from his pocket and stuck it between his teeth, then reached for his lighter.

“Not bad. Cozy. I like it,” he said, then lit the cigarette before finally looking at me.

No one was barreling in behind him, but the grip Royal had on my shirt tightened.

“I’d be impressed if I wasn’t fucking annoyed,” he said, then took a pull from the habit in his mouth before taking it out. “Had to leave Capri. You know how much I hate that.”

“Where are the others?” I asked him as I watched him step over the door and move farther into the cabin.

“They’re a little behind,” he said, sticking the cigarette back in his mouth. “Figured I’d get here first. Help you sort things out.”

I looked outside, not sure how behind they were. “I don’t need help sorting out anything.”

Thatcher glanced briefly at Royal standing behind me. “Looks like you do. The question is, Romeo, is this one different? Or is that sensitive heart of yours doing shit that can get you killed for someone who isn’t worth it?”

Royal released my shirt and came around me, her eyes looking up at me, panicking. “Killed?” she asked.

I gently grabbed her by the shoulders. “No one is going to kill me. He’s a dick. Don’t listen to the things he says.”

She was on the verge of fucking tears. I didn’t care how damn psycho my brother was; this time, I wasn’t backing down from him. He didn’t get to come in here and scare her like this.

“Our father might not kill you since you’re Mom’s favorite, but Blaise Hughes isn’t happy. In fact, the boss wants you brought directly to him. You broke orders, little brother. Took information we needed and ran.”

Dammit! He needed to shut up. She was about to lose it.

“Thatcher,” I warned him, “don’t.”

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he took another pull before taking the cigarette from his mouth. “If she can’t handle something like that, then she’s not gonna last long in this world of ours.”

I moved her beside me and took a step in his direction. “Shut your goddamn mouth!” I snarled.

“Sebastian,” Royal called.

“Jesus, Thatch. You weren’t supposed to come in here and pick a fight,” Wilder said, and I swung my glare from my brother to him as he walked in, surveying the door on the ground. “Was this necessary?”

Thatcher raised the cigarette back to his mouth and held it between his teeth. “It was locked.”

Wilder gave my brother an exasperated look. “So, you smashed it in? You couldn’t knock?” He waved a hand at me. “It’s Sebastian. Not the drug cartel.”

Thatcher smirked, but said nothing.

“Where are the others?” I asked Wilder.

He shot my brother another look before answering, “They won’t get here until tomorrow. Weather grounded the plane. We left before alerting them that I’d found your location. It was either that or let Thatch come alone, and I wasn’t doing that.”

Royal moved closer to my side. I needed to know how much trouble I was in and where things stood with the Dancastle situation, but asking with her already on the verge of a damn panic attack wasn’t an option.

I turned to look down at her. “Ace, go upstairs. Stay there. I’m going to step outside and talk to them. I won’t be long.”

She shook her head, her eyes shifting to Thatcher. “No, I don’t trust him.” Then, she glanced at Wilder. “Who is that?”

I tucked her hair behind her ear, wishing we were alone. I could make her forget all of this if we were.

“That’s Wilder. And Thatcher isn’t going to hurt me. I know comes off as demented, but he’s my brother.”

A frown puckered her brow, and she turned to look at Wilder. “That is Wilder?” she asked, a touch of disbelief in her tone.

I had forgotten for a moment that I’d told her about him. The night she’d seen my tattoo. She had been jealous.

Wilder looked from her to me questioningly.

“I don’t get it,” she said, then shook her head and turned back to look up at me.

I wanted to laugh out loud, but I didn’t. Now was not the time. But, damn, the urge to toss her over my shoulder and go upstairs with her was strong. To hell with these two. I’d close the damn bathroom door and fuck her in there. Until she was screaming my name.

“Since no one else is gonna ask, what the fuck is it she doesn’t get?” Thatcher drawled.

I lifted my eyes to look at him, then shifted them to Wilder, unable not to grin. Hell, I wasn’t grinning; I was smirking.

“Oakley’s choice in men.”

Wilder’s eyes narrowed, and Thatcher let out a bark of laughter so unlike him that it startled me. My lips stretched wider into a smile as I turned to see my brother actually amused.

“I think he found his Juliet. No fucking wonder he was breaking bones and acting like we were related.”

The humor of the moment was sucked out of the room as I shook my head at him. He needed to stop. Now. She couldn’t know about that.

His dark eyes still glinted with amusement, but he seemed to understand my silent warning.

“Then, she is worth it to you? Because when we leave here, we have to take you directly to Ocala,” Wilder told me.

He didn’t elaborate, and I was thankful for that. Royal didn’t know what that meant. She had no idea who Blaise Hughes was or the power he held.

I nodded my head. “But she stays with me.”

Wilder shook his head. “You can’t take her there.”

“I’m not leaving her!” I growled, already moving her behind me.

Thatcher let out a low whistle. “All right, little brother. You’ve gone and gotten territorial. We got it. But she can’t go there. You know that. You’re already in deep enough shit. What about if we take her to Maeme? No one will get near her there. Not even dear old Dad.”

The idea of leaving her, not being there to protect her, made me want to tear down the fucking walls around us. My eyes shifted from the two of them. Royal wrapped herself around my arm, reminding me that she was watching me. If I acted like a crazed maniac, it would scare her.

“He’s right. You know he is. Let Thatcher take her to Maeme, and I’ll go with you to Ocala.”

“I’m going to Ocala,” Thatcher told him.

Wilder looked at my brother. “That’s not a good idea.”

Thatcher took the cigarette from his mouth as his eyes shifted into that lethal gleam that never ended well. “If Sebastian has to go to Ocala, I’m going with him.”

Wilder cut his eyes to me, and I saw the uncertainty there. We both knew Thatcher held very little regard for life. He was too detached to react to things normally.

“Thatch, he’s got to answer for taking her and running. He broke orders.”

Thatcher tilted his head to the side as the room chilled from more than the open door and cold night.

“If the boss wants to see him then he gets a visited from me too.” His words were spoken slowly, laced with a threat that no one wanted to push with Thatcher.

I could see Wilder back down as he turned to me.

“He’ll have Presley there,” Wilder said. “I doubt Levi is even in the house. Don’t expect to have blood there to back you up.”

Thatcher let out a sinister cackle. Wilder tensed, and the concern in his eyes made it clear that he didn’t think this was going to end well.