Beyond Shame

me.”

Relieved by the ghost of a smile, Noelle wrapped her arms carefully around Lex. Maybe she had been the intended target. Lex was the one who mattered to Dallas, the one who was a danger in her own right. The only person in the world who could be angry with Noelle, personally, was her father, and even he couldn’t want her dead.

Probably.

Lex coaxed Noelle’s head down to her shoulder and patted her back. “Did they catch the guy yet? Was it one of Trent’s men?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Dallas sent Jasper and Bren after him and then parked me in here with you and told me not to move. One of the men is guarding the door—Maddox, I think.”

“Sounds serious.”

She was making fun of Dallas, and Noelle felt a disloyal stab of sympathy for him. “You were bleeding all over us. It seemed pretty damn serious.”

Lex sobered immediately. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Just don’t get shot again, okay?” Noelle dragged in a breath and lifted her head to offer Lex a lopsided smile. “If you don’t act like that part doesn’t matter, I’ll gladly get mad with you over the rest of it. Because I’m going a little crazy being stuck here with no idea what’s going on.”

“Yeah? Welcome to my life,” Lex muttered.

Noelle laughed. “I haven’t met Maddox. Can we talk him into letting us out?”

“Mad? Hell, no. We’d be better off crawling out a window or blasting through the wall.”

“Well, I should at least tell him you’re awake. Dallas will want to know.” She hesitated. “Unless you don’t want me to just yet?”

Lex shook her head. “It’s okay. I had my reprieve. Though if I know Mad…”

Noelle didn’t have time to ask. Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and she realized Mad must have heard them talking. A moment later, Dallas proved her right by shouldering through the door and slamming it behind him.

This was bound to be an intense, personal moment, so Noelle inched toward the edge of the bed only to freeze when Dallas pointed at her. “Stay put. The doc told you to sleep off that shit he gave you.”

The doctor had told her she could be up and about when she felt able, but with Dallas’s eyes blazing, Noelle didn’t dare argue with him.

“Don’t yell at her.” Lex snorted in disgust. “You can’t stand it, can you? Sometimes shit happens, and it’s not anyone’s fault, and you can’t stop it.”

Dallas glared at her. “Glad to see you’re perking up, love.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Seems like someone blew a shit ton of money putting me back together.”

“Gee, honey. Don’t sound so happy about it.”

“Oh, I’m ecstatic.” Lex shrugged. “You maintain what’s yours, right? Have to keep it all in working order.”

Noelle was starting to wish she’d slipped off the bed anyway, anything to get away from the anger filling the space between Dallas and Lex.

Especially when he took a menacing step forward. “You think it’s bad now? You just wait, Alexa Parrino. You don’t know what it’s like to belong to me, but mark my words, girl—”

“You insufferable—”

He continued as if she hadn’t broken in. “You are going to find out.”

“Asshole.” Lex threw a pillow at him, then another. She was reaching for a third when she had to stop and clutch her side with a grimace. “Ow, fuck.”

“Lex—” Noelle wrapped her arms around Lex and glared at Dallas, any hint of fear lost in a growing surge of rage. “What’s wrong with you?” she snapped at him. “Is this how you take care of people? I’m not allowed to move but you’ll drive her into the ground?”

Lex touched Noelle’s arm, the fight already melting out of her. “He’s just being Dallas. This is my own stupid fault for throwing shit.”

Dallas glared at Noelle. She flinched under the weight of his blazing stare, but refused to buckle, and he shoved a hand through his hair with a growl. “Don’t practice sharpening your claws on me, kitten.” No affection curled around the nickname this time—just a cool warning. “You’re not ready to hunt big game.”

“Dallas.” Lex’s voice was hard, chiding, but after an interminably tense moment, she held out a hand to him.

Dallas approached the bed, his expression still blank, but some of the tension around his eyes softened as he eased down beside her and pulled her close. “No more throwing shit. You hear me?”

“Can you knock off the bossy act for five minutes?”

“Maybe.” He tucked her head under his chin, settled against the headboard with her curled against his left side, and lifted his right arm. “Come here, Noelle. I won’t bite.”

Noelle hesitated, even less willing to interject herself into a tender moment than she had been an angry one. “If you need a minute, I could go check with Mad. Lex should eat…”

“I can’t think of anything I would less rather do.” Lex beckoned. “Come. Sit with us.”

In the end she did, sliding across the mattress until Dallas hooked his forearm around her waist and dragged her the rest of the way. He smoothed a hand down her arm to her hip as he kissed the top of her head. “I promised Jas I’d take care of you until he got back.”

“All right.” Noelle slipped her hand over Lex’s where it rested on Dallas’s chest. Maybe this was what family was supposed to be. Anger and rage, but never lingering when someone needed comfort. “We’ll all be okay.”

“Dallas is still a jerk.” Lex rubbed her cheek against his shoulder before tilting her face up to kiss his jaw.

Dallas chuckled, his chest rumbling under Noelle’s ear. “I love you too, smartass.” It was a joke. Easy words that were safe because everyone knew he didn’t mean them.

Except Noelle was pretty sure he did.

Someone pounding on the door interrupted the moment, and Lex sighed. “What?”

The door opened a crack, and Bren stuck his head through. “Heads up, Dallas. My friend is on his way. He has something I think you want.”

Dallas’s arms tightened. “ETA?”

“Should be rolling up any minute.” Bren hesitated. “He had to burn himself over this. We gonna make that right?”

“If he brings me the bastard who pulled the trigger, he can name his price.”

“Okay.” Bren ducked back out, closing the door quietly behind him.

Lex struggled upright and grimaced down at her skimpy tank top. “I need some clothes.”

“Lex.” Dallas gripped her shoulders. “I need something from you, honey. One thing. I need you to stay here.”

She flashed him a look of disbelief. “Oh, you’re kidding me.”

His jaw clenched, and Noelle held her breath as Dallas leaned closer. “I’m asking.” Asking, not ordering, and even she knew how rare a thing that was.

Lex must have realized it too. Still, it seemed like forever until she lifted a trembling hand to his face. “Okay. But only because you’ve had a really bad day.”

Dallas caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “It’s looking up. I’ll be back soon.”

“Don’t lose your temper,” she warned him softly. “Information first.”

“I know.” He grinned, the expression so predatory, so full of anticipation, that Noelle shivered. The look in his eyes meant death, and his smile said he’d enjoy it. Not just enjoy—revel in it.

It was hard to tell what scared Noelle more—Dallas’s thirst for violence, or the realization that she shared it. Lust wasn’t the only vice the sectors taught, and it was time for her first lesson in revenge.

* * *

Jasper didn’t know what Alistair Martel looked like, and that bothered him more than it should have.

Oh, he knew the face that came up onscreen when they scanned Martel’s bar code, and he knew the man’s