Kayla had a huge heart and she loved her sister very much. And she felt like Bailey had done enough over the years. He understood where she was coming from. If he could prevent Lesley from sacrificing her dreams or her happiness for him, he’d do it in a minute. Not that they’d ever faced that choice, but if so, he’d be as fierce as Kayla in trying to stop it.
“Yes, Bale. That’s exactly right. I’m moving in with Zach because I want to be with him—and he wants to be with me. The Kings are secondary, but you don’t need to worry about them. Zach will protect me.”
Camel stood beside his girl, calm on the outside but no doubt boiling on the inside. Boiling because his girl was upset, not because he was. Neo was pretty damned sure that Camel trusted him to protect Kayla. They’d had the same defensive training, with the exception of Camel being the team sniper. His shots over long distances were more accurate, but Neo didn’t have any trouble hitting targets. Or winning in close combat situations.
Bailey’s eyes fixed on his. “Will you, Zach?”
“I think you know I will.”
Bailey frowned. Hard. “I really like you a lot, Zach. I know what you are and what you’re capable of. But this whole thing seems sudden. Like you two are trying to pull one over on us.”
“What possible incentive do I have to ask your sister to move in with me unless I care about her?”
Bailey didn’t have an answer.
“It’s not sudden, Bale,” Kayla said softly. “Zach and I have had a complicated relationship over the past few months. We’ve been off and on, for reasons that I’m not explaining to you, but we’re on again. And this is what we’re going to do. I don’t need your approval.”
“Babe,” Camel said softly. Bailey looked up at him. “The Kings have found her again. If I were running this op, I’d move her to a new location until we could hunt them down and put an end to the threat.”
She didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then she sighed. “I know.”
Neo could hear the defeat in her voice.
“But how are you going to end the threat?” she continued. “Those assholes are supposed to be in prison, not out starting their club again.”
Camel shot Neo a look. They both knew that sometimes the bad guys didn’t stay down. Sometimes they crawled out from under their rocks again. And sometimes you had to wait for them to make another mistake before you put them down once more.
“We took down as many of them as we could,” Camel said. “We dismantled their operation and freed the women they were holding. This guy is starting from next to nothing, but there are a few of them left and they’ve been trying to rebuild their network. He wants money so he can do that. We’re not going to let it happen.”
“I feel safe with Zach,” Kayla said. “Alexei has you to take care of. He doesn’t need to spend all his time looking out for me and Ana too.”
Bailey’s brows drew together. Then she threw her hands up and her head back. “Okay, okay. It’s three against one. I get it.” She went over and wrapped her arms around Kayla. Kayla hugged her in return. “You’re the only sister I have, Kay-Kay. I already thought I lost you once and I don’t ever want to go through that again. You’re too important to me. You and Ana and Alexei are the only family I have.”
“I know, Bale. I’ll be fine with Zach. He’s the right man for me. I love him and I want you to be happy for me.”
Neo’s gut clenched at hearing her say she loved him. She was saying it for Bailey’s sake, but he wished it were true. What would it be like to have the kind of love in his life that Camel clearly had? And then there was Dirty, living across the street and head over heels with Chloe. Not to mention the rest of Neo’s teammates. It was only him and Shade left in the bachelor category.
And he wasn’t going to be a bachelor much longer, though Kayla hadn’t mentioned that part to her sister. Neo had left it up to her. She’d clearly decided that springing two things—a threat from criminals and moving out—was enough of a blow for her sister in one night.
“I am happy for you. Both of you,” Bailey said, stepping back and giving him a look that contained both a question and a threat. “Take care of my baby sister and my precious niece, Zach. I need them.”
“I need them too, Bailey. Both of them.” He put his arm around Kayla and pulled her close. She clung to his side as if it was the most natural thing in the world to be there. She made him feel fiercely protective. He’d do anything for her and Ana.
“I know it’s sudden,” Kayla said, “but after the visit from Dal today, I think it’s wise to go now. I don’t know that he knows where to find me other than the salon, but I’m not taking any chances.”
“You can’t keep going to work,” Bailey said. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I have to for now. It’s my job, and I won’t leave the girls in a bind.”
Neo gave Kayla’s shoulder a squeeze, signaling her not to keep protesting. “We’ll figure something out, Bailey. I won’t let her put herself in danger.”
“We’re going to track down this Dal Gentry,” Camel said. “Find out where the club is hanging these days and precisely what the state of it is.”
They’d already talked to their team commander about it. Dane “Viking” Erikson was taking it up the chain to see
