“Wait, wait.” I stopped her, my blood turning to ice with fear for the man I loved. “Are you saying that Max is meeting with your husbands to discuss Uncle Tony?”
Tavia’s mouth closed, her gaze going over my shoulder to Lexa, as if asking how she should answer. Turning my head, I caught Lexa speaking behind my back. “…doesn’t know,” were the only words I read before she clamped her mouth shut.
“I don’t know what?” I asked.
She kept her mouth closed, and I focused on Tavia. After spending a little time with them, I’d already realized Tavia was the sweeter of the two and possibly the easier to break if they were keeping secrets.
“What…don’t…I know?” I spoke the words, hoping they were loud enough for her to hear.
“It’s just that… Well, you think Max is so sweet and all…” Tavia’s shoulders dropped. “And he can be. Don’t get me wrong. I love him. But he’s…”
I glanced quickly back and forth between the two sisters when she stopped speaking, trying to figure out what the heck I’d missed. “He’s what?” I demanded, frustrated with them. “And what does that have to do with him meeting up with your husbands to talk about my evil uncle?” I jumped to my feet when neither responded to my signed question. “Don’t you understand that he’s in danger? Tony could hurt Max!”
Grimacing, Lexa waved me back down, urging me to sit. “Relax, sweetie. You have nothing to worry about. If anything, I would be more concerned for the safety of your awful uncle than my baby brother.”
That she had so much confidence in her brother’s ability wasn’t reassuring at all. Max was too gentle and kind. She was out of her mind if she thought my uncle wouldn’t tear him apart within seconds, despite how beast-like he was in appearance.
Without thinking about it, I ran to the door and flung it open. My only thought was to find Max and make sure he was safe.
His wide shoulders took up most of the stairs as he climbed them with two other men. Seeing me, he stopped, and his metallic-blue eyes turned hungry as he took in what I was wearing. Then his nostrils flared, and he sprinted up the last of the steps before pushing me back inside and slamming the door in the other two’s faces. “Where do you think you’re going dressed like that?” he demanded, his eyes trailing over me possessively.
“I was worried about you.” I tried to explain.
“Go put some clothes on,” he instructed, a muscle ticking in his clenched jaw. “Everything covered up.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “I wore less than this to the reception.” His shirt alone covered more of me than my dress had earlier.
“Don’t remind me,” he signed, his hands fisting. “I’m trying really hard not to think about all those assholes getting to see so much of what is mine. Clothes. Now.”
Glaring at him, I stomped over to where my bag of clothes was and carried it to our room. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, I gathered my hair into a ponytail before walking barefoot back into the living room.
The two men who had been at the door with Max were now inside, but they hadn’t taken a seat yet. The bigger one was covered in more ink than Max, his hair cut military-style. I knew from the pictures on the walls that he was Ben, Lexa’s husband, and also the sheriff. The other guy, Theo, was leaner, his hair a little longer on top. He was married to Tavia, but just looking at him, I got the feeling he wasn’t nearly as sweet as his wife.
Yet he was the first one to offer me a smile when I returned. Winking, he sat on the arm of the couch beside Tavia.
“I have to go out for the night,” Max stated when my eyes landed on him. “I don’t want you to be alone, so Lexa and Tavia are taking you to Lexa’s house for a sleepover.”
“No.”
His eyes narrowed on me. “Yes.”
“No,” I repeated. “Because I know you’re going to go confront my uncle. I’m not going to just sit here and wait for someone to tell me you got killed tonight!”
His smile softened his face, making him that much more beautiful. “That won’t happen, treasure. We’re just going to pay dear old Uncle Tony a small visit to make sure he understands that you have a new family now. So he won’t be wasting his time in case he’s still looking for you. I’ll grab your things too, if you want. If there’s anything you want that you had to leave behind, let me know, and I will make sure to bring it back.”
“Take me with you,” I countered.
“No,” he signed with a shake of his head. “You are going to Lexa’s.”
“It will be so much fun,” Lexa cut in, distracting me. “Nova is coming over too. And her cousin Ciana, who is visiting for the weekend with Tavia. We’re going to make tacos and churros. We’ll watch some rom-coms, or whatever you’re in the mood for, and have some quality girl time.”
She made it seem like so much fun, and I’d never actually been to a sleepover before. But as much as I wanted to go, I couldn’t stomach the thought of Max coming face-to-face with Uncle Tony or his men. After giving him my heart, I couldn’t imagine my life without him, and I was certain that my uncle wouldn’t hesitate to hurt him.
Sensing my reluctance, Lexa smiled. “All of the men are going with him, Delaney. Including Ben. I seriously doubt anything bad will happen when he has an actual sheriff with him, do you?”
When she put it like that, I felt a little better. My uncle would think twice about doing anything bad if the
