Kage

My eyes keep sliding in the direction Tamar wandered in, because she’s either taking her time or something else has drawn her attention. Fuck.

“All good?” Virgil questions when I stroll back to them, Felix right beside me.

I’m done talking to Felix and that time alone would have been enough for Tamar to walk her fine ass back to the group.

“That depends. Did Tamar come back yet?” And somehow the look Virgil is giving me makes my heart rate pick up.

His eyes scan our surroundings while Ramon and Lars slowly slide their hands to their guns.

Felix eyes the whole situation. “Act like nothing is wrong. Ramon, you’re going to walk over to the vehicles, act like you’re getting in but make your way around and slip into the woods. Virgil, you’re with me, we’ll do the same to come up on the other side. Kage, go take a piss at the same spot your Old Lady picked.”

We all nod and take off like Felix said. Years of training kick in as easy as taking your next breath. Yet somehow something shifted when Tamar entered my life. The angle of a risk that’s as close as getting your heart ripped out when our brother was sent back in pieces. I know damn well I don’t need fear or distraction at this point, but fuck, I can’t imagine my life without her anymore.

Faint murmurs draw my attention. I immediately recognize one of the voices as Tamar’s—but it’s the other voice that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Benji. I fucking knew it was a risk not to put a bullet in him. But being an annoying asshole hadn’t been enough, and I won’t end a life without a good enough reason. Right now, I’m regretting the error in my judgment. I should have ended him, because he’s now got a gun aimed at my woman.

“Mind pointing it at me, motherfucker? Because you’ll be taking your last breath if you hurt my Old Lady.” The words that flow out of my mouth sound even deadlier than the vow I just gave him.

“Now why would I do that?” Benji sneers. “When I kill her, I not only get my revenge on her, I get to add the pleasure of taking her away from you.”

“Revenge?” Tamar’s seething. “What the fuck do you need to take revenge on me for? You’re the one who fucked up every chance you got. You saved my ass one freaking time. And how many times did I save yours in return? Right. Go on then, fire a fucking hole in me, you idiot. But I swear if you miss or if I’m somehow still alive, there isn’t anything that will keep me from wiping you out of this damn world.”

“Tamar,” I curse under my breath. It’s beyond me why the fuck she’d aggravate him even more when he’s already holding her at gunpoint.

“Oh, I won’t miss. It’s you who’s missed so damn much. You never once gave me the time of day. Then this no-good sonofabitch shows up and you’re fucking him and trailing after him like a damn puppy. Your father would be ashamed to call you his daughter.” Benji’s hand visibly shakes with anger and it’s then I understand what Tamar is doing.

Time seems to slip into slow-motion when I see her lunge forward, taking the hand that’s holding the gun and twisting it around. The gun hits the ground at the same time her fist connects with his jaw. Benji’s head whips back but he recovers fast and in one swoop he’s knocked Tamar’s legs out from under her.

A blind man can see these two have been training together for years because Tamar kicks his knee out and jumps up off the ground without any effort. Benji rolls and my heart completely stops when he grabs hold of the gun once more, taking aim while Tamar freezes and knows deep down this is it.

The sound of the gun is the only thing I hear as I watch Tamar being shoved to the ground, a body falling over her while Felix’s machete slices through the air, taking Benji’s head with it before it bounces off the ground.

I finally close the distance, struggling to breathe from running ever since I spotted Benji and Tamar. I curse myself for having left her alone, out of my sight. It was a moment that could have cost us all our lives.

Tamar rolls back, grabs the front of Virgil’s shirt, screaming for him to wake up. Yet death doesn’t give a person the opportunity to wake up from it. It’s final. Virgil gave his life to protect her. Without even a second thought.

Deciding it’s not a damn visual I want her to have imprinted on her brain, I scoop her into my arms and hold on tight, letting her muffle her sobs into my chest.

Ramon comes up and strokes Tamar’s back. “So sorry, sis. Virgil was a good man.”

“The best,” Lars croaks as he squeezes Tamar’s shoulder. “But you’re not alone. You’ve got all of us now too, sis. Remember that.”

Fuck. Having my brothers calling her sis, and voicing how she’s not only a part of me but also a part of our family, is making my eyes burn.

“We need to…” Tamar’s sentence breaks out in a sob.

“We’ll take care of it. You don’t need to see this. Kage, get her the fuck out of here,” Felix snaps, understanding Tamar’s request without actually voicing the words.

Ramon walks back to the vehicle with us. When I’ve got Tamar in the backseat, I see my brother jog back with a shovel.

Tamar’s eyes are haunted when she says, “I need to do it, not them.”

“Give them the honor to put his body to rest, Tamar.” I gently stroke my thumb along her cheek, wiping away her last tears. “You’re a part of us now. That means your burden is ours to carry with you. It’s already my fault I let this happen. I should have fucking killed him instead of giving him the choice to walk away, and now Virgil is dead because of it.”

“Don’t.” Tamar roughly shakes her head. “If someone’s to blame it should be me. I’d given him too many damn chances. I let it all slide through my fingers, knowing damn well it would all come back to bite me in the ass one day. Seems that day has finally come and yet it was Virgil who…”

My heart tugs for my woman who’s just lost a lifelong friend. “That’s enough, kitten. All the words and guilt won’t change what happened. We need to focus on the future and honor Virgil’s memory because that fucker was one hell of a guy stepping up like that.”

Tamar nods and wraps her arms around my waist. Burying her cheek against my chest while she murmurs, “You’re right.”

It doesn’t take long for the guys to come back. Felix gives the signal for all of us to get back into the vehicles. Nothing like bracing yourself for a hunt, and taking the fight to your enemy, to put your grief on hold long enough to fight. And we will take all of it together. I lace my fingers with hers and place our connected hands on my thigh. She squeezes it tightly as if she’s heard my thoughts. Together, we’re ready to face anything.