“What’s up?” Cade called back. Dawn had no thoughts of running, as she waited to hear what the healer had to say.

 

“Your boy Lenny’s asking for you,” she said.

 

“My boy?” Cade asked. “Where’s Nicole?”

 

“In here,” she said. “Where else would she be?”

 

Glancing carefully over her shoulder, there was no sign of the departed Brian. Had to be something more to his story, but whatever lurked inside the clubhouse demanded more of her attention. She was taken by surprise when Cade whirled around so quickly that he nearly knocked her over where she stood.

 

“So now you’re staying?” he asked, his lips curling into a slight snarl.

 

“I can,” she said. “If you want me to.”

 

“And what do you want, Dawn?”

 

“Right now, what you’re not telling me about your relationship with Lenny.” Trying for a smirk and hoping that it would land in just the right place, Dawn barely breathed as his eyes narrowed, and when Cade finally grinned, she relaxed.

 

“Just stay where I can see you,” he demanded, grabbing her arm with firm tenderness as he led her back to the house. Not only Nicole, but the supposed man in charge, was nowhere to be found. Lenny was holding some kind of court, and now Cade was about to be the man of the hour.

 

“Ask and I’m here,” Cade said as he stepped with Dawn into a darkened room. Dawn barely stifled a gasp when she saw the heaps of bloody rags resting at the foot of the bed. Not knowing how any man, even an Alpha, could survive that, she looked to the healer, and Dawn saw Gloria wiping the excess crimson from her bare arms as Reese paced before her.

 

“And it looks alright now?” Reese asked.

 

“Don’t let all the blood fool you,” Gloria responded. “Sometimes a paper cut does more damage than a knife.”

 

“Not talking knives here,” Reese said. “Man nearly got taken down by a bullet. How the hell did he even—?”

 

“Don’t have your guys just do the blood drives just for charity’s sake,” Gloria said. “Stock pile comes in handy. It’s a good thing I was here to patch him up, isn’t it?”

 

Before Reese had a chance to answer her question, a moan from behind their backs filled the room. The pair pushed apart. If Gloria wasn’t as good as her word, she was pretty damn close. Lenny lay on the bed, stripped above the waist with a series of bandages swathed around his sides. Little to no color in his face, but Nicole’s fiery hair more than made up for it as it swirled around his middle. He touched her neck with unsteady hands, but he still managed a smile when he saw Cade stepping closer.

 

“What’s the good word, Veep?” he lightly croaked. Cade swung a metal chair to the side of the bed, and he sat heavily as he reached for Lenny’s free hand.

 

“Seen you looking better,” Cade said. “Panthers nearly smoked you.”

 

“I’m good,” Lenny said. “Got myself a good luck charm.”

 

He massaged Nicole’s hair, and Dawn saw the girl’s face go soft as she looked up and into his eyes.

 

“Just don’t go getting yourself killed,” Nicole said. “Kind of tired of being on my own.”

 

Part of that was for her brother, and Reese bristled as Gloria held the boy back and spoke harshly.

 

“Still my patient,” she said. “Take it easy.”

 

“I got rights here,” Reese insisted.

 

“Never heard the guy ask for you.”

 

Gloria’s words fell into the room like a stone sinking into a rippling pond, and Dawn feared the rush of the current when Cade held up his hand against Reese’s glaring eyes and Nicole’s rising head.

 

“Let’s just say we all let the man speak,” Cade said. “Think he’s earned that much.”

 

Only Nicole seemed to breathe as Lenny shifted up against the pillows, and he clutched Cade’s shoulder as he moved his mouth close to his ear.

 

“Don’t got the right,” Lenny said. “I…I knew that he wasn’t on our side.”

 

Cade’s smile faded, and Reese clutched a fist to his side.

 

“What?” Reese asked. “You…did you set this up? Did you---?”

 

He started to lunge, threatening to break the bandages when Gloria held him back. Whether she was thinking of her patient or her handiwork seemed the million dollar question, but there were no answers as Cade rose to his feet.

 

“Just let’s listen to him!” Cade cried, his eyes on Dawn as he appeared to tremble.

 

“I fucking owe him nothing if he brought the boom down on us!” Reese screamed.

 

The men appeared ready to fight, and Nicole started to lunge for her brother when Dawn took the chance and stepped between the Alphas. As soon as her back was at Cade’s chest, she felt his breath swirling down her neck, and he seemed ready to call her out again when Dawn swung her head around, keeping her voice soft and her eyes gentle as she spoke.

 

“I just want you to have a chance to stand your ground,” she said. “Want to stay for that, too.”

 

Dawn took note of the wonder in his eyes as he smiled and just touched her hair.

 

“Better,” he whispered. “And easier when I don’t have to chase after you.”

 

Dawn took him by the arm, and she silently challenged Reese to say another word when the spiky-haired boy backed off under the force of their shared stare.

 

“Fine,” Reese said. “Let him talk. Let him lie. But no fucking guarantees of safety after that.”

 

Nicole boiled as she took Lenny’s shattered form into her arms. He winced under her hold, but he managed to make his way to the edge of the bed.

 

“I…”

 

Lenny looked smaller than usual, and Nicole cooed into his hair as she smoothed her hands down his back.

 

“Here’s the thing,” Lenny said. “When… when they were first at Pub 22. When I told you they were just passing through.”

 

“Got that there was more to that,” Cade said. “But you’re just telling me now?”

 

Lenny groaned as he tried to move to his feet, and Nicole bolstered his body up.

 

“Like you would have believed me,” he said. “Little Lenny trying to make a name for himself.”

 

“You don’t have to try so hard,” Nicole said. “How many times do I have to tell you?”

 

“What the hell did you tell him?” Reese demanded. “Don’t say that you’re really thinking of making it with this guy for good and all?”

 

Nicole’s eyes told the tale, and Dawn had to wonder if that was the most amazing story in all of this. The little guy in love and loving the auburn-haired goddess against all odds. Nicole never wavered as she kept her arm around his shoulder, and Lenny hung his head.

 

“I… I saw him making it with the enemy,” Lenny said. “Tried to tell myself that it was nothing. That he was just trying to play all sides.”

 

“Sounds like Brian,” Cade said. “But, pal?”

 

Cade pulled Lenny away from Nicole’s hold like a flimsy piece of gauze, and even as he kept his fingers light against the man’s neck, Dawn felt sure that he could push down with less than a moment’s notice and snap him like a twig.

 

“Cade!” Nicole cried. “Anything he did was for me!”

 

“Was it?” Cade asked.

 

Lenny was able to nod in his hold, and Cade relinquished some of his grip without stepping back. Knowing that she had to tread lightly if she ever had any hope of moving forward, Dawn just touched her hand to his hair and let her sigh fall into his neck.

 

“Find out the whole story first,” she suggested. “Go down with all the facts.”

 

Cade’s glare flashed into her eyes, and Dawn steeled her body for another dressing down when the lines of his lips softened.

 

“Nice job,” he said. “And you might even be onto something.”

 

Pleased at how she had played the moment, Dawn dared to shift Cade’s stare back to Lenny.

 

“Always remember that.”

 

The Alpha snapped his fingers as he folded his arms behind his back.

 

“So out with the rest of it,” Cade said. “But make it quick.”

 

Reese broke free of Gloria’s hold, but he stopped short of throttling his brother.

 

“Like in double time.”

 

Lenny winced, and Nicole worked to ease him deeper into the bed.

 

“You should lie down,” she said. “You should----”

 

“Don’t go soft on me now,” Lenny said. “Only love that about you in small doses.”

 

Both brothers, one of blood and one of circumstance, challenged Lenny with their shared eyes. But Nicole still had her gun, and she pulled the piece out from under the mattress as she cocked the trigger.

 

“And I could take you both down right here if you don’t let him finish it.”

 

Reese seemed scared, but Cade laughed as he fell back into the chair and kicked his legs out from under him.

 

“Then finish it,” Cade said. “Don’t’ keep us all in suspense.”

 

Dawn stood silent with them, but her desire to keep close to Cade slightly melted away as she waited for Lenny’s lips to form the next words. The little guy looked from Nicole to Cade and back again, and he sucked in a deep breath as he tried to sit stronger under his injury.

 

“I saw Brian with them,” Lenny said. “Didn’t make out all the words.”

 

“This is some fucking help,” Reese said.

 

“But what I did catch was all about getting the territory back,” Lenny insisted. “Brian did that.”

 

Cade stayed cool in his chair as he revealed his knife and let the blade flash between his and Lenny’s eyes.

 

“Finish it fast, Lenny,” Cade said. “I want to cut for you. Not into you.”

 

Nicole still wore a look to kill, but Lenny waved his good arm and peered into Cade’s eyes.

 

“Brian said that I was seeing things,” he started. “Hearing things. And he said… he knew about Nicole.”

 

“How?” Cade asked as he stretched forward in his chair. “I was so fucking careful to---”

 

“Not enough I guess,” Lenny said. “So I let it go. Thought… I hoped that maybe it was just white noise. But after tonight…”

 

Lenny turned to Nicole, and he tried to take her into his hold when she finally lowered her gun and stroked his cheek.

 

“Like you really wanted to get shot for your trouble,” she said.

 

“I deserved that and more,” Lenny said. “Should have taken him down when I had the chance.”

 

Tears stared to fill his eyes, and Nicole whispered for him to be still when Reese raised his gun and moved forward.

 

“All I needed to---”

 

“Don’t you do it!” Gloria screamed. “I ruined my shirt for this one!”

 

Reese pushed her back, and Nicole seemed ready to fire when Lenny forced his body forward.

 

“I shouldn’t have let it get this far, okay?” he said. “I’m a coward. Maybe too dumb to think that it was real. But I’m telling you now---”

 

“Club should have cut you loose long ago.”

 

Reese’s hand surrounded Lenny’s neck, and he seemed ready to toss him out, makeshift bandages and all, when Dawn pulled Cade close.

 

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked. “I thought that---”

 

“I’m making like your old lady,” she whispered. “And you don’t want Reese to do this. Even you get why he couldn’t roll over if he thought it would cost him Nicole.”

 

Cade stayed still as Reese tried to hustle Lenny away from the clubhouse despite Gloria’s screams, and he nodded as his fingers ran down her arm.

 

“Better, Dawn,” he said. “And of course you’re right.”

 

He kissed her eyes quickly, and then he charged forward to bring Lenny back to the bed. Nicole was at his side, and Cade flicked his knife into the air.

 

“We got no real casualties,” Cade started. “So he kept quiet for your sister. And maybe… maybe the little guy’s helping us out in all kinds of ways right now.”

 

“You buy that?” Reese asked. “He sat in when he said we were going to lay low. Man could have spilled his guts at any time.”

 

“And Brian was right there,” Cade reminded him. “Lenny was just biding his time. For Nicole.”

 

Cade looked to the redhead, and Dawn completely understood the definition of jealous as he touched her chin.

 

“Good man,” Cade said. “And far from the enemy.”

 

Reese still appeared unconvinced when Gloria slapped him upside the head as her eyes drifted out of the room.

 

“Brian took off,” she said. “Lenny didn’t.”

 

“Couldn’t,” Reese said.

 

“Didn’t because he couldn’t,” Gloria said. “And he’s here right now. Man could have milked the injury and held his tongue. But he’s coming clean because it’s the truth.”

 

“The truth?” Reese scoffed. “We nearly got taken down here tonight. And—”

 

“And now Lenny needs to rest.”

 

Nicole lifted her gun again, and Gloria pulled Reese away as she patted his back.

 

“Let’s just get you a drink,” Gloria said. “God knows I need one.”

 

Gloria pulled Reese out of the room, and Dawn moved forward in their wake to close the door. Finding the lock and turning it in place, she turned back to feel Cade close.

 

“I didn’t run this time,” she reminded him. “Are you—?”

 

“Angry?” he asked as he tucked his knife away. “No. Actually kind of impressed.”

 

Cade took her under his arm, and they watched Nicole settle Lenny back on the bed. She pushed pillows under his sides and let her body bolster the rest of him, her arms falling over his neck as she met Dawn’s eyes.

 

“We should talk,” Nicole said. “Once he’s asleep.”

 

“Whenever you want,” Dawn said.

 

As Lenny started to drift into sleep, Dawn watched Nicole’s hand smooth down his cheek, and Lenny turned his anguished pale face to her eyes.

 

“Maybe… maybe I should have said something sooner,” Lenny finally confessed. “But when it came down to you or the club I…I chose…”

 

“I know,” Nicole said. “Thank you, Lenny.”

 

She kissed his lips and snuggled close to his side. Dawn felt Cade’s smile before she even looked into his eyes, and he quickly turned her into the corner of the room as he grabbed her face.

 

“Well played,” he whispered. “Great advice. And you let me take the lead.”

 

“Touch and go there for a second or so,” Dawn said.

 

“But we came out the other end—”

 

“With you still in danger,” she continued. “Maybe I should pick up a gun to protect you.”

 

“Don’t think so,” Cade said. “That’s my job.”

 

He begged her to wait as he turned back to the bed. Laying one hand lightly on Nicole’s back, he saw the redhead turn to face him, and her eyes were full of too many emotions to count as he gently pulled on her hair.

 

“Guess I got you where you needed to be,” he said.

 

“Sort of kind of,” Nicole said. “How long do you think they’ll buy it?”

 

“Until the morning or the moment that the Panthers come back. Lenny?”’

 

The little man was already drifting away in Nicole’s arms, and his eyes just flickered as she kissed his hair and looked to Dawn.

 

“Thanks for speaking up for him,” she said.

 

“Cade did that,” Dawn said. “I just—”

 

“Got his ear,” Nicole said. “And right now, that doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.”

 

Dawn smiled back, and Cade left her side for a split second. Gloria, of all people, was dictating what would come next. First order was sleep, and Reese grudgingly agreed as he ordered a few sentries out a front.

 

“Still such a kid,” Cade muttered. “Just thinks that he can sleep it off.”

 

“Kid might be on to something, Cade.”