The rest of the hike was quiet, except for Kane drilling Dale about Gin.

“Shit or get off the pot,” Kane told his friend, earning a quick glare from the SEAL. Dale could cut one look that would leave most men nervous, but Kane knew the guy. He knew when he’d pushed too many buttons. My brother wasn’t remotely done with that shit.

“The hell are you talking about?”

Kane sighed, head shaking like he couldn’t believe how dense his friend was. “Funny, you don’t look that dumb or blind.”

Dale turned, jaw clenched, looking big and brutal as he faced my brother. “Fuck you, asshole…”

“I’m not the one who wants you to fuck them.”

He meant Gin, and Dale knew it. Hell, I’d only dropped by the set a handful of times, and I still knew how bad the woman wanted him. Dale ignored the comment, flipping the bird at Kane before he walked ahead, my brother’s laugh trailing behind him.

The hike served a greater purpose than Kane having the chance to fuck with his friend’s head. It gave Cara the opportunity to get calm as we moved up the trail. Her expression was somber, a little sad, but she didn’t complain.

For me, the silence and darkness, the monotonous movement of putting one foot in front of the other, served only to put me back on that sidewalk, cold and more terrified than I’d ever been in my life with Cara’s trembling body under me.

Even in the dark, 2,850 miles from that Fifth Avenue sidewalk, I could still feel the sticky weight of blood on my fingers. The guy had sneered at me. An honest to God sneer like we were disgusting insects he took immense joy exterminating.

There was no choice.

No thought.

He’d already shot at us.

He’d already hit the driver.

He wouldn’t get a chance at Cara.

One minute he was there, that asshole, full of hate and violence, likely getting off on the damage he’d done. The next, there was nothing in his eyes at all. Just the blank nothingness and an open gaze that would never see anything at all again.

Dead. At my hands.

That had never happened to me before.

By the time we made it to the cabin, the teasing Kane had delivered to Dale was gone and the realization of what had happened to us descended like a haze that filled every available space in the small cabin.

“Kiel,” Kit greeted as we walked inside, pulling me into a hug I gladly took.

“Kit,” I returned, pulling back to nod at my wife. “This is Cara.” She was tired, that much I made out as she tried giving Kit a weak smile. She didn’t bother pretending to be polite when Gin walked into the kitchen with a case of Bud in her hands.

Like clockwork, Dale met her by the island, tugging the beer from her arm despite her small protests. “Kiel,” she said, her wide smile almost was warm as Kit’s. “I’m so glad y’all made it.”

The women were more welcoming than Kane and Dale had been, but then, most guys I knew didn’t fawn over their family and friends when they’d delivered shit right on their front steps.

“You brought her here?” Kane had said when I called him from the plane. His deep voice had been a little desperate, shocked over the cell. I’d woken him up. Knew that. Didn’t much care that I had, but my brother had still managed to guilt me even half asleep. “You brought her home?”

“Didn’t you hear me the first time?”

“Fuck, Kiel.” Over the line I’d heard the rustle of fabric, then the quick slide of a zipper as Kane dressed. The door clicking behind him and his heavy feet on hardwood told me he’d wanted clear of Kit before he started screaming at me. “The fuck you bringing her here for? My God, man, what the hell am I supposed to…”

“Can you just leave some gear and clothes for us in a truck at the airport? I’ll take care of getting it back down the mountain.” I’d tried to keep my voice down, not liking the look of the flight attendant who kept shooting glances my way. But the plane was small, someone would catch my words no matter how low I spoke them. “We’ll stay out of your hair. I don’t want you messed up in this bullshit.”

But Kane hadn’t wanted us out of his hair. That wasn’t my brother’s way. It didn’t surprise me. I was his kid brother. I’d always be his concern, no matter how stupid the shit I landed myself in. Still, he’d done what I’d asked and then some. Aside from the truck and gear he’d left for us, Kane had gotten the cabin ready. From the glance I’d gotten as we’d cleared the front of the cabin, Kane had made sure the wood was cut and stacked. And a quick survey of the interior and the smell permeating from the kitchen told me Kit had taken care of the rest. No need to wonder. I’d bet money there were clean linens in the closet and food in the fridge.

Kit and Gin wouldn’t have it any other way. They were television DIY queens. You didn’t just get fluffy towels and loaves of bread when you came to visit. You got luxury linens, towels the size of robes, dried lavender on the turned-down bed pillows, and fresh-baked bread still warm from the oven on oak cutting boards.

Kane was losing his touch. A fact that I brought to his attention when I led Cara into the cabin and stopped short, taking in the warm, cable network spread Kit had laid out for us. I sent a glance at Dale after he loaded the fridge with the beer and took the coffee mug Gin handed him.

“What the fuck is all this?” I asked Kane, motioning at the small crowd. I ignored the quick fall of Kit’s smile and Gin’s retreat and definitely how Dale shook his head at me before he retreated to the living room.

“Oh, you’re welcome, asshole,” Kane said, glancing for the first time at Cara. I didn’t much like the look he gave her. He hadn’t even acknowledged her when they met us on the trail, and now he glared at her, shooting her a look that wasn’t friendly. Maybe it wasn’t exactly rude, but he could have at least tried to make her feel welcome.

“Like I said. What the fuck is all this?”

“Calm down.”

“Calm…” I stopped, figuring I’d take a second to settle Cara at the island and pull off my jacket before I laid into the small assembly. There was no need for explanations. Cara grabbed her lukewarm bottle of water from her jacket, and the tips of her fingers were visible underneath the bright kitchen light. Two of her fingernails had broken down to the top of her finger, and the bloodstains were more visible here. Spotting them, Kit gasped, covering her mouth and nose with her hands as she stared at the state of us.

Cara looked better than me. The loose jacket swallowed her underneath all that army-green weatherproof fabric, but she still shook, still wouldn’t quite meet anyone’s gaze for long. Though, I thought that might have something to do with our conversation at lunch about Kane not liking her.

“Yeah,” I replied to Kit’s shocked response, turning to my brother, who didn’t move except for the slow flick of his eyes as he looked at my own fingers. His attention settled on my busted knuckles. “The shit we’re in doesn’t make company a good idea.”

I glared at Dale watching me from the window along the back of the living room. “You might be able to cover your own ass, but why the hell would you let Kane talk you”—I flashed a look at Gin, then back at the SEAL—“or her into being here?”

Dale knew the score, even if he wouldn’t speak it out loud. Gin was a pretty redhead with big brown eyes and a body made for trouble. Dale knew it, and he knew other men looked at her; that much I picked up the one damn time I’d tried getting Gin to let me buy her a whiskey. Dale had done so much stomping around and glaring on set that day, I decided to drop my invitation to Gin. The man was stupid for her, so why the hell would he let her tag along?

“This is a bad idea, having a house full,” I told my brother, lowering my shoulders when Kit approached. She stretched her arms to offer me another hug. “Hell…” I muttered but still hugged her.

“Don’t worry so much,” she told me, gesturing to Kane when he tried explaining himself. At my side, Cara sat with her back straight and her arms nestled tightly around her waist. Kit followed my gaze, spotting the way Cara carried herself. How she managed to look beautiful and untouchable and utterly out of her element all at the same time. Kit winked at me, nudged Kane to the side, and stood next to Cara. “You must be so exhausted and desperate for a shower.” She offered my wife a hand and smiled big when she took it.

Cara shrugged, glancing between Kit and me before she nodded. “I wouldn’t hate that,” she admitted.

“Good. We’ve got you all set up.” She stepped back, nodding toward the hallway at the back of the cabin and waited as Cara looked at me, her expression unsure and wary.

“It’s okay,” I told her, not used to this side of her. Cara had always been a ball-busting bitch. But she’d never been attacked, not as far as I knew. She’d never been shunned by her father. This hadn’t been a good week for her. That did something to me. It rattled something inside my chest that she seemed to look to me to protect her. She’d asked for that, but I’d never considered she’d meant it.

I took her hand, helping her stand. “Kit’s cool, I promise. There isn’t anyone in this cabin who will hurt you.”

At that, Cara looked from me to Kane, and my brother caught the accusation in her expression.

“What?” he asked, face tensing as he waited for an answer. When none came, he rubbed his neck, his face brightening as though he had to say something he hadn’t planned. “You expect me to promise to be okay with all this? That’s not gonna happen. I remember, lady. Don’t think for a second I don’t. My kid brother coming home half beat to death. The way I hear it, you were the reason for that bullshit.”

Kane ignored me when I rested a hand against Cara’s back, letting her know I had her. Kane might be insulting, but it wouldn’t go on for long, even if he kept pretending not to catch the glare I shot his way.

“Now, my kid brother gets attacked again, shot at, and carries your princess ass back here to put me and mine in danger? I won’t have—”

“You know what, Kane?” Cara started, stepping closer to him, leaving my touch. “I know I fucked up. I know my family and my situation is a pain in the ass, but I was scared, stupid, and didn’t know what else to do. That’s why I sent for him. He protected me. He made the decision to stay because that’s what you do when you make a promise.” Kane opened his mouth, looking ready to argue, but Cara wouldn’t let him. “You can call me a bitch and a princess and anything else you want, but get this straight. He’s my husband, and I’m his wife. Whether you like it or not, I’m family. And from what your brother told me, Kainos always protect family, even if they don’t deserve it.”

For the first time in my life, I witnessed my brother speechless.

She wasn’t exaggerating.

We stuck together.

Blood or legal ties, no matter how we became family, Kainos stuck together.

That was something Kane taught me from an early age. It was something he believed with everything in him.

Man, it had to hurt his pride to be reminded of that by someone he swore was a living hurricane set on wrecking my life.

“Well,” Kit said when the quiet tension went on too long. “I freakin’ like you,” she told Cara. She tugged on my wife’s shoulders, laughing a little at Kane’s expression as Kit led Cara toward the hall. Kit stopped before she left the room, holding my brother’s face between her hands and kissed him quick. “You worry too much.”

Another wink thrown my way and Kit had Cara nearly out of the living room before my wife stopped, turning to look at me. “Try Johnny again. I wanna know how Arturo is.” She glanced back at Kane after I nodded at her. From the looks of it, some of her irritation had dimmed. “What I did to your brother,” she started, bringing Kane’s attention to her. “It was the worst thing I’ve ever done, and I’m not exactly from a normal American family. I’ve seen violence. I know heartache. But nothing I’ve been through ever hurt as much as what I did to Kiel. When I confess, it’s the truth.” And then, she left down the hallway, letting Kit lead her away from my brother’s open-mouthed expression.

“Well,” Gin said, following Dale as he moved out of the living room and onto the balcony. She curled her arms tightly, and Dale went to her side, placing an awkward arm over her shoulder as they stood overlooking the property, their breaths visible in the cold air when they spoke, too low for us to hear.

Kane didn’t like Cara’s admission, but I could see his expression shifting. The bright anger that had monopolized his face disappeared. He pushed off from the island, going to the fridge for two beers. He handed one over, then followed my gaze out to the balcony as Dale and Gin went on talking. They stood close now, closer than I’d ever seen them. I didn’t make a comment or point out to Kane that his earlier suggestion for Dale to shit or get off the pot might be starting to happen. Didn’t much care if it was. There were other things holding my attention.

My brother twisted off the cap of his beer and leaned against the island, eyes downcast like he needed a few long gulps to clear away the bullshit from his head. He had words for me. They were practically scattered in his eyes as he tried avoiding my attention.

The place had been well cared for since the last time I’d visited. That had been three years prior, when I’d brought some woman whose name I’d never quite remembered up here to see the first snow. The furniture hadn’t changed since then; it was still lush and comfortable, with leather sofas and a tufted fabric ottoman that joined the seating area and the fireplace.

The kitchen, I figured, Kit had gotten her hands on. The cabinets were now dark and purposefully weathered, some rustic cabin-chic explosion she’d no doubt insisted on in the months since she and Kane finally got together. The cabin itself was nestled in the forest on a secluded dirt road you’d miss if you didn’t it know was there. Surrounding the property were woods and a small ravine now partially frozen as the temperatures dropped and a snowstorm threatened.

The cabin was a perfect hideaway—or hideout, depending on your needs—with four decent bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a wraparound porch for great views of the land and woods surrounding it. It was ideal for keeping watch, and while I sipped my beer, waiting for my brother to speak, I realized, given our situation, that more eyes for watching was probably for the best.

I needed backup if Vinnie decided to take his threat outside the tri-state area. I had a gut feeling he did. As usual, Kane’s instinct to drag Dale along was a good one. Kit and Gin, I knew, had likely been brought in for comforting Cara. Something Kane and Dale would be lousy at.

“Who’s Arturo?” Kane asked, scratching the label on his beer.

“Oh, her driver. We tried getting an update on his condition with her brother on the drive up here, but the service sucks. Johnny’s call dropped.” I frowned, leaning against the island as I watched my brother. The man hadn’t looked good when we left, but Johnny promised Cara he’d see her driver to the hospital.

“Don’t worry, bella,” he’d told his sister. “I’ll do everything I can to get him good again.”

Kane watched me, tilting his head when I blinked and stood away from the island. “He took a bullet just next to his collarbone. That’s where all the blood came from.”

My brother jerked his attention to the table, squinting at the dried blood on my knuckles. “His the only blood still sticking around?”

I didn’t answer, and the quiet seemed to confirm something Kane assumed. He moved his gaze back to me, abandoning the beer as he folded his arms across his chest. “How many?”

I knew he wasn’t asking about bullets left in Arturo or the number of men who had attacked us. He wanted a number that would clog up my conscience. I wouldn’t give him an answer. My sins were my own. They’d stay right where they were.

“You’ll stay here? In case?” I asked my brother, shaking my head because he looked like he wanted to ask his question again.

But Kane didn’t push. He let me keep the details to myself for now. It had been a long damn day, and I was weary.

“Dale will too,” he said, eyebrows shooting up when he glanced out on the balcony to find Gin with her head on Dale’s shoulder. “This…uh…” he continued, blinking as Dale stiffened his shoulders. “This is his kind of shit. It’s why I brought him.”

“I figured.”

I polished off my beer and stretched. My limbs were aching. My muscles bunched tight from being on that damn plane. “I’m beat. You can yell at me some more in the morning.” I’d made it nearly to the hallway when Kane called my name, shooting me a look I’d never seen him give me.

How much he worried, everything he did for me, all those sacrifices, somehow landed on his face. He wasn’t an old man, but just then, my brother seemed ancient.

“It’s good you’re home. You…and your wife.”