I opened the fridge and pulled out the front bottles of Bud.

“Yep,” I confirmed.

“That go okay?” she asked.

I looked to her. “We got drunk. We fucked. Shit got wrinkled. We’re ironing it out.”

Her eyes got big at the we fucked, but I ignored that and went back to the fridge.

“You two ironing it out…is that working?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I answered her question, unsure if it was a lie, a semi-lie, or what I hoped it would be—the truth.

“Cher,” she called.

I turned my eyes to her and there it was all over her face—that sweet that rode close to her edge, easy to get to if she gave a shit about you.

“It’s cool,” I assured.

“Shit like that goes down, a girl can get ideas.”

I grinned and did it to hide the pain. I was good at it, so I was relatively certain she bought it.

“Not a girl like me.”

The sweet didn’t move from her expression. It also didn’t hide the concern that started seeping in.

I twisted on the balls of my feet to give her my full attention.

“Listen, Feb, he’s in love with another woman.”

“I know that,” she replied, the absoluteness of her words driving that thorn deeper. “I just don’t want you to get hurt while he’s workin’ through that. And I know Merry’s a good guy, but even good guys do stupid shit when they’re workin’ through hurt like that, as evidenced by the pile of stupid shit he’s amassed while doin’ just that for the last however-many years.”

“I know the score,” I told her, something she had to know.

It seemed she didn’t when little wrinkles appeared between her brows and her head tipped to the side.

“What’s the score?”

“He’ll work through it, just not with me,” I said the last quickly to reassure her. “He got what he’s gonna get from me on that. And it was good, Feb. He needed it, and it was far from shit bein’ there to give it to him. But that’s done. If we can iron things out, we’ll get back to what we had, keep that, and I’ll be happy when he finds what he needs to get happy.”

She didn’t believe me and didn’t hide the fact she didn’t. It was right there with the sweet, the gentle, the concern.

She knew.

She knew I was in deep with Merry.

There was a lot I’d share with Feb, lay on her, lean on her to help me work it through, bitch at her just so I could get it out. Anything. Practically everything.

But not that.

“It’s gonna be okay,” I declared, doing it with finality so we could stop talking about it.

She nodded, hearing my tone, knowing what I needed and, being Feb, giving it to me.

With me helping, it didn’t take long to finish the restock. When we were done, she grabbed the empty boxes and headed to the back to finish the stock take.

I went to the front to unlock the door.

I hadn’t yet fully made it down the bar to round it when the door opened.

I turned and stopped when I saw Ryker prowling in, his eyes clamped on me, his big, motorcycle-booted feet bearing down on me.

The vision of this from Ryker would likely scare ninety-nine percent of the human population straight to the point of wetting themselves.

This was because he was huge. He was also wearing a black tank stretched across a massive chest, a black leather jacket hanging from his extensive shoulders, this hiding the two sleeves of tattoos adorning his arms. He had a large, lethal-looking knife sheathed at the side of his belt. He was bald and many would think he was ugly.

I was not a woman who thought that. Rough, tough, and scary didn’t turn me off, and a man did not have to be conventionally attractive to get my attention.

Just looking at him, I knew Ryker could be a monster in bed and be that in a bad way.

He could be the same in a very, very good way.

Or he could shock the shit out of you and be all about you in gentle ways that blew your mind.

I suspected, depending on his mood, he was both of the last two. I suspected this because I knew Lissa, his woman.

She was a good woman, a hardworking one, a kind one, and not a stupid one. She would no sooner glance Ryker’s way again if he didn’t treat her right than she’d do harm to the daughter she adored. Definitely not have him in her bed and keep him there.

I also knew all about Ryker, including the fact he’d put a ring on Lissa’s finger and officially adopted Lissa’s girl, Alexis.

He loved his girls. And when the unimaginable threatened the ’burg and Alexis got caught up in it, nearly had her world obliterated by it, Ryker didn’t hesitate after he went all out to make sure she was safe. He claimed both her and her mother, officially and legally, and covered them in his considerable protection.

So no, even if the man looked like a lunatic, he didn’t scare me because he didn’t hide who he really was, and the way he looked after the women under his roof said it all.

I put my hands on my hips and snapped, “You hung up on me.”

I held my ground even as he got toe to toe to me, bowed his back, and put his mug right into mine.

“You did not hear whatever you heard from your neighbors,” he growled.

My blood ran cold.

“And from here on out, woman, you do not even fuckin’ look in the direction of that house. It does not exist for you. The people in it do not exist for you. You don’t let your boy anywhere near that house or the people in it. Are you hearing me?”

Jesus, what was going on?

“Ryker—”

He got closer and his nose brushed mine when he barked, “Are you hearing me?”

“I’m hearing you, brother. Stand down.”

He didn’t stand down, but he did edge his face away half an inch.

“And you don’t mention that shit to anyone, Cher. Not a fuckin’ soul. Not Colt. Not Sully. Not pillow talk with Merry.”

At the pillow talk comment, I screwed up my eyes at him. “Back off, Ryker. Now.”

“I’m tellin’ you ’cause you’re one of the ten people I actually like in this world, do not say a motherfucking word.”

“What’s going on?” I asked sharply.

“That’s not for you to know. You’re smart, sister. Stay smart, keep yourself to yourself, and your mouth shut.”

“Jesus, Ryker, okay,” I replied.

He scowled at me and I endured it, not happy at all with this turn of events.

Finally, he moved away, heading toward the door.

He stopped at it, hand on the handle, and turned back to me.

“Just so you know, we got you covered. Tanner briefed me. I’m all over the church lady,” he shared.

My body locked in order to battle the sudden burn engulfing it.

His mood shifted and he grinned his maniacal grin.

“And just to weigh in, I’m feelin’ all rosy, Merrick finally got his head screwed on straight and turned his eye to a decent woman worth his attention. Lissa’s beside herself. She’s been sayin’ for years, he just shook off the ghost of that bitch, he’d see what’s in front of his face. Good he finally took off the blinders that stupid twat locked on and looked. But this ‘one-time thing’ is fucked up, sister. Advice? Hook that boy. Sink those claws in deep.”

And with that, he lifted a long-fingered, veined, humongous hand, gave me a salute, and disappeared behind the door.

His last declaration was lost on me.

The one before it had all my attention.

Tanner briefed me. I’m all over the church lady.

Tanner briefed me…

Tanner…

Merry had shared. Merry had promised right to my face he wouldn’t tell a soul, and he’d shared. He’d told Tanner. Tanner had enlisted Ryker. Now they all knew and they were all up in my shit.

With intent, not allowing myself a moment to think better of it, I reached back and yanked out my phone.

I was shaking, I was so pissed, but I still managed to fire it up and get to my texts.

I found Merry, my last text to him hovering unanswered on the string.