“I was so fucking scared. That call—” he choked off. The terror was still in him. One of his hands pressed to my leg and he closed his eyes, needing a minute to control himself. “I couldn’t even talk to you on the phone. You called, said you were fine—and I wanted to kill someone. The need to rip their heads off, it was just like when you were arrested.”

I wound my arms around his neck and pulled him back in.

“It was the Red Demons.”

His hand went up my back and he grabbed fistfuls of my shirt. His head buried into my neck. “I know.” His voice was muffled. “I want to kill them. I want to—”

“No.” I eased back again, leaning back on the counter.

His head tipped back to see me. I framed his face with my hands, trying to wipe that fear from him if I could’ve. “It’s done. Everything is done. They know I recognized Heckler—” Oh, yeah. I already told Cross, and Zellman, and Jordan, besides Channing. They all knew. The Red Demons didn’t need to know that part. “I promised not to say a word, and promised not to hunt them as a bounty hunter later, but it’s done. It’s done. They’re out of our lives. I think my Dad, too. He told me he wanted everything from me, but he’d ask for nothing. I know what that means. That means he’s gone unless I reach out. It’s over, Cross.”

He searched me, then drew in a shuddering breath. His gaze fell to my mouth and he cupped the side of my face in his. “If they had done something to you—”

The Red Demons knew what I promised to do to them if they had hurt someone I loved, but they didn’t know Cross. They had no idea. Cross flipped his shit when I was arrested. I shuddered myself at what he’d do if something happened to me.

Drawing in one more harsh breath, he framed my face back and tipped my forehead to his. “I love you.”

I whispered back, my hands falling to his arms, “I love you, too.”

We took a few more minutes before there was a discreet knock.

The patio door slipped open.

Cross tensed, cursing under his breath, but our time was up.

Zellman swept in next, the same fierce hug that I got last night.

Jordan joined.

After a full minute, when it became obvious they weren’t going to let me go, Cross joined us and I lost track of time as my guys held me.

Two hours later, it was a full-on party.