He doesn’t need to tell me more than that. I understand exactly what he means. “Good.”

“I always want you to feel safe with me.”

“I already do.” I sit up and trace his jaw with my fingers. “I don’t blame you for what happened.”

“I blame myself.”

“I can tell.”

“I should’ve known. He’s been unpredictable for weeks. But that showdown with Serena was the last straw. I shouldn’t have allowed you back at the clubhouse until he was dealt with.”

Z’s guilt churns in the air between us. I can’t let him think this is his fault. “Z, I have to tell you something.”

His stomach muscles contract as he lifts his head and quirks an eyebrow. “Why the serious tone, Siren?”

Z

What the fuck is Lilly trying to tell me? She looks so damn nervous…and guilty.

She bites her lip and looks away. “I goaded him a little.”

“Excuse me?”

“He scared me, the way he was waiting in the hallway.” Her shoulders jerk. “But I thought maybe if he hit on me or something…You said if a brother was disrespectful or hit on an old lady, he could be kicked out. I figured it would happen anyway, I might as well force it now before he really hurt you or someone else.”

None of what she’s saying makes sense. “What exactly did you do?”

“Not much, I flirted back a little.” She scowls. “But then I really got scared, so I tried to walk away. That’s when he turned violent.”

“Jesus Christ.” I spear my fingers through my hair and sit up straight. “Do you realize what could’ve happened to you if Rooster hadn’t come around that corner?”

“I know all too well, Z. That’s why I did it.”

Once my heart stops hammering, I pounce on her, knocking her back against the mattress. “You’re diabolical, woman. You know that? Dangerous too.”

She swallows hard and meets my eyes. “Teller getting shot, the way Shadow treated the girls, the way he came after me, how he kept on getting bolder in the ways he challenged you…I was scared it would escalate.”

If only she knew how much deeper Shadow’s crimes ran. Still, I don’t want to encourage her to put herself in danger.

“Too late, I realized my plan was absurd and I lost my nerve. By then, he wasn’t letting me leave.” She frowns. “If he ever planned to in the first place.”

“He knew you were my old lady. Even if you gave him the green light, he should’ve walked away. Attacking you was way over the line.”

“I knew as long as I reached you, I’d be safe. I also knew you’d make sure it never happened again.”