Claimed(109)
When she turned back to him, she looked calm and alert. “Why?”
He swallowed. “Why what?”
“Why are you here?”
His pulse quickened. He knew what she was really asking him, and his palms went damp as he struggled to find the right words. But he wasn’t good with words, damn it. He didn’t have Rylan’s easy charm or Kade’s city vocabulary, or the dry quips Xander always seemed to have handy.
All he had was… the truth.
“Because I —”
“Hudson!” a male voice interrupted. “Where the hell are you?”
Connor’s rifle shot back into position, taking aim on the trees behind Hudson’s head just as a frantic figure came into sight.
“Dom?” she blurted out, whirling around.
“Holy fuck, you’re okay!” The man’s voice was weak with relief. “Knox left the compound before us. I only found out when I got back and saw that he’d signed out, claiming he was going out on a patrol and —” He stopped when he noticed the dead body, a harsh curse sliding out. “Shit.” Then he went frozen in place as he noticed something else.
Hudson realized it at the same time, her shocked gaze flying to Connor.
“Don’t,” she begged.
It took him a second to understand what they were both seeing. He still had his weapon trained on the newcomer, aimed right between the man’s eyes. Gray eyes. The exact shade as Hudson’s.
Connor blinked, startled by the resemblance. Dominik’s features were chiseled and masculine compared to Hudson’s soft, feminine beauty, but anyone could see that they were related.
This was Hudson’s brother. The head Enforcer of West Colony. The man who was responsible for the colony sweeps.
“Please, Connor. Don’t.”
Hudson’s voice penetrated the angry mist. Connor turned his head and bit his lip when he saw the anguish etched into her face.
“He’s going to make it right. He’s made mistakes, but we’ve all made mistakes. We’ve lied and we’ve stolen and we’ve killed, but it doesn’t have to be like that anymore.” She looked pleadingly at her brother. “You’re going to make it right – aren’t you, Dom?”
“Yes. I am.” Dominik’s gaze stayed on Connor’s, and though his voice had softened when he’d answered his sister, it rang with resignation as he addressed Connor. “Do what you have to do, man. My head’s fucked up enough as it is. A bullet might make everything better.”
Hudson gasped. “Dom.”
“It’s true, H. I don’t know what they’re giving me. Who knows? Maybe the drugs will bring about a slow, painful death.” Dominik nodded at Connor. “I’m sure that would make your friend pretty happy.”
“She’s not my friend,” Connor said roughly. “She’s my woman.”
Dominik’s eyebrows shot up, and then his lips twitched with amusement. “Keeping secrets from your twin, huh, sis?”
Her cheeks reddened. “I didn’t say anything because I had no idea what was going on between us and— Jesus, why am I explaining myself?” Her voice became colder than ice as she turned to Connor and said, “If you pull the trigger, you will never see me again, Con. I will never forgive you, and you will never see me again.”
She meant it. He could see the promise of it in her eyes, and the thought of letting her walk away from him again was… unacceptable.
Letting out a breath, he bent down and laid his rifle on the ground. Then he straightened up and met Dominik’s startled gaze. “I surrender.”
Hudson’s brother blinked. Then he laughed. “Um, nobody asked you to do that, buddy. Pick up that weapon and get my sister the hell out of here.”
It was Connor’s turn to blink. “You fucking serious?”
Hudson snickered.
“Of course. I don’t understand why we’re still standing around talking,” Dominik said in exasperation. “If you’re not going to shoot me, then get lost already. Hudson says you’re good people, so prove it. Keep my sister safe.”
Either he’d gone crazy, or that was actually grudging respect flowing through him. It both enraged and mystified him, but Connor didn’t waste time analyzing either response.
He nodded at Dominik, then met Hudson’s beautiful gray eyes. “Come on, sweetheart. It’s time to go.”
The drive to the landing strip was a festive one. Rylan had hugged the living daylights out of her when she and Connor had rejoined the men, and even Pike had looked happy to see her. But Connor… he’d clammed up on her. He’d referred to her as his woman in front of Dominik and then acted as if it had never happened, sitting silently behind the wheel as they sped away to safety.