Leith slumped to the side, and Tar barely caught him before he struck his temple on the sharp corner of the desk. Probably shouldn’t have beat the shit out of the kid, he shrugged.
Mitch entered and swore violently. “You better not have fucked him up enough that I have to pull him from the field for recovery time.”
“Nah, he’ll be alright,” Tar answered nonchalantly, earning him an incredulous glare from Mitch.
He knew when it was best to lie low and took his cue to leave without another word. The hunch that Keeley wasn’t the only one lying and hiding things stung him like angry wasps. Someone better start puking up the truth before the tempest building inside him unleashed. They just thought that little episode back there was a can of whoop-ass being opened. Fuckers.
Keeley struck the practice dummy over and over with several different kicks since punching was out of the question. She wasn’t nearly as sore as she should be after Braxton had worked her over. The welts he’d left faded enough not to cause an interrogation. Lucky. She needed a plan for the next time, though the truth would free her from covering it up. Her intention was to spill her guts to Tar until the realization hit: He’d insist she stop assisting in gathering the information necessary to bring down this particular cartel. Not optional. She was walking a razor’s edge between truly wanting to help bring down these bastards, and her own addiction. One misstep and she’d plummet into a chasm there’d be no returning from. Her conclusion was to keep doing it and pray Tar didn’t find out. He’ll never forgive you when he learns of your deception. That was why she needed to make sure he stayed out of the loop. Leith was key to that.
Keeley sent a quick text asking him to meet her in an hour at a coffee shop. He confirmed time and location, giving her approximately forty-five minutes to grab a protein shake before a fast shower. She bumped the fridge door with her hip when E surprised her.
“Hey, careful, you don’t wanna drop that.” His big hand steadied the glass pitcher in hers.
She eyed him, wondering if he was referring to how her injury happened, but saw no suspicion. That was a relief. How the hell would she explain to anyone what actually transpired in that room? “No, I really don’t. Thanks.”
“Anytime, sis.” He gave her a playful chuck under the chin, making her smile.
Anyone else doing that would’ve pissed her off by insinuating she was a child, but not him. Her brother-in-law was simply showing affection. He’d softened a lot. Keeley wasn’t sure if it was Lacey, or his hard fought recovery after the shooting. Maybe it was both. Didn’t really matter—he loved her sister with every fiber of his being and his loyalty ran bone deep. For Keeley, that was more than enough. But Strand men seemed to have an amazing connection to family, meaning E loved her as if she were his blood. In that moment, she hoped it was genetic somehow and that his and Lacey’s children inherited it. Her face lit up. “So when are you and my sister having kids?”
His eyes grew huge as he coughed. “Um…do you know something I don’t?”
She couldn’t hold back the laughter even if she’d wanted to. “I’m thinking you’d know before me.”
He shook his head. “I’m happy to be an uncle for now.”
“Oh, my God. That’s right! Aimee and Nik are expecting.”
“Yes, they are. Four more months.” His grin gave away just how excited he was.
Plus, she couldn’t forget that he had a niece as well, Alex’s daughter, Ari. Keeley made a mental note to check on the beautiful teenager. She’d lived through her own hell at the hands of the senator and his diabolic schemes. “Do they know what they’re having yet?”
His pout was downright adorable. “They want to be surprised,” he answered in mock disgust.
Keeley couldn’t help it and threw a hand towel in his face. “You act like that’s the worst thing ever, as if they purposely did it to torment you.”
“Oh, they did!” He stood there, arms crossed, attempting to be stern.
Sooooo not E Strand. Well, okay, he absolutely had the Dom thing going for him. Still, he was one of the nicest men she’d ever met. “Whatever.” She rolled her eyes at him.
Lacey walked in the front door and Keeley had the pleasure of watching his entire demeanor shift. She was his sun as he began to orbit around her. Beautiful. The gravitational pull between those two was something to marvel. Every. Single. Time. E let Lacey up for air after placing one panty-melting kiss on her lips. Keeley’s gaze met her sister’s as Lacey fanned herself. “I missed you too.”