15. Theo
FIFTEEN
THEO
I strode through the front door of Kane’s to heavy music thrumming through the cavernous space.
The lights were cut low, and a seductive vibe drenched the space.
Strobes glinted against the soaring stained-glass windows high above and sent scatters of colored light sparking through the vast space.
I headed toward the booth in the far back left corner that was always reserved for our family.
It wasn’t quite seven yet, early as fuck, but the place was already jammed.
Kane had mastered having this place packed from opening to close.
Specialty cocktails offered to those who were just getting off work after five and were looking for a cool place to unwind. They’d gather on the slew of high, round-top tables set up in the big open area at the front of the club.
A more chill vibe before the bands took to the stage at about eight. They’d perform until ten or eleven, then the DJ would take over, playing dance music that would have half the town on the floor below him, grinding their cares away as the drinks flowed free.
I wound through the crush that had already gathered, grin tugging at the edge of my mouth as I approached the roped-off area that had a giant horseshoe booth tucked in the corner. Four high-top tables were also protected within its boundary.
It was clear Raven had already had her way with things since there was a long buffet table against the wall with a bunch of round silver catering dishes.
A shit ton of flowers and balloons decorated the area, and a big banner hung over the booth that read Congrats to Emery for Catching that Dream .
To the side of the swirling words, there was a cute drawing of a woman leaping into the air, her arm outstretched and a star clutched in her hand.
Kane was probably having a coronary since it didn’t exactly match the raw aesthetic of the club, but we all knew Raven could not be stopped.
She was a force to be reckoned with.
The best kind of force.
Probably the first person I’d ever really loved as family when I’d never believed in loving at all. Not after my experiences growing up.
This nine-year-old little girl who’d been living on the streets with her brother. I’d happened on the dude looking guilty as fuck after he’d stolen a loaf of bread to feed her.
Knew they weren’t going to make it on their own, so I brought them back to the abandoned building where the rest of our crew and I lived.
That kid had stolen my heart in the purest way.
This little girl with all her innocence and belief had bred something in me that I hadn’t known existed.
Devotion.
Loyalty.
It was the first time I knew I’d sacrifice everything for someone else. No matter the cost. And somehow that thing she’d stirred in me had transferred to the rest of our crew.
Old memories howled. A shame so severe as Scarlett’s face flashed through my mind. A ghost that would forever haunt.
Had thought maybe I could love her, too. The way she wanted me to. Needed me to.
But she’d proven my heart was as black as my mother had accused it of being. I had dragged her into a life that she had no business being a part of and had abandoned her there.
Turned my back when she needed me most.
Left her desperate.
Because if I got too close, I always, always ruined the good.
Piper’s gorgeous face took the inopportune time to push its way into the forefront.
This woman making me feel something I’d never felt before.
Something foreign.
Something that made me terrified I was going to do something stupid like prove that black-heart theory all over again.
Superficial was all I fucking ever had. I needed to remember it.
I scrubbed a palm over my face to break up the wayward thoughts, shoving them off as I strode toward the roped-off area.
River and Charleigh were cuddled on the right side of the booth.
Dude was so obsessed with her he could never keep his hands to himself. Two of them so perfect together it made my chest swell.
Not that Otto was any better, the brute all up on Raven as she resituated some bottles on a makeshift mini bar that was set up on another table next to the food. The man pressed against her from behind with his giant paws gripping at her baby belly as he nuzzled his face into the side of her neck.
Two months ago, the two of them had gotten married at just before dawn under a waning crescent moon.
Just the handful of us were there to witness it.
It was fucking beautiful, getting to watch two people who adored each other the way they did permanently pledging their lives to each other.
Cash was at the booth, too, sitting alone and aloof on the far-left side while sipping at a glittering tumbler of whiskey.
There were a few other women and a couple men around the high-top tables. Acquaintances from town, though they would never be privy to what we did. Couldn’t help it that it always made me fuckin’ nervous when other people started loitering around.
River noticed me first, and he lifted his beer. “Yo, Theo. What’s up, brother?”
Raven whirled at her brother’s voice, and she squealed when she saw me. “Theo, thank God.”
She untangled herself from Otto and hurried my way.
Raven was dressed in this long, tight black lace dress and sky-high boots.
Swore, she gave a whole new name to maternity attire.
She lifted a section of the rope to usher me in. “I thought you were going to miss the big surprise. Kane’s going to tell Emery he needs to grab something out of his office but is going to convince her to come in with him, so we need to be ready!”
She looked at her phone, both flustered and excited, lifting her voice so everyone around her could hear. “They should be here in about ten minutes, so grab drinks and get ready.”
In thought, she chewed at the tip of a long, pointy black nail, her brow pinching in worry. “Maybe I should have gotten a drape or something so we could all jump out from behind it?”
Charleigh slipped out of the booth. The sweet as hell woman giggled under her breath as she moved to take Raven’s hand.
When Charleigh came into town, the two had become fast friends, and it was no surprise with how good these two were that they welcomed Emery right into the fold.
“It’s perfect as it is. Emery is going to love it,” Charleigh promised.
Raven pouted a little. “I hope so.”
“You couldn’t mess this up if you tried,” Otto grumbled as he sauntered up behind her, slipping his arms back around her waist.
He sent me a grin. “Hey, man.”
“Good to see you,” I returned.
River came up, giving an easy clap to my back, though I could see the flash of worry that swam in his eyes. “All good?”
I let my attention drift to Cash who’d also stood, though he hung back the way he always did.
The rest of the crew had been filled in that I made the call to Cash about the SUV.
Cash had dug deeper, but he hadn’t found any red flags.
“It’s been quiet,” I told him.
“That’s what I want to hear,” River said, just as Raven gasped and clutched her phone to her chest.
“I just got a text from Kane, and they are pulling into the lot. Prepare yourselves! Remember, the second you see Emery, shout surprise as loud as your beautiful voices will carry.”
I shifted around so I could get into place, readying myself for Emery’s big surprise.
But it was me who was getting slammed with shock.
A fucking electric prod to the chest that knocked the breath from my lungs.
Air whirring in disorder as a figure broke through the crowd.
Wearing a long-sleeved, white sweater dress that hugged every curve of her delectable body.
Short as fuck with the same boots she had on yesterday that’d nearly had me on my knees.
The way I’d wanted to crawl for her like a needy, pathetic puppy when I’d seen her standing outside The Sanctuary’s lobby.
A rain of soft, white waves flowed around her, the neckline of her dress a deep V.
Tits nothing but a tease where they pressed against the soft fabric of her dress.
A snow goddess come to life.
Fuck me.
Piper Whittman.
What the hell was she doing here?