Hammer was angrily throwing his suitcase in the back of the Escalade. Jonas lifted his and her cases into the trunk, showing more restraint, but the infuriated glance he gave her as he closed the truck showed he was just as upset.

“You were supposed to get something to eat then rest until we got back from filling your prescriptions. Do I need to hire an interpreter so you can understand me?” Hammer asked snidely as soon as she was within earshot.

“I was tired of waiting and decided to go get my own food.” Killyama took her usual spot in the back seat as Hammer programmed their trip into the GPS.

“You need to take the medicine. There’s a drink in the bag.” Jonas handed her the bag that was sitting on the console next to him. From the aroma, there was food inside it, too. When she reached for the medicine bottles, Jonas watched as she took the pills before he turned back around. “You’ll get nauseous taking them on an empty stomach. Eat.”

She pulled out the wrapped biscuit, squirting a dollop of honey from the packet Jonas always remembered to get for her. She had no intention of antagonizing the men further. And she hadn’t missed their looks of concern when she had gotten out of the taxi.

The men’s stubborn silence lasted until after they hit the interstate. When she finished eating, she used a pack of wipes to clean her sticky fingers.

“I was thinking …” Killyama’s raspy voice had Hammer turning down the music so they could hear her. “We should find an apartment in Lexington. It makes more sense to live there instead of Jamestown. It doesn’t take long to drive to Tennessee, but the drive to Ohio is further. It will make it easier going back and forth between the two. Or we can just say fuck it and stop working in Ohio, concentrating only on jobs in Tennessee. What do you think?”

“Why not just focus on Ohio?” Jonas asked.

“That way, I can see the gang when I get a day off.”

“What about your mom?”

“I’ll get her an apartment, too. Her place is falling down around her. When she sees I’m serious about moving, she won’t argue too much.”

“If you’re sure, I’ll start hunting for a place,” Hammer said. “It’ll take time. We have to finish a couple of jobs in Ohio. Then it won’t be easy to find three places that will make us all happy.”

“It shouldn’t take that long. The jobs in Ohio—”

“We’re going to wait until you’re back in shape.” From Hammer’s tone, Killyama knew it would be useless to argue with him.

“Fine.”

“Jonas, record this conversation on your cell phone.”

Jonas’s expression began to thaw. “Why?”

“Because she’s finally agreeing to something I told her we should do three years ago.”

Killyama rolled her eyes. “Turn the music back up. I don’t want to hear you gloat all the way home.” When she heard what came on over the radio, she said, “Change the song.” The melancholy music of “Ruin Me” was abruptly switched to “Love is a Battlefield.”

“That better?”

“No, but it’s better than your country shit.”

She slept until Hammer woke her by lifting her out and carrying her up the flight of steps to her apartment. Groggily, she tried to protest.

“I can walk.”

Hammer stared down at her in concern as Jonas unlocked her door.

She lowered her lashes. “I’m okay, Hammer.”

His tenderness wasn’t exhibited often, but when it was, it was hard for her to deal with it. It was the same way with Jonas.

Hammer lay her down on her bed, nearly tripping over the vicious cat that swiped at him from under the bed.

“I’ll pay for you to get that cat declawed,” he offered as the cat came out of her hiding spot to jump on her bed.

“He’s my burglar alarm. If anyone breaks in, all I have to do is search the hospitals for anyone who needs a rabies shot.”

“If I don’t kill it first.” Hammer sat down on the side of her bed, using a pillow to swat the cat away.

Jonas came inside, carrying her suitcase and setting it by her door. Placing her medications on her nightstand, he left, and then came back with a bottled water. “There. You should be good for a while.”

“You have your cell phone?”

Killyama wiggled her cell phone in Hammer’s face.

“Call if you need anything. Want me to stop by tonight and bring you some dinner?”

“No. If I need you, I’ll call. And no, I don’t need a blanket.”

Jonas dropped the blanket he had picked up from the bottom of her bed.

“Go get a beer, get laid, or better yet, do both. I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”

The men finally left her in the peace of her apartment.

Seeing she was alone, Gollum lost his haughty attitude, rubbing against her and purring before rolling into Killyama’s side and curling up against her waist.

“You miss me?”

The purring response had Killyama lovingly stroking the sleek fur.

“I bought you a new toy. I’ll get it for you when we wake up.”

She was about to drift off when Gollum jumped off her. The cat only acted that way when he sensed someone was at the apartment door. Thinking it was one of her neighbors, she expected him to come back or to hear a knock at her door. When neither happened, Killyama got out of bed, seeing the cat’s eyes glinting from under the couch.

She went to her door and opened it. Confused at seeing no one on the landing, she looked down, finding a long box.

Locking the door behind her, she carried it inside, setting it on the counter. After removing one of the knives from the butcher block, she cut the ribbon on the box, opened it, and found herself staring down at two dozen red roses.

Picking one up, she held the fragile flower as she searched for a large tumbler in her kitchen cabinet. The blue tumbler nearly toppled over after she filled it with water and the flowers.

Gollum jumped on the counter to sniff the flowers, nearly sending them falling again. Killyama lifted the troublesome cat off the counter.

“I should call Jonas and tell him, the next time he sends me flowers, to buy me a vase, too,” she complained out loud, knowing she wouldn’t even mention the flowers to him, afraid she would hurt the sensitive man’s feelings if she didn’t get mushy. Letting the men be nice to her this past week was as much as she could take before busting some heads.

After digging out the catnip toys she had bought from her suitcase, she watched a movie before scooping her cat up to go to bed.

About to turn out the light, she paused, fear momentarily overriding her. She would be damned if she let Kane into her dreams. Like all monsters, they only hurt you if you let them.

Her hand went to her throat. The bruising on her neck would eventually go away, and so would the memory of him staring down at her with bloodlust in his eyes.

Turning off the light, she let herself be lulled to sleep by the purring by her head, unaware that the cat wasn’t the only one watching over her.

Moon lit a cigarette before offering one to Train.

Train shook his head. “No, thanks. I quit.” He had only occasionally smoked, and usually only when one of the brothers had offered him one.