“So that’s how it is. Today’s the big day.” Beckett nodded with a wry smile.He knows.He was naked now. “How you want me, baby? Execution style? Or you want to look me in the eyes?”

“I don’t have anything to pay you with now,” Blake said, turning toward Chaos. “But just tell me how much, and I’ll make sure this debt is paid.”Chaos shrugged. “Dude, I owe Beckett. Just let him know.”Blake nodded and stood. Of course. Everyone owes Beckett something.”

“Baby, you didn’t have to do that,” Beckett whispered fiercely. “But thank you so fucking much. You look gorgeous today.”Livia kissed his cheek and let go of his arm so he could hug Kyle.“Hey, Fairy Princess, I think you may be the hottest married chick alive right now,” Beckett said.”

“Kyle nodded and bit her lip. She looked nervous as a virgin. “This feels like jumping off a cliff,” she finally said.“I’ll only do this if you want me to. Do you want me to?” Cole took a step back.Kyle reached around and unzipped her sundress. She held her arms out like a sacrificial lamb.“Say it, so I know for sure.” Cole’s eyes glowed with lust and reverence.“I want you to.” Kyle watched him.”

“When you just breathe on me, I want you. Being in your arms will melt me. Being naked with you might kill me.”

“Safe! All I wanted to do was keep them safe. How do you protect your brothers at eight-fucking-teen? How do you make enough money, get enough respect to do that? I wasn’t smart, Eve. I’m a big, dumb fucking bastard. I couldn’t even get a job as a bagger at the A&P. I wanted to make their lives worth living. That’s what they’d done for me—made my life worth living. They’re my family. I can’t…I just can’t.” Beckett pounded his chest.“They would’ve been better off without me,” he continued. “Blake would still be homeless, but Cole made his own damn way. But I wanted in. I wanted to belong. I was too fucking selfish to walk away. I should have walked away. But I didn’t and now—” Beckett choked on a deep, angry sob. “Now, they’re paying for it. All my stupid decisions. They’ll die tonight. They’ll both die, and I can’t stop it. I can’t plug it with money. I can’t bring them back from the dead, even if I act tough or kill more people.”

“If I watched your church burn down, would you kill me?”Cole looked suspicious. “No, and that’s a bizarre question.”“If I watched Kyle die, would you kill me?”Cole’s eyes practically glowed red.Beckett nodded. “You might already have the answer to what’s hurting you.”