Page 67 of Idaho

"And Eva," I added. "We can't bring her with us."

"Toxic, Butcher, you're on princess babysitting duty," Lockout told them.

Both Eva and I exploded at the same time. "No fucking way is he watching over her," I snapped, shoving Toxic back a step. He was already standing too damn close to my girl.

"I'm not a princess!" Eva huffed, fisting her hands on her hips.

"Fucking push me again, Prospect. See what happens," Toxic warned me.

"I may be a prospect, but I'm not a fucking noob," I growled at him. "You want to go a few rounds with me, you're going to fucking regret it." We squared off, getting in each other's faces.

"Seems to me you're just pissed off at the thought of your lady being with me all day. Afraid she's going to realize she likes me more than you?" he taunted, his grin was one part feral, one part smirk, making one giant asshole.

I wanted to wipe that smile off his face using the damn pavement. "I'm going to-"

"Shut the fuck up! All of you," Lockout ordered, shoving me backward a step, creating space between Toxic and me. He glared over at the other man. "I don't have time for you to be fucking with him, Toxic. There's a goddamn time and place." He motioned toward the car where Sloane's worried face watched our meeting.

"Shit, sorry," Toxic muttered. "You're right." He looked over Lock's shoulder at me. "We'll watch out for her. I'll wait 'til you get back before I put the moves on her. I'll play fair."

"Fuckers will have to get through both of us before they'll get to her," Butcher added.

"I didn't even get to tell you that the attack on her was an attempted kidnapping," I told them, taking Butcher's promise to look after Eva seriously. I knew neither man would let anything happen to her. I also knew, deep down, Toxic was just trying to rile me up by flirting with her. It damn well pissed me off that it worked so easily. Especially after last night. The thought of letting her leave my sight was chafing at me. Add him trying to charm her, and it was a miracle I hadn't just jumped him.

Toxic may have been a pilot in the Army, and later for the CIA when Butcher had brought him onto his team, but he was just as lethal as the rest of us. We were well matched in age, size, and stamina. I had no doubt a fight between us would be brutal and bloody. With someone threatening Eva, her father coming into town tonight, and now all this? I could have used a quick brawl to wash away some of this fucking tension. I was wound so tight that I was just as likely to end up in that cell next to Riptide than finishing out the plan I'd been hatching to deal with Fremont.

"You can ride with me, Sweetheart," Toxic told Eva.

Lock put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a warning look, even as he said, "She'll ride with Butcher."

"Why can't she ride in the cage?" I asked.

"Sloane and the baby are in the backseat and the other guys are up front."

"Unless you want her to ride on my lap," Hellfire added, "she's gotta ride with one of them."

Every single one of them. They were all trying to fucking drive me insane. There was a shit-eating grin on Hell's face. Didn't matter that he had an old lady, the thought of Eva riding on that monster's lap made me want to unload my gun in his face.

I glared at him, but didn't comment because Lockout spoke up again. "Let's get moving. We've got a lot to do today."

Eva gave me a questioning look, but I just shook my head. Walking over to her, I cupped her cheek. "Go with Butcher and Toxic. Do everything they tell you to do, Duchess."

"Oh, I like the sound of that," Toxic said, then cursed when Lockout smacked him upside the head.

"I'll be back soon," I promised her, ignoring the fact that everyone, including Sloane, was watching us with bemused expressions on their faces.

"Who had four days?" Hush asked the group.

"Not now, Hush," Lock barked.

I glared over at the man. "Four days for what?" I asked, tone dark.

"'Til you fucked her," Smoke said with a laugh.

Eva gasped in horror, heat flooding her cheeks as she looked around at the men. "What?"

"You bet on us? Fucking dicks," I muttered.

Lockout's expression was thunderous as he stared down Smokehouse. "Get the fuck inside." He started barking at everyone. "Get going."