Page 308 of Allegiance

He reassured her.

“They likely think that I’m cheating on my wife. Don’t worry about your face, Sweet Stella. It’s perfect.”

That seemed to reassure her, but she wasn’t only stressing that.

She needed to know.

“Zayn will be okay, right? Maura didn’t drop the ball on this one, did she?”

He reassured her.

“Maura never drops the ball. Ever. You have to trust her on this one.”

She was aware.

Only, it was a problem.

As they reached the back of the building, Stella took the lookout, and Rogue handled the detonator. When he was done, he turned, to see Stella carrying a gun.

“Uh, where did you get that?” he asked, moving carefully toward her.

“I took Zayn’s. He didn’t stop me. That scares me even more,” she said.

Oh, he knew why.

The man was worried that she was going to be left unprotected while he was away on this ‘mission’. That made him want to protect the woman even more.

For his brother.

“Come on, Sweet Stella. Let’s go wait in the car,” he said, holding out his hand for her.

She paused.

“Do you want the gun?” she asked.

He stared at it.

“No. You can have it.”

She shook her head.

“My damn husband has to be abducted for me to finally get a gun, and now I don’t want it. Half the fun was making Zayn try to disarm me,” she said, tears in her eyes.

“Oh, Honey, it’s okay,” he said, hugging her.

“He has to come back,” she whispered.

He gave her a kiss on her temple.

Rogue knew two things.

If his brothers didn’t make it back, he, Remmy, Gene, and Tommy would be the last men standing, and need to take care of their family.

And that if something did happen…

There would be war.

Rogue would burn this city to the ground in vengeance. There was no doubt about it.