I get one hell of a smile before he places his hands on my hips, turns my body to face the men in the room, and lifts me up. I flail for a second until I realize that he’s helping me onto the conference table. He doesn’t remove his hands, making sure that I’m safe on my perch.

“EXCUSE ME!” I scream.

The room falls silent and all four of the grown toddlers fighting over the last cookie turn to look at me with shock.

Greg’s and Beck’s eyes go wide. Axel roars with laughter. But Asher’s face turns hard as he looks at Maddox with nothing short of bared vehemence.

“I suggest you get your fucking hands off my woman,” he fumes.

Maddox doesn’t move. He keeps his hold on my hips, and I see Asher’s eye twitch.

“I’ll fucking kill you,” he vows.

“Oh be quiet, you overgrown ape!” I scream down at him.

His blue eyes are alight with anger, but I can see the shock starting to hit him with my tone.

“That’s right. All of you just shut up for a second. Sitting here and pissing all over each other isn’t going to accomplish anything, but I have something to say and you’re damn well going to listen to me.” Maddox’s fingers flex against my hips in encouragement. “I will agree with Asher that this asshole, this vile excuse for a human, needs to pay for what he did and every crime he’s committed since Coop’s death. I firmly believe that he needs one hell of a kick in the ass. He needs to suffer, and he needs to suffer for a long time. That being said, going off half-cocked to seek some vigilante type of justice? News flash—you boys are not invincible and there are a lot of people who love you, who don’t want to see something terrible happen to you.”

I look around the room while I gauge the best way to express myself. “Tell me this. Would Coop, for one second, want you all to be putting your lives on the line just so that you can avenge him? Well, I’ll tell you this much—he damn sure wouldn’t. I might not have known him as long or as well as you all did, but I knew a man who lived each day as if it were his last. He laughed often. He loved fiercely. He was strong, brave, and courageous. He was a man who knew right down to the last second what he was giving up by stepping in front of that bullet.” Maddox’s hands clench so tight that I have to bite my cheek to keep from crying out in pain. “He assessed the situation and he decided that he would be the hero he was meant to be. He would be sick if he knew that any one of you were willing to follow him into the grave just to punish the man responsible.”

I look down at Asher, his earlier anger washed away, and he’s looking up at me with something close to shocked pride.

“His memory will never be anything short of miraculous. Asher, baby, he doesn’t need this vengeance in the way that you have planned. You don’t need to kill another man to make this wrong right. Make him pay, suffer, and spend the rest of his days locked in a cell with no hope of ever seeing the outside again. I’m begging you, baby. I don’t want our son to lose another father. We need you,” I stress.

I pat Maddox’s hands, letting him know that I’m ready to get down. He easily lifts me off the table and gently places my feet on the floor. I turn, give him a brief hug, and turn back to Asher. I walk as close as I can, or as close as my belly will allow, placing both of my palms on his chest and looking up into his sad face.

“I would never be able to give you up without a fight, Asher. I told you a long time ago that I’m with you every step of the way, but I need you to understand me and why I feel the way I do about this. This is about so much more than giving your brother peace. You need to look at the bigger picture. If you go through with this, you’re not only risking your life, but each one of these men who stand with you. Whether they agree with you or not, you know they would follow you into the depths of hell. And if that happens, there are a lot more people than just me who stand to lose their persons.” His eyes flash, comprehension finally dawning within. “I need you, they need you, Zac needs you. And as much as it pains me to say this, whatever you decide, I will do my best to be the strength you need to ensure that you have everything needed to make it happen. You and me, baby. It’s you and me.”

I can hear the others moving around us. Their chairs are rolling back to the table and they’re sitting back. The energy that was going wild just moments before is now sober. I continue to hold Asher’s gaze, pouring all my love into this look. He closes his eyes, drops his forehead to mine, and lets out a rushed breath.

“I hear you, Sunshine.” He turns back to the room, moving his chair back to the table and taking a seat. He pulls me into his lap and places his hand on my belly before addressing the men silently waiting. “We call Robert with the ATF, get with Mitchell over with DEA, and I’ll call Stan with the FBI. Let’s make sure Dominic Murphy goes down…and pays for a long fucking time.”