Pulling my phone from my pocket, I began dialling the number for emergency services when a hand suddenly shot out, plucking the phone from my grasp. Liam was awake.

“Don’t,” he croaked. “Just bring me home. Find Lee.”

“You’re hurt,” I said. “You need an ambulance.”

“No,” he went on fervently. “No ambulance, please.”

The fierce look in his eyes gave me pause, and entirely on instinct I ran to my car, opening the back door before returning to Liam and helping him to stand. It was a good thing I was strong, because anyone else might have had a hard time getting the muscular twenty-year-old into the back of their car. Once I had him situated, I slid into the front and started the engine, heading in the direction of Lee’s house. Glancing through the overhead mirror I saw that Liam had passed out again.

I was already there, rushing to the front door and knocking frantically, when I wondered why I hadn’t gone to the hospital, or called the station to make a report. It was a sobering thought, and not for the first time I questioned just how much of an influence my feelings for Lee were having on my actions.

Trevor answered the door, the smile instantly dropping from his face when he saw my panicked expression. Without saying a word, I grabbed his hand and yanked him outside, pulling him to my car and opening the back door. He swore profusely when he saw the state Liam was in, then ran back inside the house. Before I knew it, Stu and Lee were there, their entire forms twisting with rage when they saw their youngest brother. Sophie came out of the house, too, her hand going to her mouth in shock.

I watched silently as they worked together to get him inside. They all laid him carefully down on the couch, while Sophie ran upstairs to grab a first aid kit. Once Liam was settled, Lee came to me, his hands going to my face as he looked me directly in the eyes. There was a strain in his voice, his rage barely concealed. My breathing was still frantic, my heartbeat racing.

“Tell me what happened, Karla, and start from the beginning.”

I quickly relayed how I’d gone to his garage to speak with him and found Liam on the ground. Trevor and Stu were mere feet away, listening to me as I spoke.

“This has Finley written all over it,” Stu growled, his hands clenched tightly into fists.

Lee’s fingers dropped from my face as he shot Stu a loaded glance. A hundred words were exchanged in the silence, and then all three brothers were on the move. I had no idea what was happening, but I followed Lee into the hallway, where he opened a storage closet, pulling out a baseball bat, a steel pole, and a hammer. He handed all three to Stu before running up the stairs.

I was in too much shock to react, staring at them as they gathered munitions with my mouth open. When Lee came back downstairs, he wore a black hoodie with the zipper pulled all the way to the top. Next he tied a bandana around his face, covering everything but his eyes before pulling up his hood.

“No,” I said, my voice harsh. “No fucking way. You’re not doing this.”

Lee moved to step past me, but I grabbed his arm. He glared down at me, and I was startled by the fact that all I could see were his glacial blue eyes. “Stay out of it,” he grunted, ripping his arm from my hold.

“Finley’s got to pay,” said Stu, like it was that simple. “You deal in justice, but so do we. We just have our own particular brand of punishment.”

“Wait,” I pleaded, my thoughts scrambling as a realisation hit me. “This couldn’t have been Finley. Just listen to me for a second.”

Lee turned, giving me his full attention, and I let out a long exhalation. “After your interview the other day, Tony’s been like a bloodhound going after Carl. He found out where he was running his drugs from and searched the place. He and a good lot of his crew were arrested and have been held in custody ever since. It couldn’t have been him.”

Finally, the brothers were actually listening to me, and my pulse began to slow down.

Lee pulled the bandana from his face so that it rested around his neck. “You’d better not be lying to me, Karla.”

“Hand to heart, it’s the truth.”

He looked to Stu, and again they had one of their silent communications.

“Couldn’t have been Hartfield’s lot. We sorted everything out with them weeks ago,” said Stu.

Lee ran a hand over his stubble, his mind clearly racing. “This is completely fucked. Somebody beat Liam to send a message.” Turning, he stormed into the living room, where Sophie was currently tending to Liam’s injuries. We all followed, and Lee knelt on the floor, running a soft hand over his brother’s hair.

“Liam, mate, can you hear me?”

At the sound of Lee’s voice, Liam’s eyes fluttered open.

“Who did this, bruv? Did you see?”

Liam stared at him, his attention landing on me for a second before returning to his brother. “Come ’ere,” he wheezed, motioning for Lee to get closer. When he did, Liam whispered something in his ear and Lee’s entire body went still, his every muscle coiling tight. Obviously, he hadn’t wanted me to hear whatever it was he had to say.

When he stood, he gestured for Stu and Trevor to go into the kitchen. They both went and then Lee turned to me, taking my hand in his and pulling me out into the hallway. When he reached the front door, he drew my body close, embracing me in an unexpected hug.

“Thank you,” he whispered into my hair. “I don’t know what you came to see me for, but if you hadn’t found Liam when you did, he could’ve been out there all night.”