Then she flounced away.

Ruthie looked at me, her mouth twitching. “She’s not wrong.”

“You made him so I’m sure you know this a lot better than me, but he can have his macho man fit. It’ll blow over, and through it we just do our own thing.”

Her eyes lit, her hand let mine go and she replied, “Now I’m seeing how you can wring miracles.”

“I give all the credit to Grams and KC. Grams is wise and says it straight. KC lives with an alpha and also says it straight. They’re my gurus,” I shared.

“If you need another guru, you know where to find me, and do not take that as me asking you to share with me where my son is at. If he wants me to know that, he’ll tell me. You’re not on the hot seat. Just that I know Raid pretty well and I’m happy to do my bit.”

I smiled at her.

She smiled back then shouted, “Rache! I’m off!”

“I’ll call Gazz and warn him you’re on the emotional warpath and he’s up next on your agenda,” Rachelle shouted back.

Ruthie had stood through this and she smiled down at me. “Again, she’s not wrong.”

I giggled.

She reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear.

That was familiar, coming from a Miller.

And sweet.

I stopped giggling.

“Later, Hanna.”

“Have a good night with Gazz, Ruthie.”

She winked at me and took off.

I sipped wine, looked out the window and dragged in a deep breath to pull myself together.

I sort of accomplished this feat when I felt a presence join me at the table. I jumped in surprise, but turned my head smiling, thinking I’d see Raiden.

It wasn’t Raiden.

It was a good-looking, well-dressed man staring at me with eyes that were almost as amazing as Raid’s.

Thinking he was going to come onto me, I told him, “Sorry, I’m waiting for someone.”

“Yes. And when he gets here, I’m asking you to give Miller a message to give to Knight.”

My back went straight, my skin started tingling (and not in a good way) and I stared.

He didn’t hesitate.

“Tell him to tell Knight that he’s being careful, but not careful enough. Tell him that Nair is not going to give up. Tell him he’s going to have to do something in a permanent way to shut Nair down. Do you have that?”

My eyes narrowed even as my hand shifted back toward my cell in my pocket. “Who are you?”

“I’m Nick. Miller will get me. Knight will definitely get me. And you, don’t worry. Nair is not focused on Miller. He doesn’t even know who Miller is. He’s not focused on anybody but Knight. Nair has no clue you exist and doesn’t give a f**k. But I needed a way in. You were it.”

“If you have something to say to—” I began.

“If you want me to lead them to your man, then yeah, I’ll talk direct to him. If you want them to keep their focus on my brother, then you’ll tell Miller everything I said.”

Before I could reply, he was up and gone.

I blinked after him.

Then I looked around and saw the half-full café, most everyone concentrating on their food or conversation. Rachelle was nowhere to be seen, probably in the kitchen.

I wondered if anyone saw him, but they didn’t appear to. No one was paying attention.

I pulled out my phone and had my head down, fingers moving on it to call Raid when the bell over the door went.

I jumped and looked up to see Raiden smiling at me and coming my way.

He rounded the table, bent into me, swept my hair back and kissed my neck. Then he stayed there to run his nose up the skin, which made that skin tingle, but in a good way this time.

He continued to stay there when he whispered in my ear, “Love it when my girl’s perfume is fresh. Hey, baby.”

“Hey,” I replied.

His hand went out of my hair and he rounded the table, shouting, “Rache! Beer and get a move on with two specials. Hanna and I are running late!”

“Keep your pants on!” was shouted from the kitchen.

“Lose some coin if you don’t hustle. We can get a slice from down the street!” Raid yelled.

“Two specials coming up!” was returned.

Luckily, Rachelle owned the café, so the Millers acting like, well, what I was coming to know as the Millers worked it.

Raid settled opposite me and he barely got his behind in the chair when I announced, “One minute ago, a well-dressed man I’ve never seen in my life sat right where you are and told me to tell you to tell Knight that he’s not being careful enough. A person named Nair isn’t going to give up and Knight has to do something permanent to get him to give up.”

Raid, his eyes locked on me, froze. The air around him froze. In fact, the entire café froze as he stared at me.

Then I felt eyes on me because the menace rolling off Raiden was so immense, we were capturing attention even though no words were being said.

In other words, I wasn’t the only one who could feel it, and it was so strong this was not a surprise.

Then he whispered in his sinister way, “Come again?”

I repeated myself.

Raiden leaned slightly toward me. “You’re tellin’ me that motherfucker walked right up to my woman in my sister’s f**kin’ place, sat down across from you and gave you a message for me?”

I hesitated due to the rumbling, scary quality of his voice that I had never heard before and the ominous blaze burning in his eyes that I had never seen before, then I leaned in and replied, “Yes.”

He sat back. “Jesus Christ. I’m gonna f**kin’ kill that guy.”

“Dude, what is up?” Rachelle asked, hitting our table right before a beer bottle hit the tabletop.

There it was. Other people felt his vibe.

“Lose yourself, Rache,” Raid ordered.

“Bro, you look tweaked. I—” she began.

Raiden’s head tipped back and he cut his eyes to her.

I wasn’t getting his look, but I still shivered.

“Bottom of my heart, but get the f**k outta here, babe.”

She bit her lip, gave wide eyes to me and wisely skedaddled.

Raiden looked at me and I wished Rachelle was back.

“You see him again, you tell him that he needs to find an alternate conduit for communication with his brother. It is not you. And you finish with telling him if you see him again after that, I will find him, rip his head off and shove it up his ass.”