Page 101 of With Spite

In the weeks that I’d known the family, I’d seen them spike all kinds of drinks.

Lemonade included.

“It’s alcohol free,” she admitted. “I poured it before I added the alcohol.”

“Thanks.” I smiled and turned to Katana. “Hey, Katana.”

She looked a little green, but otherwise pretty happy.

A motorcycle sounded outside, and Heidi stood up. “That’d be my man.”

Only, when she came back, it wasn’t her man.

At least not by himself.

He had another man with him.

Shaw.

“Shaw.” I waved. “Hey! You both realize that it’s absolutely freezing out, right?”

“We do. But we’re moving the bikes into a new facility since the last one burned down. Only a few mile drive, and your place was on the way.” He gave me a chin jerk and turned to Hux. “Sorry to crash your party. Was hoping that you had a Band-Aid I could use. Caught…”

He trailed off when Katana turned around, revealing herself to him.

Katana paled and covered her mouth.

Shaw looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“I thought…” Shaw frowned and looked around. “What the hell?”

Katana stiffened. “Can we go outside?”

“No,” Heidi whispered and looked at her man.

Bells shrugged.

“No.” Shaw stiffened. “We could talk about how we’d decided to get married and have a bunch of babies before you ghosted me and ‘moved.’ We could definitely talk about that right here and right now.”

A pin drop could be heard throughout the crowded kitchen.

Romina and Candice stared. Harvey, Hampton, and Hux were all frozen solid.

Heidi had her hand covering her mouth.

But Katana?

She was crying silent tears.

“Everyone stop,” I found myself saying. “Katana. Sit.”

Katana sat, luckily before she fell.

“Shaw, outside.”

“I’m not going…”

I put my foot down and stepped in front of him. “Out. Side.”