“They made a real show of it,” Killian added, fingers tapping the tabletop in agitation. “They wanted us to know they’re here.”
Wilder crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, teeth grinding. He didn’t like that one fucking bit. They were already well aware of the gang’s presence, and the fact that they hadn’t retaliated for the loss of a whole lot of their men had everyone in the room on edge.
“We need to be vigilant,” Nicky said, her voice low, though it might as well have been a knife with how it cut straight through the chatter. “No galivanting off alone.”
Her sharp gaze found him, and he had to take a deep breath and clench his hands into fists under the table to keep from flipping her off. He wasn’t sure he liked that she knew. Had she followed him? Had Kaz told her to keep an eye on him? He was usually the one keeping an eye on everyone else.
Had he skipped out on most barbecues as of late? Yes. Not because he didn’t want to spend time with everyone. He just… he’d needed that time alone. To think. To at least try to come to terms with his feelings. There was too much pain still for him to do much else other than stare out at his lake, the silence like a soothing balm.
“I want eyes on Emmett at all times,” Emma said.
“We should have someone at the gym in general. Especially while we still have people working there,” Solo said.
He clenched his jaw tight at the sound of Solo’s voice, trying to keep from snapping at him, until his and Emma’s words registered.
He sat up straight, his heart beating just a little faster at the prospect of spending more time annoying Emmett. He wanted to see that blush again. Well, that, and he planned on making Emmett teach him sign language. He didn’t like not being able to do things. Being called ignorant by Emmett had hit him right in his pride. He was going to rectify it, and Solo had just given him the perfect opportunity.
He spotted Kian straightening and Nicky opening her mouth, both likely to claim the job, so he did it before they could.
“I’ll do it. I’ll watch Emmett.”
A pair of gray eyes watched him with slight confusion while Solo’s brown ones held caution.
“You sure you don’t have better things to do?” Jane drawled, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms, one brow raised at him. “Like being a little bitch?”
He heard a few curses from the others, and Solo shook his head at Jane, who rolled her eyes, but he ignored them both and met Kaz’s gaze with a raised brow.
“Well?”
Kaz stared at him for a moment, then he cleared his throat and said, “Sure. Sounds good.”
He nodded, leaning back in his chair. He barely listened as Kaz gave orders, already knowing exactly where he’d be the next few weeks: right next to Emmett.
He looked across the table, his gaze meeting Nicky’s, and he wasn’t a fan of how closely he found her watching him with those keen eyes of hers. He knew most of these people had grown up with Emmett and were rightfully protective of him. He should’velet one of them take the job, but some selfish part of him wouldn’t let him.
A rap on the door silenced everyone, and he wasn’t the least bit surprised when Miles popped his head inside, dark blond hair flopping over his forehead.
“Everyone alright?” Miles asked, worry clear in his voice and in those golden brown eyes of his as he ran his gaze over everyone seated at the table.
“We’re fine, Sweetheart,” Kaz said and crooked his finger at Miles. A smile spread on Miles’s lips as he crossed the room, and Kaz pushed his chair back just enough that Miles could sit in his lap. Kaz cupped Miles’s face with one hand, and the second they started kissing, the sound of chairs scraping across the floor filled the room. Meeting adjourned, then.
He pushed his chair back and stood, walking around the table, and just before reaching the door, he glanced over his shoulder. Kaz had lifted Miles onto the table in front of him and was stepping between his legs, their mouths fused together. He shook his head, a smile on his lips as he stepped through the door into the living room.
His smile slipped the second his gaze landed on Solo with his hand on Jane’s back, directing her toward the staircase. Solo glanced over his shoulder as if he felt Wilder’s gaze on them, a twitch to his lips when their eyes met. Wilder flinched, anger and something decidedly bitter filling his stomach.
Emma walked past him, Emmett’s bag over her shoulder as she headed up the stairs behind Solo and Jane. He wanted to follow her. He wanted… He shook his head, and when that didn’t clear the strange haze he found himself in, he walked into the kitchen to grab a beer from the fridge. Drowning his feelings hadn’t worked before, but he was willing to give it another shot. Who knew? Maybe it would work this time? He doubted he’d be that lucky.
CHAPTER TEN
Emmett
HE PACED the room, unsure what to do with himself as he waited. He tried not to let his thoughts spiral. He knew everyone was alright, but despite having that information, that pit in his stomach hadn’t receded one bit.
A quick rap of knuckles on the door made him jump, his heart lodging in his throat for a second. He crossed the room with fast steps, barely keeping from running. He pulled the door open to see Emma standing outside, his bag in one hand and his tablet in her other. Her lips spread in a smile as she wiggled the tablet at him. “I figured you were missing this.”
“Oh, definitely.”
“I also need to talk to you,” Emma said, a cautious look in her brown eyes he wasn’t used to.
