That bastard, he thought savagely. How dare Wolf think he could kiss him like that and then deny he wanted it. He’d regret it. He’d make sure.
Head held high, Spencer walked out of the bathroom and found Wolf on the couch, slumped over with his head in his hands, and damned if his first reaction wasn’t to go and comfort him. But he wasn’t falling for that again. Ignoring Wolf, he let him sulk, and went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of orange juice. He sat at the island, picked up a delicious-looking muffin, and had just taken a large mouthful when the lock clicked and the door opened. He chewed and swallowed as Elliot, Win, Chess, and André filed in.
“You decided to return and see if there were bodies needing burying?” Spencer broke off a piece of the muffin top and popped it into his mouth. “How the hell did you manage to lock us inside, anyway?”
André dangled a metal contraption from his fingers. “Benefits of being in the hotel industry. Portable door locks.”
“Lucky me.” Spencer shook his head in disgust.
“How are you two?” Elliot’s anxious gaze darted from him to Wolf on the couch, then back to him. “Did you have a chance to talk things out?”
“I don’t know. What do you think, Wolfie? Did we? We certainly used our mouths, wouldn’t you say?”
Springing up from his seat as if a rocket shot up his ass, Wolf scowled. “No, I wouldn’t. And I’d appreciate it if I wouldn’t be asked for brunch only to be sandbagged by my supposed friends. Locking me in with this one was a stupid and childish act that accomplished nothing.”
“I knew it was a dumb idea,” Win muttered, shooting a pointed look at Elliot, who chewed his bottom lip. “Next time listen to me and André.”
“We thought it might help you work through things if we left you together.”
“Well, you were wrong,” Wolf said. “Stop meddling in my damn life and leave me alone. I have to go.”
Wolf slammed out, and Spencer sat eating his muffin as if he hadn’t a care in the world, but inside he seethed. Four sets of eyes stared at him.
“What?”
“It didn’t go well, huh?” Chess threw himself in the chair opposite him.
“You could say that.”
“How bad?” André asked. Before he had a chance to answer, André opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of champagne. “I’m assuming reinforcements are necessary?”
“About an entire army’s worth. Your mission failed, and I think we’re now in a worse place than ever.” The cork popped, and André poured champagne into his orange juice.
“I’ll leave the bottle right here.” His smile was sympathetic. “I told them it wasn’t the right thing to do. Win and I both did. You two have been on a collision course for over a year, maybe longer.”
Definitely longer, he wanted to say, but instead downed his mimosa and poured another one.
André continued to press him. “Do you have any idea why? I know you needle him, but that’s nothing new. It seems like he’s gotten so much touchier lately. Is it the job or something else?”
“Who the fuck knows? And I’m done caring.” Spencer held up his glass. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m finished with him.”
He drank his cocktail, trying to convey nonchalance, but his heart ached for a friendship he didn’t have a clue how to save.
Chapter Four
God, he was a shit human.
A week had passed, and though the group text messages continued, Wolf hadn’t responded to any except to opt out of a dinner. Foolishly, he’d held out a faint hope that maybe Chess or Elliot would call and try to persuade him to come, but his phone remained silent. Several times he’d typed out a text to their group chat, simply to say hello, but had deleted each one immediately.
Within the confines of his office, he sat and ruminated on the demise of his frayed friendship with Spencer, because he had no doubt that it was hanging by a thread. He knew it wouldn’t take more than a breath to break it. And Wolf had no one to blame but himself—the fault lay solely on his head.
“You’re such a fucking idiot.” He stared at their group photo on his phone, taken at Chess and André’s wedding.
The night before the wedding, upset with the roadblock he’d come up against in a case he’d devoted months to, he’d gone for a stroll on the beach. He’d walked close to a mile, trying to work through every possible scenario, to help not only his young client but her family. It all rested on the cooperation of law enforcement, and he’d had to restrain himself from telling them all what he thought of their idiocy.
He stood by the shoreline, the warm water lapping at his feet, and gazed out at the infinite horizon. It was so peaceful here, and for a moment the constant tension humming through him gave way and he could breathe.
“Wolf? Is that you?”
