“You look tense.”
Colton Blake leaned against the wall, posture relaxed like he’d been there all along—waiting to catch the fallout. Sleeves rolled, collar undone enough to suggest ease.
But Gideon knew better.
Colton never moved without motive.
A snake in a suit.
Gideon’s fists curled before he could stop them.
“Rough meeting with the queen?” Colton pushed off the wall and fell into step beside him. “She give you the legacy talk again? Or was this one about your woman problem?”
“Stay out of my way, Colton.”
He didn’t look at him. He didn’t need to.
Colton chuckled under his breath. “You used to be a lot more fun. Back before you went soft.”
Gideon stopped short. Turned.
Their height was close, but power wasn’t about inches.
“You think I’m blind. That I don’t know what you’re doing?” His voice dropped low. Deliberate. “The intimidation. The strong-arming. You’re Evelyn’s leash. Nothing more.”
Colton’s smile widened, slow and slick. “Funny. I thought I was her blade.”
Gideon didn’t blink. “You’re a shadow. Feeding off what’s left after she’s done bleeding people dry.”
Colton’s gaze sharpened. “You forget who you are.”
“No,” Gideon said. “I remember too well. That’s why I’m not like you.”
“But I hear you’ve been busy,” Colton said. “Putting down roots. Getting sentimental. Risky move.”
“If you even breathe in Arden’s direction?—”
Colton raised both hands, mock surrender. “Relax. I’ve got better things to do than play watchdog over your bartender.”
Gideon stepped in. The space between them razor-thin.
His voice was low. Precise. “You go near her, and you’ll regret it.”
Colton didn’t flinch. But the smirk dimmed for half a second. He turned, took a few steps, then looked back.
“Funny thing,” he said. “You’ve never gone this far for anyone.”
He let the words sit. Poisonous and precise.
Then the final cut.
“So what does that make her?”
Gideon didn’t move.
But the air shifted volatile.
Colton saw it. Registered the hit.
