Les watches him go, then looks back at me. “We won’t risk you, Holden.” She stands up. “I’m sorry.” She follows Ryder from the room.
Leo and Gage exchange a look, then slink off behind them, leaving me with Zane.
I hear Zane’s stool scrape against the floor, then he slides onto the stool beside me. I can’t even look at him. I’m so damn pissed.
“Look at me,” Zane says sternly, turning my head automatically. “The reason why Leo and Gage went out after is that this is what they do. They’re not saying you’re not capable because you fucking are. But we need you safe.”
“What about the rest of you guys? I want you guys safe, but I don’t get a fucking vote in that. I just get told to stay in the house like a good boy, and that’s that.”
I slide off the stool, and Zane grabs my arm to stop me. He stands up in front of me. “I know it seems that way, but that’s not what we’re doing. We will doanythingto make sure what happened yesterday doesn’t fucking happen again.” He steps in closer. “Because the thought of losing you, Sweet boy, rips us apart.” I suckin a breath at the look in his eyes. “Don’t make us have to live through that again.”
“I can’t lose you guys either,” I say miserably. “I can’t do it either.”
“Nothing in this life is certain, Holden. The only thing I can promise you is they will do everything they can to come home to you.” My shoulders sag in defeat, knowing I’m not going to win this one. “You get to hang out with me.”
I can’t help but laugh at his hopeful tone. “How did you get stuck with babysitting duty?”
“I drew the short straw,” he jokes, then chuckles from the look on my face. “I volunteered.”
“You volunteered to stay home with me?”
“Nothing sounded better than being alone with you.” He pecks my lips. “For hours,” he whispers, making me shiver. He smiles and pecks my lips one more time before leaving the room, leaving me standing there, shocked.
This should be fun.
“Zane, please,”I groan.
“Not yet.”
“It’s been an hour,” I groan again.
“You can wait a little while longer, Sweet boy,” Zane says softly.
I lay my cards down to look at him. “Please call them.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not calling them again. They’re fine.”
Zane is doing everything he can to distract me after the rest of them left three hours ago. I don’t have my computer, so I don’t know what to do with myself. And my phone was crushed in the blast, so I can’t call them myself, which results in me begging Zane every thirty minutes.
“You don’t know that,” I argue.
He picks up his phone and wiggles it so I can see their blinkingred dots from where I added the app onto his phone. “No distress signals. They’re all still in the same spot.” He lays it back down. “And I just called them an hour ago,” he says dryly.
I sit back in my seat with a huff, crossing my arms over my chest. “This is bullshit.”
Zane chuckles. “Let’s finish this game. They’ll be back before you know it.”
“I don’t want to play anymore. I’m bored.” This is the third hand of rummy we’ve played, and he’s kicked my ass every time.
Zane clutches his chest. “Ouch. Go easy on an old man. I have feelings too.”
That’s another thing I learned about Zane today; he isn’t always scowling. I’ve heard him joke around, but he’s usually so damn serious. This side surprised me.
“I didn’t say you were boring.” I roll my eyes. “I said I was bored playing this game.”
“Fine,” he says, sitting his cards down. “What do you want to do?”
That is a loaded question since we’re still sitting in nothing but our boxers. “Let’s watch a movie,” I suggest instead of what I’m really thinking.
