The last thing I want to do is leave Neo with Ansel, but duty calls.
“I’ll be back soon,” I murmur in Ansel’s ear before kissing his neck. “Will you be okay for a few hours?”
“Yes.” Ansel pats my face. “Go. It’ll give me a chance to catch up with Neo. I’m sure he has shit to say to me privately.”
“Sure do,” Neo chimes in.
“Okay.” I stroke his hair once before stepping back. “I’ll see you later.”
I make it all the way to the front door before Wylder stops me. “Cade, wait.”
Sighing, I turn to face him. “I thought you wanted me to get on with…it.”
“I do, but…” Wylder comes to a halt in front of me. “You can’t just leave Ansel with his friend.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s your hostage,” Wylder hissed. “He’s not supposed to have guests, for fuck’s sake.”
I wrench open the door before leveling a glare at my brother. “He’s not my hostage, Wylder; he’s my boyfriend. Maybe you should start treating him as such.”
Wylder watches me leave, glaring at me from the doorway. When I’m halfway down the drive, I call back over my shoulder, “And give him back his phone. He’s not going to betray us.”
I don’t wait for him to respond, just stride off toward my car. Ansel won’t do anything to harm us. I can feel it in my bones. He cares for me, just as I care for him.
Everything is going to be fine. Wonderful, in fact.
We’re on a path to our own happily ever after, just like Matthias and Wyatt.
And I can’t fucking wait.
19
ANSEL
To his credit, Neo waits until we’re alone before launching into his interrogation. “What the fuck is going on, Ansel? First, you disappear for days before going no contact. Then I finally hear from you, and you’re all loved up? And living in his house? What gives? And don’t lie to me. I know when you are, remember?”
I close the door to the bedroom I’ve been sharing with Cade before replying. “Technically, this isn’t Cade’s house.”
Neo gives me a look that calls bullshit, not that I expected anything less. “No, it’s his ‘family seat.’ That’s even fucking worse. I had to look that phrase up when I researched them.”
An icy tingle goes up my spine. Neo’s hacking skills almost rival my own. “What else did you find out?”
Neo snorts as he strides over to the window. “Just the usual rich people bullshit. Generational wealth. Dead parents. Smarmy pap shots at various bullshit charity events. So fucking boring. I fell asleep halfway through.”
A knot of anxiety unravels in my chest. “Cade’s far from boring.”
“Judging by the fact I was greeted by both a knife and a gun, I kinda assumed. And that’s before we even get into the military-grade security on this place.” He turns to face me, arms folded across hischest. “What the fuck is going on, Ansel? Are you a fucking hostage? Do I need to break you out?”
I study Neo. He’s my oldest friend. My only friend, really. He’s been there for me since we were nothing more than broke-ass foster kids with no one to rely on. We moved here together, and we’ve built a life around one another. And he’s pulled me out of too many situations to count.
It’s why I’ve kept him in the dark about this whole fuckup. It’s time for me to stand on my own two feet without relying on Neo to get me out of trouble.
And look where that got you. Kidnapping the wrong guy and being held hostage yourself.
Although, am I really being held against my will if I’m fucking my kidnapper and calling him my boyfriend?
I drop onto one of the couches with a sigh. Yes, couches plural. This room alone is bigger than the apartment that Neo and I share. “You better sit. This is gonna take me a while to explain.”
