He doesn’t look at me as he reaches down to turn the hotdogs with his bare hand. “What?”
I clear the thickness in my throat, stifling a cough from the grill smoke. “The bet. Are you in?”
I look over to see him nodding, just enough for it to be considered a nod. “I started two days ago. Don’tknow what took you fuckers so long.”
This time, I do cough at the force of laughter that escapes my throat. “Touche.”
We drop back into silence, both of us working side by side until all the meat is grilled and stacked on plates to be carried over.
I reach down to grab one, but his voice stops me in my tracks. No - not his voice. The question.
“How does Evie know Wade Thomas?”
I gather myself quickly, but the sharp look in his eyes tells me I didn’t move fast enough. He already knows that whatever is about to come from my lips is a complete lie. “Wade? I think she heard his name from Roman. Why?”
Kortez nods slowly, and I see some of the darkness Atlas mentioned begin to bleed through his eyes. “I don’t suggest lying to me, Wylder James.”
Even in the depths of war I’ve never felt as threatened as I do now. I’ve always been a predator, but Kortez has made me the prey. I’ve never been prey before.
I take a small step forward, closing my hands into fists to keep them from trembling. “I don’t suggest you lie to me, Kortez Valente.”
Surprise lights his eyes, clearing away some of the darkness.
That’s right, Kortez. I know your secrets, too.
Now it’s his hands trembling as he looks over my shoulder, no doubt looking to see if Evie has returned. “You don’t understand. He’s dangerous, Wylder. He could hurt her.”
I shake my head, jamming a finger into the center of his chest. “No, Kortez,youdon’t understand. Evangeline is dangerous. She could hurt anyone she wants.”
Chapter 28
Atlas
“Mom, this shirt itches.”
How Eve manages to keep her cool at a time like this is beyond a miracle.
I had tutors my entire life and never got to experience the ‘first day of school’ like my son is right now, but I’m not sure I would have wanted to. It seems stressful.
Abel has changed six times, repacked his bag three times, and has continuously been checking Eve’s phone for the time. It’s cute in a crazy, annoying way.
“What about the blue one we bought from the mall on Saturday?” I watch Eve dig through Abel’s closet, trying to find the shirt I bought a few days ago.
This whole dad thing is completely new to me, but I’m trying to figure it out. Right now, I’m starting with the basics – helping with school supplies and being here for his first day.
Eve moves his last hanger to the side and turns toward me. “Did you take it over to Wylder’s by mistake?"
“No, all I bought was a few things for Roman and he would’ve known it if he tried to put on a shirt ten sizes too small.”
She turns back around and starts to dig through Abel’s dresser, tucking her long, blond curls back behind her ear.
She’s so…fuck. Every time I look at her every sensible word falls from my mind. She’s perfect. Ten years ago, I knew I had found my wife and that hasn’t changed; but damn the urge to claim her has grown to the point where it’s all I can think about. I need her like I need my next breath, and I still don’t think she understands.
Even after telling her how much she haunted me, she refuses to believe in ghosts. She refuses to believe I could still need her this bad.
Maybe it’s the anger that I know she still feels from the situation or maybe it’s her secrets Kortez is becoming obsessed with figuring out, but she isn’t opening herself up to me. Not in the way she has with Roman or Kortez or hell, not the way she’s opened up to the man she’s been with for the past three years.
The man who’s made it clear he’s okay with sharing and even started a bet about who will get her pregnant next.
