Instead, I found a robe slung over the back of the door. Soft fleece, unfamiliar but clean. I pulled it on and belted it tight, hoping it would help dull the sharp edges of my scent.
It didn’t. Not really. But it made me feellessexposed, and that counted for something. I was almost to the bedroom door when it opened from the other side.
Jay stood there, a solid shadow framed by light. Calm. Composed. Unflinching as always. His gaze swept over me once, clinical and quick.
“You sure you should be up?”
“No,” I admitted, breathing a little harder than I wanted. “But I needed to move.”
His eyes softened just slightly at the edges.
“I’m thinking clearly,” I added. “Mostly. That’s a good sign, right?”
He didn’t answer that—just tilted his head toward the light behind him.
“Come on. You should be part of this.”
That was the second sign something was wrong.
Jay didn’t extend invitations. He laid out logistics.
I followed him into the living room.
Rhett and Roan were both on the far side of the space, standing by the wide window that looked out over the snow-covered trees. They weren’t speaking, but the silence was sharp-edged. Tactical.
Roan’s arms were folded tight across his chest. Rhett’s fingers were twitching near his belt like they wanted to be wrapped around a weapon.
The instant I stepped into the room, both of their heads turned toward me.
Roan’s eyes—steel gray, cutting and bright—landed on me first. They skimmed over me from head to toe and then back again, expression unreadable. Not cold. But contained.
My heart kicked up. Not from heat.
From instinct.
I didn’t waste time with pleasantries.
“What is it?”
No one answered right away.
Jay moved to stand beside me, a quiet line of support at my side. Roan glanced once at Rhett, then back to me.
Rhett was the one who spoke. “I did some research and made some calls.”
To be honest, I had no idea what I expected him to say but that wasn’t it. Fidgeting with the belt tie on the robe, I frowned. “Okay?” The word came out rough, a little hoarser than I liked but still, clear. “How is that a problem?”
Because I needed more information.
Raking a hand through his hair which caused parts of it to stick up in places, Rhett gave me a frustrated look. “I was looking into the suppressants, and the research and… stuff.”
My stomach bottomed out, but I fought the trembling by folding my arms. “I’m listening.”
The stone stillness from Roan betrayed more than Rhett’s almost jittery upset. My gaze kept tracking back to Roan’s gray eyes but I needed to focus on Rhett so I didn’t miss anything.
“I don’t know which ones you were taking and I couldn’t find them…probably should have done a deeper search of your place but I didn’t go in and they weren’t in your office.”
I left Rhett’s admission of snooping in my office alone. Right now, that wasn’t important.
