His voice gets lower, rougher, and his gaze pins mine. “I would go to literal hell and back for you and not give it a second thought. This,” he flings his hand toward the downstairs, “whatever happens tonight, is nothing compared to the thought of you behind bars. Nothing compared to the nightmare of not being able to touch you and protect you.” He dips his head so our eyes meet. “Hell is you out of my reach, Kira. The sooner you understand that, the better you’ll feel.”
He pulls me against his chest before I can argue, and I let him. He’s so sturdy that I can’t help but sag against him. He means it. He actually means every word, and I have no idea what I did before him. The fact that I lived a whole life without his chest to rest my cheek on seems unfathomable, bleak and harsh and lonely. I clutch him tighter, trying to make up for lost time and, possibly, the future I may not get.
When we finally make it to the bottom of the stairs, Caleb is waiting alone, hands shoved in his pockets, looking like he’s been pacing. He brightens the second he sees us, then immediately looks guilty, like he’s about to deliver bad news.
“Where’s Nix?” I ask.
“Uh, we kind of…” he rubs the back of his neck, “got into a fight? I think. I think it was a fight. We haven’t had one before.”
“We don’t have time for a lovers’ quarrel,” Jax says. “Go find her.”
“Over what?” I ask, my interest piqued. What could they get into a tiff about that Caleb wouldn’t just accept or agree to? I’m not saying he doesn’t have a backbone, it’s just… he’sCaleb.
“Nothing,” he says too quickly. “I mean, something, obviously, but not something,” he looks at his brother, gauging what, I have no idea, but Jax doesn’t seem to notice, too busy checking the time on his phone, “not something we have to worry about.” Caleb seems to finally decide on his words based on Jax’s demeanor.
“Oookay,” I say, rubbing my temple. “Well, tell her I said to suck it up for now. We kind of have bigger things to deal with.”
“Maybe she can sit out for—” Caleb starts.
“I’m here!” Nix’s voice cuts in, and she appears on the stairs behind us.
“Good. Let’s go.” Jax shoves his phone in his pocket and ushers us forward.
I don’t even get a second to make sense of the look that passes between my sister and Caleb before we’re moving, but I do notice the obnoxiously large hoodie she’s wearing.
“What’s with this?” I whisper as I fall back next to her and tug on the material.
“I’m cold,” she snaps, wrenching away.
“Cold?” There’s an actual sheen of sweat on her forehead. “But—”
“Do I police what you wear?! I’m cold. Fuck off.”
Jesus.What the fuck crawled up her ass? Whatever fight Caleb and she had must have been intense.
“Whatever then. Sweat to death for all I care.” I move forward and catch the hand that Jax has been holding out behind him.
“All good?” he asks, tucking me into his side as we weave through the wide hallways.
“Can I complain even though I’m the one who raised her?” I grumble.
“I can hear you,” Nix says.
“Good.” I toss the word over my shoulder.
“Bitch.”
“Brat.”
“You know you—”
“Enough,” Jax hisses as we near the dining room. “Everyone needs to be on their best behavior. We’re trying to convince him you two aren’t liabilities.” His gaze shifts to Nix, sharp and pointed. “And that means you. Don’t back talk him. We all know he’s a misogynistic prick, you don’t need to highlight it tonight.”
“I don’t take orders from you,” Nix folds her arms.
“Or me,” Caleb mutters, but Jax speaks over him.
“Just bite your tongue tonight. You want to keep Kira out of prison, don’t you?”
