Didn’t we talk enough?
I move on to brushing the top row of teeth and answer, “Yes, and let them know I’ll be down in five.”
Moving to my closet, I grab a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, annoyed that my routine has been interrupted. As my sweats pull over my ass and the fabric glides over my raging hard-on, I bite my lip, relishing in the throbbing— it’s the perfect punishment for my foolish treatment of Ariah.
Pulling on my hoodie, I head for the stairs to see what these two could possibly want to discuss further. As my bare feet hit the heated marble, I see neither Wes nor Sebastian went to wait in the spot we usually meet in. Instead, they stand in the entryway.
I run my hands through my still damp hair, fanning it out over my shoulders. I really should get a cut.
“Why are you two standing here?” I start, but once I see the look on their face, I ask, “What’s going on?”
Sebastian meets my gaze, the angular set of his jaw flexing, “We’ve discovered more information, and we need you to look into this without the Council knowing.”
I look between the two of them, trying to determine if they’re serious about this. We’ve done many things but never once have we actively subverted the Council.
“Is there a reason this has to be kept from them, and where are Wy and O?” I probe. Something of this magnitude shouldn’t be done unless we all agree.
As I finish my sentence, Geoffrey notifies me that Owen’s truck is pulling into the driveways, and Wyatt is with him.
Wes smirks, reaching up to pat my shoulder, “You didn’t think we would do this without all of us present, did you? I’d never unilaterally do anything that could have profound repercussions on us unless absolutely warranted.”Cocky prick.
The cherrywood front door opens, and the looming forms of Owen and Wyatt step through, both dressed in lounge pants, sneakers, and an LWU hoodie.
I look at Wyatt, “Did you get the new chip in Ariah?”
“Of course I did. Did you forget who I am?” he jests.
He’s joking now, but when that minx finds out he— no,wechipped her not once but twice, we’re all going to get dick or throat punched— and we’d all deserve it.
“So what’s so urgent that you made us leave watching Ariah?” Owen asks.
Sebastian gives him a puzzled look, narrowing his blue eyes at Owen’s words. “I thought you said Shay was over and kicked you two out?”
Owen rolls his eyes like the idea that they would leave is asinine. “We weren’t leaving until we made sure she was truly good.”
“It’s Shay, though. She’s not-,” Wes begins to state, but Owen interjects.
“Shay is amazing, but with what Ariah went through, we just couldn’t leave until we knew. We didn’t listen to anything they spoke about. That’s her story to tell.”
The faraway look he gets when he remembers something glints in his eyes, dilating his pupils. It’s something many might miss, but I’ve spent years watching over my friend— a promise I made long ago to ensure the darkness never completely swallows him whole.
I nod, acknowledging I see him but not announcing it to the group. He has a far deeper understanding, one greater than any of us could ever have, of what Ariah’s going through.
Clearing my throat, I change the topic of the conversation back to what we were originally here to discuss. “What have you found?”
Before anyone can answer, my mother makes her way down the stairs. Calista Washington is not a woman to trifle with. Each step commands the room— she’s a force. All five feet two of her brings everyone to heel.
“Boys. What brings you all here at this hour?” she asks shrewdly. Her perfectly styled brow arches, knowing we are up to something without any of us uttering a word.
“We just needed to go over our plan for the girls for once they return to school and the dates begin, Mrs. Washington,” Sebastian answers. No hitch— no hesitation. The smooth fucker could lie his way out of death, but he can’t fool my mother.
She snorts, “Right. Well, just don’t get caught. Your father is on his way home, Levi, and I’m quite sure if he pulls into the driveway and sees that you idiot’s have parked your cars out front, then your scheming will be done before it’s even begun.” She finishes the last of her chastisement as her heeled slippered feet touch the landing continuing their journey until she reaches me, stopping, and I bend, knowing what she’s here for.
My mother plants a kiss on the top of my head and then whispers, “Keep that girl safe,” before pulling away and strolling through the foyer into the main part of the house.What does she know?And not for the first time, I question how many people in our lives have kept secrets from us.
“We’ll have to talk more about this when it’s safe. For now, what or who am I looking into?” I implore, hoping to speed this up. I’d ask Geoffrey to give me an ETA on my dad, but if my mother is warning me, I know we don’t have much time.
“Our dads,” Wes rushes out. “They’re keeping too many secrets, and if we continue to wait for their direction, we’ll always be too many steps behind.”
