He blinks as a long noodle slides down his cheek.
“Oops,” Dex says, breaking the silence. That sets Pete off as he starts howling with laughter. A snort escapes me as I try to stop myself from laughing, and I slap my hands over my mouth as Elias turns to glare at me. I can see a hint of amusement behind his attempt to look betrayed, and I can’t help but grin behind my fingers.
I see the tension fade from him as he watches me. Then he looks down at our table, grabs a handful of salmon sashimi, and tosses it straight at Dex. He ducks, and it hits Sly square in the face.
Pete and Dex burst out laughing as Sly glares at the three of them.
The next minute is chaos. Food goes flying in every direction as Jagger tries to cover me as best he can. Pete is laughing like a maniac, Dex is egging him on, and Sly—whoshould be the responsible one—ends up launching a dumpling straight at Pete’s head.
I’m laughing so hard I can barely stay upright, only Jagger’s arm shielding me from the onslaught as he turns me away from the flying food.
“Out!” Elias suddenly orders, sounding concerned. “We gotta move!”
Sly tosses a bundle of bills on the table before we bolt for the door.
Outside, the autumn air hits cold and sharp. Dex’s hair is matted with sauce, and Pete’s got some on his sleeve. Sly looks at them both and shakes his head.
“I can’t take you anywhere,” he mutters.
Pete grins, unrepentant. “He shouldn’t have looked at her.”
Elias wipes the last bit of sauce from his cheek. “You people are insane.”
Sly raises an eyebrow as if to sayAre you kidding?“Do you not recall throwing the salmon sashimi at Dex?”
“That was self-defense,” Elias mutters.
Dex slaps his shoulder. “It’s okay to admit you had fun.”
Elias glares at him, but there’s a reluctant spark of amusement there.
Jagger signs, “We need to get going quickly.”
Sly nods, opening the side door of our SUV. “Everyone in, I’m driving.”
We pile into the vehicle, some of us still catching our breath from laughing so hard. My sides ache, and my cheeks are sore from smiling.
Elias sits up front, staring straight ahead, muttering something about needing therapy.
Sly meets my eyes in the rearview mirror, a hint ofamusement in his gaze. He didn’t actually seem upset. Maybe he didn’t hate Pete’s antics as much as he let on.
As the SUV rolls out of the parking lot, the laughter fades into low hums and tired grins. Soy sauce still clings to Dex’s sleeve, and Pete keeps shaking rice out of his hair. Jagger pulls me to lean against his side as we stare out the window at the darkening sky. Sly quietly steers us toward the dark stretch of road leading to the safe house, while Elias gives directions.
I rest my head against Jagger and watch the lights smear by. I should be nervous. We were loud, reckless, moments away from the cops being called—if they hadn’t already been. But I’m not scared. Not even a little. For the first time in years, I feel… alive.
These men are chaos, all sharp edges and danger, but none of that is aimed at me. They fight for me and protect me. Laugh with me. And they make the world feel wide open instead of small.
Elias sits rigid in the front seat, silent, while the others joke quietly around me. I wish he felt like he was a part of the group, but right now, there’s nothing I can do to change that. So instead, I decide to lean into their voices and the steady hum of conversation, letting it remind me that I’m not alone anymore. I don’t know where any of this ends, but for tonight, I’m exactly where I want to be.
CHAPTER NINE
WREN
“Let’s pull off here. It’ll be our last stop before we reach the safe house,” Elias says, pointing to the off-ramp as Pete turns off the highway.
Jagger gives me a little squeeze, and I look at his pale blue eyes and smile.“Just making sure you are awake,”he signs. Like I could sleep with his thumb rubbing my inner thigh for the past half hour.
I swear all the guys were purposely working me up. We hadn’t done anything other than a few heated kisses since Elias had joined us six days ago, and I felt ready to combust. But I did not want to risk Elias hearing anything through the thin hotel room walls. I knew he was disappointed I was dating convicts, and I didn’t want to make it worse.
