“Maybe lost a bet and had to leave town quick?” Ben suggested.
Gabe shrugged. “It’s a possibility. Evan liked his sports, liked going up to Central City and placing bets. So who knows? That’s why Steph asked for our help. If he’s in trouble like that…” Gabe trailed off.
Elias felt a chill settle in the room.He might need muscle backing him upwent unsaid but every man in the room understood.
“That’s why we’re meeting. We need to figure out the best way to track him down and offer our assistance if needed. If something’s wrong, he might not have much time.”
Shane tapped his copy of the photo. “I can get Watchdog on it, too. See if he’s hired a real estate agent for the house, what he’s got in his bank account, where he’s spending his money. Or if he’s stopped spending money altogether, know what I mean?”
Gabe nodded, a grim expression on his face. “They’ll be devastated if he’s deceased.” He looked down at the photo in his hands. “I’ll be pretty damn upset, too.”
“We’ve got your back on this, brother,” Bear said. “Like we did with Rochelle.” As he spoke, he signed the words for Gabe in ASL. They’d all been learning the language, since Gabe’s injury on his final mission left him with serious hearing loss.
Gabe smiled and gave Bear a chin lift. “I appreciate it.” He looked toward the closed office door. “Thanks for coming in on a Sunday morning, guys. I know you’ve all got stuff to do today, so I’ll let you go. Speaking of Rochelle, she should be finished with her self-defense class by now.”
As everyone filed out, Waylon clapped his hand on Elias’ shoulder, holding him back behind the rest. A smirk played at the corner of his mouth.
“So, Lion, you want to explain why Wren is still around? It’s Sunday, brother. You’re breaking protocol.”
“Protocol?” Elias fought his annoyance and kept his expression neutral.
“Yeah, you know the one. Get in, get out, don't let ’em get too comfy. Instead, you spent the whole weekend with her.” He gestured at the door. “And how the hell does Bear know her?”
Elias set the photo of Evan aside and crossed his arms, his gaze shifting to the door of Gabe's office, wanting this conversation to end. “Not the whole weekend. She worked yesterday.”
“So you left her place late Friday night, then what? You picked her up Saturday and were like, ‘Hey, let me introduce you to my friend Bear for shits and giggles’?” Waylon kept a light tone, but there was an undercurrent in his voice Elias didn’t like. What the ever-loving fuck was up with him?
“That was part of her job, meeting Bear and Ellie,” Elias said. “She’s gonna do some photography work for them and I provided the introductions. That’s all.”
Waylon studied him, the lingering humor in his eyes fading into something more serious.
“Don’t bullshit me, Elias. Last I saw you was Friday night, heading out the door with your hand riding just above her ass. Figured you’d take her home, show her a good time, then come in here this morning bitching that we have to work next Fridayso it’ll be two weeks before you can find a new honey. Instead, you two walked in through the door like you’ve been together forever.”
Is that what we looked like?Elias shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Did it bother him, to look that way?
Or was he bothered because hewasn’tbothered? Because it felt natural. Good.
I should just tell Waylon he’s right, then get the hell out of here. Wren’s probably wondering what the hell is up.
Instead, he answered, “No. I took her back to my place Friday night.”
Waylon’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “Wait a minute. She spent the night atyourhouse?”
“Not the whole night. Like I said, she left to go to work early.” He couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “But she took the scrubs top with her on the way out the door.”
Waylon ran his hand over the back of his head. “So you’re dating a clepto.”
“Dude, she’s not a clepto. It’s just… a thing we have going on. It’s fun.”
Waylon rolled his eyes. “Jesus. You are smitten, brother. What do you even know about her?”
“Plenty.”
“Like what?”
“I…” Elias hesitated. “She’s a photographer.”
Waylon scoffed. “Shit. Even I know that about her.”
