“The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls.”
—Edgar Allan Poe
It’s strange seeing the four of them lounging in leather seats, gathered in Raife’s office for a meeting. It just looks so ...normal... from out here in the hall. Aubrey leads the way, although I’m the one carrying a tray in one hand with their drinks. When I told her I was a waitress before this, she shoved the tray into my hands and said she always spills. If I knew that’s all it was going to take to be allowed into these morning meetings, I would have told her three days ago when I first started assisting her.
Serious tones fill the air as the brothers talk amongst themselves, only quieting slightly when we enter. Aubrey makes her way across the room and gestures for me to get started.
Griff is closest to the door, so I give him his drink first—plain coffee, which surprises me considering what the others are having. When he grabs the mug, his fingers cover mine and hold. I lift my gaze to his, a shiver sliding down my spine when I meet his beady black eyes. His lips thin before twisting up.
I’m about to pull my hand away when his grip tightens. What the hell?
“Is there something else you need?” I mutter, trying to avoid gaining any more unwanted attention.
“I’ll tell you what I need—” He stops suddenly, glancing behind me and gritting his jaw.
After an eternity, he grumbles and takes the drink, releasing me in the process.
Relief rolls through me, and I chance a peek over my left shoulder, the direction Griff had been looking. Adam sits back against his seat, legs spread, slowly running his thumb beneath his bottom lip. He’s looking at Felix, but his attention on me is like an invisible grip warming my skin. Something flutters in my stomach. I notice the bags under his eyes, despite his freshly shaven jaw and otherwise sharp appearance.
Moving to Felix, I lower the tray and hand him a whiskey.
“There’s been no movement,” Felix is saying, looking between Adam and Raife. “Other than covering up the kid’s shit, he’s staying quiet.”
I frown before remembering I’m not supposed to be listening. Not that I’ll stop, but I don’t have to give myself away either.
I move on to Raife, who sits at his desk with his hands clasped behind his head.
Raife’s chuckle sends goose bumps down my arms. “Yeah, well, preparing to run for state senate will do that to a man.” His eyes follow me as he speaks, but I pretend not to notice.
A deep grumble sounds from Adam’s direction. “He won’t get that far.”
“I don’t know,” Raife murmurs. “I certainly like the idea of waiting till he does. More people to see it all blow up in his fucking face.”
Griff grunts from behind me. “I second that.”
“We’ve been over this. I’m not wasting my breath on it again while we could be discussing today’s ...” Adam’s gaze finds me, and he grinds his jaw, “... appointment.”
My curiosity spikes more with every word they say. What the hell are they talking about?
“Everything’s prepped on my end,” Felix says, checking his watch then nodding at Griff. “His wife rescheduled her dental appointment, so you might want to wait an extra hour before doing your pickup.”
Finally, I reach Adam. For the first time, he looks straight at me. His eyelids lower, and I swear he’s burning me from that look alone. When he reaches for his glass, his finger grazes my thumb and warmth zips through me as my senses come alive.
I’ve barely seen him over the past week. Not for lack of trying, but he always seems to be locked inside one room or another. My cravings for his voice, his touch, the sinful fire in his eyes—it eats away at me stronger than anything I’ve felt before.
My bite mark pulses as his gaze travels down to my thigh. His fingers tense around the drink just before he snatches it from my hands.
I jerk when Aubrey leans over me to exchange a file under her arm with the one beside Adam, and Raife barks out a laugh. When I narrow my eyes toward him, he’s not looking at me. He’s looking at Adam, much in the same way he did the very first night I arrived here. Like the pair of them are sharing a private joke—one that Raife alone finds amusing.
I swallow and back up a step, wishing I knew what those looks really meant. Turning to find Aubrey, I spot her leaning over Felix’s shoulder. She’s stroking his tie and whispering in his ear. Felix’s lips turn up, then he’s pulling her mouth to his and licking her face off. Awkwardness seizes me as I just stand there, not knowing if I should wait outside or stare, so I choose the latter.
She pulls up for air and walks toward the exit like she’d been simply stopping in for a quick hello.
I glance back at Adam, desperate for one more look, one more anything as long as it’s from him—but his stare is fixed on the blank wall opposite him.
A crazed spark flits across his tired eyes.
My brows pull down, but Aubrey grabs my hand and tugs me from the room before I can figure out what’s going on with him.
