Hugh held his gaze for a beat and then looked away.
Nico looked over at Reece. "You're the one who said it. Cole will figure out what we do with her when he wakes up."
"If he wakes up," said Javi.
Nico growled and curled his hands around the arms of his chair to keep from jumping at the man.
"We have to think about it," said Reece. "And yeah, he left you in charge, but if he doesn't wake up? That's a different discussion."
The tension in the air was so thick it hurt to breathe. They were one wrong word away from a leadership challenge, and Nico didn't want to fight any of his fellow betas for a position he had never wanted in the first place. But if he gave up the leadership now, Elise was at risk. He had brought her in, and he had to protect her.
She was his responsibility now, in his bed, wearing his clothes and …no, she was just his responsibility.
"What about the Marshalls?" he asked. "Is everything still on with that?"
Hugh stared at him for several seconds before nodding.
"Russell is putting the final touches on everything," said Javi, referencing their contact for the job. "Whatever—orwhoever—they're moving, it seems delicate."
"Do we know what they're moving?" Nico asked. They didn't always know. Sometimes it was people—not in a creepy way, just moving one alpha through Iron Runner's territory without paying tribute, usually. Or protecting an alpha's kids from being kidnapped and held for ransom. And sometimes it was things.
And then there were the rescue jobs, as Nico liked to think of them. Freeing unwilling members from Iron Runner influence and getting them the fuck out of town without forcing them to pay exorbitant exit costs.
"Russell was pretty tight-lipped," said Javi. "He promised it's nothing explosive or illegal by human standards."
"That leaves a lot of room for what it might be," said Hugh. Javi just shrugged.
"Where's the girl now?" Javi asked, not to be deterred by talk of future business.
"She's sleeping," Nico said. "And I have Aubrey watching the door to my room to make sure she doesn't go anywhere. I'll make sure she doesn't figure anything out," he promised, "and I will be on her the entire time she's here."
Reece snorted. "Yeah, you made that pretty clear."
"What the fuck's that supposed to mean?" Now Nico was out of his seat.
Hugh put a hand on Nico's arm, and across the table, Javi mirrored the action on Reece.
"Keep your cools, assholes," said Hugh. "We're going to get through this thing if it kills us."
"Do you need anything fucking else?" Nico snapped since he couldn't do the damage that he wanted.
Reece scowled, but Javi shook his head. "We're good here."
Nico left the other betas because if he stayed even a moment longer, he was going to punch that scowl off of Reece's face. He stopped by the kitchen on the way up to his room and grabbed a few things. Then he thanked Aubrey and dismissed her before entering his room.
The shower was running, and a few minutes later, Elise came out still wearing the pajamas he had lent her. Now wet, her hair looked darker as it was combed back from her face. His red shirt clung to her damp skin, and the pants still dragged on the floor.
He had found a pair of spare yoga pants in the laundry room and put those on the bed so she could change into them, but he hadn't found her another shirt. He liked the idea of her wearing something of his—of marking her as his even in that little way. He told himself it was so the pack would know to keep away. But it felt like a lie even in his own head.
"I brought you breakfast," he said and set the tray with the cup of coffee, muffin, and fruit down on the table.
"Thanks," Elise said, and she offered him a small smile.
It went straight to his gut. Fuck, he was so screwed. But he watched her eat, with the satisfaction of a man providing for his woman, and decided to let himself enjoy this for as long as she would let him get away with it.
Chapter
Nine
