“Are you alright?”
He looks at me like I’ve suddenly sprouted a second head. Perhaps two more. “Oh, yeah, peachy. And hey”—he spreads his arms a little—“there are no new holes in me, so that’s a win, isn’t it?”
“In this case, absolutely.” If these people are associated with the kind that Xavier attracts, then we’re both lucky to havegotten out of this so relatively unscathed. They were staking on the drive-by finishing the job quickly. That’s the only thing keeping us alive.
He briefly closes his eyes with a light shake of his head. “This is—nope, can’t think about it. Not thinking about it. I can’t—”
“Matthew.” A hand on the side of his neck stops him in his tracks, and the rambling words dry up. “I’ll keep you safe, I promise. And then I’ll try to explain as much as I can. I need you to trust me, okay?”
He nods shakily. “Yeah, okay.” There’s still no colour in his face, but his words don’t have the same waver as before. He’s gathering his composure with more grace than I was expecting.
“My car is a block that way. All we need to do is get to it, and then we’re safe, okay?” It’s not quite that simple, and if they pursue us in the car, then we’re in a different kind of trouble, but that’s not information that will do him any good. Small white lies, under the circumstances, will keep him alive. Grasping his elbow, I nudge him in the right direction. “This way. It won’t take long for them to figure out where we’ve gone.”
Taking hold of his hand is the best way to ensure that he’s right by me, and it still allows me to hold my gun—concealed under my jacket—as we hurry towards my car. Running will only draw attention to us but walking at a leisurely pace isn’t an option. I need Matthew in my car and far away from here.
I glance behind me more than a few times, ensuring we aren’t being followed. Once we’re around the corner and out of sight of the fence line, I breathe a little easier.
“Which—which car is yours?” he asks. “I didn’t see it last night.”
No, though he saw a lot of other things I didn’t have any intention of showing him. Instead of answering, I lift my fob and unlock it. Matthew sees the blinking lights and circles around to the passenger seat.
Neither of us says a word as we jump in, and I speed off before even putting on my seat belt. He does his own with shaking hands and glances at where mine is still not done, brows furrowed.
“Do it up for me?” I ask, knowing it’s bothering him. I’m a little too preoccupied to care about personal safety. Furtive glances behind me and in the rearview mirror says we’re in the clear, but I know how quickly that can change.
Matthew leans over and slides the seat belt over my middle, careful to keep his head lowered so that I can still see. I take my hand off the steering wheel only long enough for him to loop the fabric and click it into place. Before he can settle back into his seat, I grab his hand and place it on my thigh. He tenses, fingers digging in, and then relaxes, keeping it there.
“We’re in the clear.” Not a certainty, though my confidence is rising with every corner we take.
“Where are we going?”
“My home.” No one uninvited will get in there, and I can call my team in so that we can figure out our next move.
What a fucking mess.
Xavier
Thegateswingsopenbefore Miles comes to a complete stop, and he smoothly parks right next to Hunter’s car. He’s watching the perimeter. Good.
Hunter’s waiting at the door for us, a scowl on his handsome face. He crosses his arms over his chest and cocks his hip against the doorframe, not giving us room to enter. “What are you doing here?”
I take my time looking over his figure, checking for any hints of damage. Completely unscathed, not a single hair or piece of clothing out of place. His ability to remain calm in any situation never fails to turn me on exponentially. My cold prince.
“I heard you had a spot of trouble with your teacher.”
His scowl deepens. “You heard that, did you?”
“Neighbours reported shots fired at Matthew’s residence,” Miles says, his gaze scanning the fence line. He’s tense, agitated, like he’s waiting for hordes of men to come sweeping over them. There are more protections on this house than just thefence. I don’t recommend anyone trying to get inside without permission.
“Interesting how that information got relayed to you.”
“You aren’t the only one with fingers in certain pots, darling,” I drawl. “Are you going to let us in?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
He doesn’t retreat when I invade his space. I flick the collar of his shirt, and his green eyes flit down to the movement. He swallows hard and looks me right in the eye, daring me to come even closer. I don’t need a dare to want to be fused with him.
“It’s good to see that you’re okay.” I can’t resist leaning in close, dragging the tip of my nose up his neck, inhaling deeply. “And your teacher?”
