“What?” I repeat.
“You’re looking at me.”
My lips quirk. “How do you know?”
“I can feel it.” He slows at a red light and turns just enough to give me a sideways glance. “Xavier won’t hurt him.”
“I’m aware.” It’s not like they’ll be together alone for long, regardless.
He arches an eyebrow and then goes back to concentrating on the road. “Are you?”
I don’t answer straightaway, instead choosing to stare out the window at the passing scenery. It doesn’t surprise me that Miles knows exactly where he’s going, even without directions. The kind of stalker behaviour they don’t think twice about, never asking themselves whether what they’re doing is morally right or not.
“Xavier doesn’t hurt people that don’t deserve it,” is all I can say in response. It’s only half correct. He hurt me, once upon a time, and I didn’t deserve it. All I did was love him.
Miles’ hands rotate on the wheel. “He was just as innocent as you, back then.”
Innocent isn’t the word I’d use, but I understand what he means. Does he think I don’t realise the position that Xavier was put in? That doesn’t mean he didn’t have achoice. And when it came down to it, it wasn’t me that he chose. And why would he? I was a means to an end. Maybe his feelings ended up real, but it never mattered. He made his choice.
My phone buzzing saves me from having to continue the conversation. A message from Jericho.He didn’t come with me.
What? I immediately call him, and he picks up on the second ring.
“What do you mean, he didn’t come with you?”
“He said no,” Jericho says. “Wanted to stay with your asshole of a husband.”
Why would he do that? Jericho was going to take him somewhere safe while we sort out this mess. “Did he say why?”
“He seems to trust Xavier, despite having no reason to. That sounds awfully familiar.”
Too familiar. “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
That voice. “Jericho.”
“A slight altercation. Don’t worry, he’s still breathing.”
“Small mercies,” I say dryly. “Where are you going now?”
“Back to HQ. We’re running checks on this Lester guy. If he’s in Sydney, we’ll find him.”
Miles has his eyes locked to the road, but I know that he’s listening to every word. I never wanted them involved in this even if it was their mess in the first place. I’ve sorted out my own issues for so many years that it’s hard to rely on anyone but my own team. Trusting Xavier and Miles is a hurdle I never anticipated.
“Check in with Adam and Theodore and coordinate with them,” I say eventually, somewhat reluctantly.
There’s a pause. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?”
“Six was already speaking to them. I need you to work with them, alright? They may have information we don’t.”
“Whatever they can get, we can too. We don’t need them.”
If there was ever someone more independent than me, it’s Jericho. The fact that he’s settled down with four men is so opposite to how he’s lived his entire life. So sure that he has to look after me, that he has to atone for something that was never his fault. His big-brother complex is strong.
“Just call them. Or get Greer to do it; maybe they won’t even want to work with us.”
Jericho snickers. “Fine, I’ll play nice. What areyoudoing?”
