I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. In reality, I don’t give a shit about the furniture. These chairs did take me forever to put together, but if I could be bothered, I’d raze the whole place to the ground. It’s too much of my father’s taste for me to actually like it. But seeing Neo injured, his head bleeding from an impact with the marble floor? That, I don’t want to deal with.
“Cade did that once,” Ansel interjects, and I startle slightly. I forgot what I was talking about. But then I see Ansel smiling dreamily at my brother. “Smashed a chair to pieces by rocking on it in the cabin.”
“You did?” Harley glances around curiously. “Why?”
His question throws me for a moment. I forget sometimes that his training wasn’t the same as ours. Unlike the older siblings, Harley was never locked in a room with masked strangers and no weapons. He hasn’t learned how to utilize the most innocuous household items and use them to defend himself.
I made sure of that.
That’s not to say Harley isn’t dangerous. His training was just as thorough, but conducted in a more…healthy manner.
As healthy as it could be, anyway.
“Well, I needed a weapon,” Cade explains. “Ansel hid my dagger, but I figured broken chair legs were better than nothing.”
Cade kisses Ansel’s palm. It doesn’t matter how often he does it, it surprises me every time. Who knew there was such a softy hiding beneath Cade’s psychotic exterior?
If you think about it, he’s the complete opposite of me. Where Cade was taught to release his monster, I was trained to cage mine. Makes sense given I’m the face of the Buckinghams.
There’s no denying how I wish things were different.
How much I wish I could just let my monster free.
“Wait.” Neo leans forward suddenly, his face thunderous. “Were you planning on hurting Ansel?”
My brow furrows, and I find myself biting out, “Are you surprised? Ansel kidnapped Cade and tied him to a chair. He was allowed to defend himself.”
Neo’s ire turns in my direction, and he rocks back in his chair again. “Ansel didn’t have a choice in the matter. Besides, Cade wasn’t evenmeantto be there. He was the one who gave a fake name and got himself mixed up in the whole mess.”
“And how was Cade meant to know that?” I respond in exasperation, reaching out and slamming the chair back onto the ground. “As far as he was aware, he was in a dangerous situation.”
Neo’s eyes narrow as his lips open to retort. Before he can, a sharp whistle cuts over our argument. Our heads snap around to see everyone in the room now watching us.
Ansel lowers his fingers, fixing us both with a steady glare that isn’t even mildly terrifying. At least, it wouldn’t be, if not for the fact that Cade is running his thumb across his throat in an unmistakable warning.
“Stop it,” Ansel says, flicking his eyes between us. “I know you use arguing as foreplay, but leave mine and Cade’s relationship out of it.”
“Well said, butterfly,” Cade drawls. “And, for the record, I needed a weapon todefendAnsel. I knew he wasn’t working alone, and although I trusted him, I didn’t trust anyone else.”
Neo sits back, mollified. I can see his keen mind working though. It’ll only be a few more minutes before he’s back on his bullshit.
Likely at my expense.
“Still think you’re insane for that,” Dalton remarks, lifting the lid off the Monopoly box. “Can’t see myself blindly trusting anyone I don’t share blood with.”
Jackson frowns, his gaze flicking over to Dalton. “Are you saying you don’t trust me?”
“You don’t count, kid,” Dalton replies dismissively, setting out the board. “You’re practically family. Another annoying little brother I didn’t ask for. Now, where the fuck is my piece…”
He’s so focused on finding what he’s looking for that he doesn’t notice Jackson shoving back his seat and stalking from the room. How can Dalton be so oblivious to Jackson’s crush? Even I can see it, and I never notice anything when it comes to emotions.
“Hey, dickwad.” Wyatt picks up a token and flicks it at Dalton’s forehead. “Wanna watch how you talk to him?”
Dalton rubs his forehead as he scowls at Wyatt. “What the fuck?”
Matthias puts a soothing hand on the back of Wyatt’s neck. “Dalton, you can’t be this obtuse. You’re not Wylder.”
Neo snickers behind his hand. I consider arguing, but really, what would be the point? They’re right. My IQ might be the highest in the room, but my emotional intelligence? That’s always been…lacking.
