He’s not the only one to jump to my defense. Ansel points a trembling finger in her direction. “Neo’s not an imposition. You are. No, you’re worse. You’re a fucking worm!”
Cade stands up. “Shall I squash her to bits?”
“Fuck yeah,” Samson says. “Do it. Then we can roll her up in the rug in the other room and carry her out back.”
“I’ll dig the hole,” Dalton adds.
“I’ll help,” Jackson says.
Candace pales, her mouth opening and closing silently. I’m pretty sure they’re not really going to kill her. For all their threats and posturing, it’s not like she knows they are The Firm. But still…it’s amusing.
“Wylder…” she says, and he just sighs, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “You can’t allow them to speak to me this way.”
“You bring it on yourself,” he says. “I told you to mind your tongue if you showed up tonight.”
I didn’t realize that. He never tells me to do that. It makes me ridiculously happy that Candace and I aren’t held to the same standards.
To be fair, I wouldn’t listen. But I also wouldn’t be an asshole to his family, either.
I lean forward and watch her, my eyes boring into her until she meets my gaze.
Her gaze flicks from me to Wylder and then back again.
Jules appears behind her, and I see then that he has something in his hands.
I pull my lip between my teeth, knowing what’s coming. I kind of love that it’s Jules doing it. Like the rest of us, he has his breaking point.
I reach over and take Wylder’s hand into mine, linking our fingers together and watching as Candace’s face transforms with fury.
And then Jules steps to her side and scoops out a handful of mashed potatoes before shoving it into her face.
She gasps as they slowly drip down her cheeks, some landing on her shoulders and dress.
“They are not mashed potatoes. They are pommes puree, and those are never pedestrian, vipère.”
Harley stands and strides toward Jules, who is shaking with rage, and picks him up before leaving the room. Everyone seems thrilled that this happened—well, except Candace, who hasn’t moved from her seat and is still staring at my hand wrapped in Wylder’s.
Wylder is staring at it too, his throat bobbing.
“I can’t believe this,” she finally says, and Wylder nods in agreement, his gaze flicking to mine.
“Want to leave?” I ask, ignoring her completely.
“I have a duty to my girlfriend.” His tone is frail. Weak. Like he’s saying this because he thinks he should, not because he means it. “I can’t just…leave.”
“You can,” I whisper, squeezing his hand in emphasis. All around us, I can feel curious gazes watching this unfold, but I don’t give them any attention. “You don’t have to do what’s right, Wylder. You can do what you want.”
Something flickers across his face. Is it wonder? Anger? Yearning? I’d take any of those over the sadness that replaces it. “No. I can’t.”
He gets up abruptly, taking Candace by the arm and leading her from the room. I watch them leave numbly, feeling like he’s chosen her over me.
Which is ridiculous. Of course he’ll never choose me. I don’t want him to, either.
Right?
Cade breaks the silence that lingers after their exit. “Okay, I’m just going to say it. Why the fuck hasn’t Wylder dumped her ass? She’s fucking vile.”
Dalton sighs. “I think you’re forgetting how much harder Dad was on him than the rest of us. Wylder… He was the first to go through the training. He was able to shield us from the worst of it, but there was no one to protect him.”
