And neither did the agent by the way he forgets how to react. His arms freeze mid-flail. His posture turns to stone.
Rebel and Burke stare like open mouthed fish.
She peels herself off him before anyone can react and runs back through the crowded barn, over a chair, and along a table. She narrowly avoids full glasses and empty bottles before veering around Lincoln, who stops in her path, unaware of her antics. With a check over her shoulder, she darts out through the back entrance.
The FBI agent stands immobilized.
West is also still. Too still. His complexion is flushed, a chilling yet familiar expression I’ve seen on both Rebel and Rogue glares daggers into the FBI agent’s back.
His fingers twitch at his side, as though searching for the weight of a weapon. Not for the first time, I wonder if my eldest brother might be capable of murder. He grew up as a Hawthorne, after all, and hates talking about himself, his life, or his work.
Then something changes. His posture softens. It sags. He prowls out of the barn and into the darkness.
The poor bastard is probably going to relive that moment a thousand times tonight.
If that were me, and it was Kelsey and not Dizzy, well, let’s just be glad it wasn’t.
“Riot?” Rochelle’s voice behind me grabs my attention. It’s nervous, but not nearly as frightened to death as it was a few months ago.
Witnessing her timid and vulnerable brought out my need to protect her for a while. It’s why I suggested we date. I was able to offer her all the protection of a relationship with whatever conditions she needed to put on it. Real. Fake. Or anything in between.
I was committed to following through until she decided she didn’t want or need me in her corner. At the same time, it got harder and harder to pretend I wasn’t aware of my feelings for Kelsey.
She looks better now. Healthier. There’s color in her cheeks. She isn’t scanning the room for danger. “You look good, Ro.”
“So do you.” She takes a half step in. Hesitates. “Really good.”
“It’s that rock star life.” And Kelsey. Fuck, she makes me happy. She makes me want things I never considered before. Shenanigans like tonight. A heavy rock on her finger. A life beyond the band and music and touring. Maybe I’ll buy her that puppy she was asking me about last night for her birthday.
Ro glances off to the side, where her bodyguard stands against the wall, before bringing her attention back to me. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” I wipe the sweat off my face with my shirt. “Go ahead.”
“Outside.”
Kelsey is still with Summer, Rogue, and Ivy. They’re laughing and scanning the room, probably for Dizzy.
“Yeah, of course.” I gesture for her to lead the way.
It’s quieter out here. There’s a blanket of stars across the sky that we don’t get in the city. An orb hovers and blinks out of sight. Burke says he sees UFOs out here all the time. “We’re not alone.”
“Huh?” Ro signals for her bodyguard to give us more space. “Better?”
“I meant the aliens.” I point at the sky, but the orb is already gone. “Never mind. What did you want to talk about?”
“Is this awkward. We haven’t talked since...” She rubs her hands up and down her arms.
“We haven’t.” I had to let her go and step back. It was brutal. “I wanted to be there for you, Ro. It didn’t have to be as your boyfriend. I will always be your friend. But you shut down on me. I kind of understood why you shut out Rebel, but me?”
“It wasn’t fair. I know. But I promise that wasn’t my intention. I realized I needed to be strong enough to deal with the fallout myself. I didn’t want to drag you into it publicly. Your career was skyrocketing. I didn’t want to cause you any harm when you’d been so good to me. I was sick of being the victim that needed to be protected.”
God. That makes me want to hit something. That she had to feel like the problem because that prick hurt her. “You were the victim.”
“I was. But I can’t live my entire life stuck in my trauma. And I won’t. I refuse to let that asshole take any more from me. I’m in therapy now. It’s helping.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Watching her struggle was hell.
She grows silent. Scuffs the toe of her boot in the dust.
