Eli doesn't move right away.
When I finally glance up at him, his jaw is tight. Eyes tracking Cole's path down the sidewalk even though there's nothing left to see.
"You okay?" he asks quietly.
I nod. Though the answer doesn't feel complete.
"Yeah. Just wasn't expecting that."
His mouth tightens. Not quite a smile. Not quite anything.
"That wasn't small talk," he says.
I meet his gaze. The street suddenly feels too exposed for the weight settling between us.
"No. It wasn't."
Eli exhales slowly. Then angles his body to guide us a few steps away from the storefront. Without touching me.
It's automatic. Protective in a way that makes my chest ache.
Something warm unfurls beneath my ribs. Not just gratitude. Something deeper.
The realization that he stepped in without thinking. That protecting me was instinct, not calculation.
"He likes to sound harmless," Eli says once we're out of earshot. "Makes people underestimate how much attention he's actually paying."
"And Cole's watching to see what we do."
"Yeah."
The certainty in his voice steadies me.
I nod once. Resolve settling somewhere behind my ribs.
"So he's not just a problem. He's actively working against us."
Eli's expression doesn't change, but something flickers across his face. Too fast to name.
"He's been working against us for a while now. This is just the first time he's said it to your face."
I process that.
The implications stacking up faster than I can sort through them.
Cole didn't just take clients when Dad died and I left. He's been holding onto them deliberately. Watching to see if we'd fail completely or try to rebuild.
"We should talk," I say. "About all of it. Not here."
Eli nods. Then finally looks at me directly.
The intensity in his gaze catches me off guard. Not anger. Something deeper. Something that looks almost like concern.
"Later," he agrees.
For a moment, we just stand there.
The space between us feels different than it did two days ago. More solid. Less guarded.
