A laugh escapes me as I pat his shoulders.
“I’m okay, Spider.”
“You know I was kidnapped, too,” Knox grumbles. “No one is fussing over me.”
“You’re not half as pretty as Mercy,” Spider replies.
Grayson clicks his door shut.
“Shouldn’t you be riding with your men?” Ender asks, annoyed. “Beta is back there.”
I glance between them, surprised by the air of animosity. Everyone likes Grayson: old ladies, puppies, children, people just don’t dislike him.
“Need to make sure Mercy is all good,” Grayson responds. “Is that a problem?”
From the chilling silence, it seems that to Ender itisa problem.
“Look, boys, I need a doctor. I feel like shit. So, can we quit posturing and take me to the Forge before I die?”
Grayson turns to me with an apologetic smile.
“Where does it hurt?” he whispers.
“My lips,” I say with a smirk. “Do you want to kiss it better?”
Knox snorts from the front, and Spider snickers. I can make out Ender’s disgusted impression through the rearview mirror. I reckon a stiff bore like him finds the very concept of flirting offensive.
“Glad to know nearly dying makes you horny,” Knox says.
“Oh, shut it,” I say. “I was being romantic, not horny.”
“No kissing in my car,” Ender grunts. “Or touching.”
“So straight to fucking?” Knox asks. “Got it.”
I giggle, the sound fading when Ender glares at me.
It’s going to be a long ride to the Forge.
chapter
twenty
Ender
“This isn’t the Forge,” Grayson says.
I resist the urge to be sarcastic. He forced his way into my truck, but I refuse to let him enter my home. That is where I draw the line. We’ve just entered the driveway, and my staff is waiting at the entrance door to welcome us in.
Haven stares out the window, slightly confused. I’m not fully certainwhyI brought her here. I could have had her sent directly to the Forge and returned here to get some much-needed sleep.
“A medic is waiting,” I say, and then add rather casually. “And your sister.”
Haven’s eyes brighten, and she practically throws open the car door to race inside. Knox goes around to help her.
Grayson follows, and I intercept his path.
“I’m afraid you cannot enter my home,” I say.
