Not annoyance.
Protectiveness.
For Bit.
Always for Bit.
And I get it.
“But until then,” he continues, slower now, more deliberate, “if there’s danger attached to her…”
His eyes cut back to mine.
“…it’s attached to us.”
I stiffen.
Because that?
That’s not just a statement.
That’s a line being drawn.
And Sawyer doesn’t draw lines lightly.
Behind us, I hear Bit laugh—bright and easy—and it clashes so damn hard with the tension in my chest it almost makes me flinch.
I glance back before I can stop myself.
Esme’s smiling at something Bit said.
Actually smiling.
And then she laughs.
Soft. Real.
Familiar.
The sound cuts through me like barbed wire dragged across open skin.
I haven’t heard that laugh in three years.
Didn’t realize I still remembered it.
Didn’t realize it would hit like this.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath.
“Yeah,” Sawyer says beside me. “That about sums it up.”
I scrub a hand over my face, dragging in a breath that does absolutely nothing to steady me.
“This is a bad idea,” he adds quietly.
I glance at him.
He’s not looking at me now. He’s watching Bit.
