Page 45 of Abundance of Obsession

Eli

The elevator ride passes in silence. It’s too quiet. Even Zoe can sense it.

But she doesn’t ask. And that’s fine. I don’t want to repeat the messages I’ve received, and I need to come up with a game plan.

The move is on me. Always. That’s the role of a general.

I raise my hand to knock on the door, but it swings open. On the other side, Ryker, dressed in black sweatpants and a black T-shirt, sizes me up. He has always been an observant prick who rarely misses a thing. This time, he doesn’t find an answer in my eyes. He narrows his suspiciously.

Then his gaze falls on Zoe, and the gears in his head spring into action. He looks at me. Then at her. Finally, at the clock. He pieces it all together in a matter of seconds.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see her shifting from foot to foot, feeling uncertain.

“Don’t even ask,” I tell him in my mind.

He asks anyway. With that look…

My eyes roll because this isn’t the time or the place for this silent conversation.

“Are you finally going to let us in?” I ask out of sheer politeness while grabbing Zoe’s arm, pulling her inside, and Ryker steps aside.

I almost sigh with relief. Almost, because Ash comes out of the hallway and freezes. Her green eyes, similar to Zoe’s, dart from me to her sister and back.

For God’s sake, did they have a fight, or are they about to start one?

Ryker closes the door, and the sound wakes everyone up again.

“You’re here,” Ash chokes out.

Zoe pulls her hand from my embrace, and only then do I realize I’ve been holding it the whole time.

“I’m here,” my Raven replies.

“And—you cut your hair. It’s black now.”

I stare at the famous Shadow and wonder how she became the terror of the underworld.

Zoe voices what I’m thinking. “Observant, as always. Nice of you to notice.” Her tone is sharp, and the atmosphere grows tense.

Ash can’t take it anymore and takes a step toward her, but she steps back just as far.

I don’t know what has changed between them lately, but I already have a plan to find out. Ever since I met the Monroe sisters, they’ve been very close. They would jump into a fire for each other. The mutual care was clear to all of us. And yet, something has gone to hell here.

Ash frowns when she sees her sister’s reaction. The hurt in her breaking voice is impossible to hide. “Of course I noticed. Why would you think it would be any different? You look beautiful.”

Zoe snorts under her breath but says nothing. I want to step between them, not even sure why. To stop myself from reaching out to her I slip my hands in my pockets. And when I look at Ryker, he clears his throat and seems to read me perfectly in that moment.

Damn it!

“Is someone going to make some coffee before we kill each other?” I ask, hoping to lighten the mood.

Ash jumps up and claps her hands. “Of course,” she says and rushes to the kitchen. “How did you two end up here together anyway?” she asks as we follow her.

I say the first thing that comes to mind. “We had a meeting at the gym.”

“Zoe, you started going to the gym?” my brother’s wife asks. Confused, or maybe she just doesn’t believe me. “You never wanted to set foot in a place like that.”

Zoe sits down next to me on the couch. She shrugs, and I answer for her. “I convinced her to learn a few self-defense moves. You never know when those skills might come in handy.”