Page 46 of Kept By The Agents

"Why is it a problem that I just slept with the woman my best friend is in love with?" Weaver asked, sarcasm heavy in his tone.

"I can see why that would be an issue for other men. But for those like us?" Those who liked to share their women with each other. This wasn't as much of an issue as he was making it into. I didn't say the last parts out loud. He'd figure it out soon enough.

"Even for men like us, you still have to check with each other," he muttered.

Picking up my mug, I took another slow drink of the hot liquid as I thought about his words. "And you were planning to, right?"

"Yeah," he replied, glaring down at his plate.

"I'm guessing Cat didn't give you much of a choice."

He wasn't angry about that. He was furious with himself for possibly hurting Suave. Weaver was sensitive about making sure he didn't step on our toes. He wouldn't talk about it, but I knew it had something to do with fearing we'd kick him out. Off the team, out of our home, and our lives. I'd looked through his records before choosing him to be on my team, so I knew he'd been shuffled around foster homes far more than any kid should be.

"Drew-" I broke off the heart-to-heart chat I'd been about to have as Suave came down the stairs.

He let out a massive yawn and went directly to the stove. Food was life for Suave. "Morning," he rumbled.

Weaver looked like he was going to puke. His skin took on a greenish tinge as he moved eggs around on his plate with his fork.

I was about to tell him that he didn't need to worry about Suave because I'd already spoken to him about Cat, but didn't want to make Weaver feel worse than he did. He was going to have to talk to Suave himself.

Suave turned around with his plate piled high with food and took a seat between me and Weaver. He dug into his food with gusto, not saying anything else. The tension crackled in the air. It was thick enough that I could feel it against my skin like a physical touch.

"Suave," Weaver said after several minutes. "I need to talk to you."

"'Bout what?" Suave muttered, shoveling another forkful of food into his mouth since it was open wide enough to speak.

Weaver glanced at me and I shrugged. This wasn't something I could fix, as much as I wanted to. There were times I had to sit back and let Weaver do shit on his own. It was fucking brutal for me not to take over, but I managed.

"About Cat-"

Suave set his fork down and leaned back in his chair, giving Weaver his undivided attention.

Weaver swallowed, opened his mouth, then snapped it shut when Cat appeared in the hallway, heading for the stairs. "Uh... Later," he mumbled as Cat joined us.

"Morning," Suave told her, still watching Weaver.

The look she gave Suave was cold, devoid of emotion. She didn't bother returning his greeting. Even I felt the iciness of the cold shoulder she was giving him. I bit back a grin when Suave's eyes met mine. He was silently asking for help, but once again, he was going to have to figure that shit out on his own. He'd fucked up with Cat, he needed to make it up to her. She obviously found a way to comfort herself last night. Weaver was a lucky fucker.

Suave knew what was going on. I was sure of it, but he was letting Weaver come to him with it so that it didn't seem like Suave was accusing the kid of anything. It was smart, but Weaver was going to be a fucking wreck until he got to speak with Suave about what happened last night.

Shaking my head, I told Suave, "We have a few places to check out today."

"That building Weaver found sounds like a good place to start," he suggested.

Cat sat down next to Weaver and gave him a warm smile. The kid practically jumped out of his seat to get away from her. He used taking his plate to the sink, even though he hadn't eaten breakfast, as an excuse to put distance between them.

It wasn't easy to bite back a laugh. Weaver was socially awkward, with most people, at the best of times. The guilt eating at him was making him even more of an oddball. Suave and I were used to it. Used to him. Cat was watching him with a puzzled look on her face. Like she was studying a new species and trying to decipher its behavior. It'd taken us a while to understand Weaver. She'd get there eventually.

What intrigued me was that she didn't seem embarrassed at all. She had to realize that we heard her last night, and though she was quiet, she wasn't avoiding eye contact, or blushing. I loved a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and went after it. "You're right," I told Suave, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence that had descended. I could see he was fighting a grin, too. "That's the perfect place. Let's get going."

Weaver turned, eyes wide, trying to give me a look that would stop me from leaving. Wasn't happening. He was going to have to face the woman he slept with, in the daylight, and figure out a way to handle her. It was the only way this plan of mine was going to work. Hopefully Cat would be the voice of reason here.

"See you later," I told them, shooting Weaver a smirk as I grabbed my jacket and walked toward the door. He looked over at the other two, then shot me his middle finger. I chuckled as I went outside and waited on the street. It'd taken a good four years before he'd gotten comfortable enough to tell us to fuck off. He'd needed to figure out that we weren't going to ditch him if he spoke back. That we weren't going anywhere, even if we were pissed at him.

"Suave."

We both turned to look at Weaver, who was standing in the doorway, trying to figure out what to say.

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