Page 22 of Ruthless Beasts

Getting to know the girl wasn’t so bad. Did I want to do it? No. But we all live in the same house, and at some point, I was bound to learn something about her, right? More than just how a single strand of dark brown hair falls into her face, no matter how much she pushes it away. More than the way she makes happy sounds when she eats something she likes. More than the fact that her fingers always wring together when she is about to say something challenging.

“Are you going to get to know her, too?” Merc said exactly what I wasn’t about to voice.

Adam ignored him. “It’s important that we all know her.” I raised a brow in question, staring at him, not blinking. He caved before I did. “Merc raised a good point, and it got me thinking.”

“What was the point?” Mercer and I asked in unison.

He didn’t answer the question, only continued on a ramble that made me question just how many drinks he’d had this afternoon. “I tried to protect Elizabeth, and I wasn’t enough. One man is not enough in this life we lead to protect what’s ours.”

“You know, we promised to be in everything together. We promised to take care of her.” Although I thought ‘take care of her’ meant like stopping killers, not babysitting her.

“I need more than that. She needs more than that.” He shook his head. “If I die tomorrow, what is she left with? Nothing.”

Merc met my eyes. A silent conversation passed before he reached forward, snagging Adam’s glass. “A little too much for you, buddy.”

“I’m not fucking drunk,” Adam growled, snatching his drink back. “I just… I’m trying to have a conversation.”

“A very confusing conversation,” I added.

He closed his eyes, gathering himself. “What’s yours is mine.” He blinked up at us. “That’s what Mercer said. He told the spy that she was our girl.”

“I’m not following.”

“Me either.” Mercer’s brows were pinched together as he tried to figure out what the hell Adam was talking about.

Adam rubbed his forehead, acting like we were giving him a migraine. “I’m not enough to protect her, but if we combined efforts, if she had three of us, no one would ever touch her.”

“I doubt anyone would touch her now.” I really wasn’t following this.

“I’m asking… I mean… I guess I’m telling you… if you wished, or wanted, or I don’t fucking know, desired, to be with Bellamy, you have my permission because I am not enough to protect her, and I won’t be here forever. She needs us all to keep her safe.”

Holy fuck was he?—

“Are you asking us to share your wife?” Merc voiced the question I was thinking. Shock and confusion laced his words.

“I mean, if you want to, of course.” Adam cleared his throat. “And she wants to. I don’t mind. I- I can’t keep her safe alone. I’ve realized that. It was my mistake with Elizabeth, and I won’t make that mistake again.”

“How hard was it for you to suggest this?” I questioned when the room grew awkwardly quiet.

“I feel nauseous,” he confirmed.

“And that feeling tells you nothing?”

“The nausea is from fear of your reactions, not the offer. I’ve felt nothing more right than the thought of having my wife, new or old, cared and loved for, protected from danger, cherished.”

“You did all those things with Elizabeth, solo,” I pointed out. “You don’t need us.”

“All but protect. She’s dead, if you had forgotten.”

I winced. “I’d never forget.”

“I can’t let it happen again.” His voice held a level of desperation and fear I’d not seen in him in a while. He feared nothing, but maybe that was because until Bellamy, he had nothing else to lose.

“I can’t,” I finally got out.

He nodded slowly. “I understand.” His eyes fell on Mercer. “Merc?”

He licked his lips as he struggled to process what to say. “I- I don’t know Adam. It’s just?—“

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