Page 46 of Ruthless

“Morning.” My cheeks heat up as I give them a small wave of the hand and press the other one to my stomach, hoping it will stop churning.

Axel’s blue eyes light up, not bothering to hide that his gaze has followed my hand, and then the corners of his mouth twitch. “Is that Z’s shirt?” He flicks his chin to the oversized T-shirt I’m currently swimming in.

I shrug. “They’re more comfortable.” Heat fills my cheeks as I brace for him to comment on why my clothing might not fit as well, but he surprises me by remaining quiet.

Zane finally glances up at me from his seat and what I see has my stomach plummeting to the floor. The bags underneath his bright blue eyes are even heavier, as is the strain that mars his features. They’re a dead giveaway that something is seriously wrong. His beard may cover half of his face, but there’s no hiding the evidence. I can sense the tension radiating off of him from here. His blue eyes drift from my face, doing a complete inventory of me stopping on the hand resting over my stomach. He clenches his jaw, and that’s the only outward sign of emotion I’m given from him. A dark shadow crosses over his features, but it’s gone so fast that I almost wonder if I’ve imagined it. Millions of reasons fill my head for that reaction, but Zane speaks before I can dwell on it.

“Hungry?” He grabs a plate and starts piling a mound of food on top of it without waiting for me to answer. My stomach chooses then to stop turning and growl instead.

Axel’s eyes crease at the sound as he laughs. “Guess that’s a yes.”

“I might be a little hungry.” I hesitate for a brief second, playing with the hem of Zane’s T-shirt, not wanting to intrude. Then Zane stands up and pulls the chair next to him out for me. No words are exchanged, but it means everything. I slip into the empty seat and smile at the rest of the family while he slides my chair in and takes his place next to me. The smell of grease and sugar floods my senses and makes my mouth water. I just hope that I can manage to keep it all down.

Axel laughs as Zane sets the overflowing plate down in front of me. “Eat up, Lil’ Sis.”

My fork stops halfway to my mouth as I shoot him a look. “Why did you call me that?”

“Because you’re pocket size, and you are technically my sister now.” Axel waves a forkful of egg at me before shoving it into his mouth.

“So is Charlee.” I tilt my head to the side and purse my lips together, wondering if I’m missing something. He never calls her that.

“She is, but she isn’t.” Axel shrugs and presses his lips together like he might be second-guessing his words.

“What do you mean?” My eyebrows pinch together, causing my glasses to slide back down my nose. It’s too early for riddles, and since caffeine is out for the next several months, I’m not functioning on all cylinders.

“You’re a Savage now”—he points his fork at me, then swings it in Charlee’s direction—“Hellcat’s still a Vega.”

The room is swallowed in silence as Axel’s words drop like a bomb into the center of the room. All eyes go to him, and I instantly feel bad for bringing the whole thing up. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. I keep my gaze on my plate like it’s the most fascinating thing I’ve ever seen to avoid the heavy weight that fills the room.

“Excuse me.” Charlee’s chair screeches against the floor as she slides it out and power walks out of the room, but not before I catch her wiping at a few stray tears from her cheeks.

“What? What did I say?” Axel glances at her retreating back as Asher slaps him upside the head and gives him a stone-cold glare.

“Axel.” Kelsey shakes her head at him and looks as if she wants to say more but doesn’t. Something tells me that he will be getting a talking to later, though.

“Fucking idiot.” Asher hands him a squirming Lily right before stomping off after Charlee.

Axel glances around the table at all of us before the corners of his eye crease once again. “He had that coming, and y’all know it.”

“You did that shit on purpose.” Zane clenches his fist and glares at Axel. It’s a statement, not a question.

“Yup. She’ll thank me later when he finally gets his head out of his ass and meets her at the altar.” Axel smiles as he bounces a smiling Lily in his lap. “Ain’t that right, Wildflower.”

Lily answers him with a high-pitched giggle as she waves her fistful of eggs at him.

“See, the kid gets it.” Axel cocks his head at his brother like he’s always right.

Zane holds his glare, unimpressed, and the two of them are locked in a heated stare. Silence ticks by, and if it weren’t for Kelsey’s neutral expression, I’d be a bit more worried. My brothers do the same thing; the only difference is it tends to end with one or more of them bleeding. I’m not sure what to make of this situation at all.

I push my glasses back up my nose, take a big bite of my eggs, and decide now is the perfect time to throw something else into the mix in hopes of diffusing this bomb. “I need to go by my apartment and get some more stuff today.” We haven’t had time to discuss our living situation with everything going on, and I’m smart enough to know that now is not the right time.

Zane’s darkened gaze switches from Axel to me and softens just a fraction. “You sure that’s a good idea?” He runs a hand through his hair as he tries to keep his voice soft. I’m sure it’s his way of attempting to sweet talk me out of it. Instead of doing what he wishes, I meet his gaze head-on and stand my ground.

“I am. It’s been four days, and I can’t keep wearing your clothes.” I push around the grits on my plate, so it looks like I’ve eaten them. The last thing I want to do is be rude, but I’ve never been a fan of them.

Zane’s gaze dips down to the T-shirt that’s swallowing me whole, and a muscle jerks in his cheek. “They look better on you.”

I ignore that comment because the last thing I want to do is jump his bones at the family table. “I’m not going to hide out forever while you find the dipshits that shot at us.”

---