Page 59 of Charming But Reckless

Cohen began to laugh as soon as the video ended. His shoulders shook, and his head fell back.

Godric dipped his head forward to hide a small grin. Even Memphis seemed amused.

“What do I not understand about this? You're all so happy. I mean, it's a good thing, I guess.” My voice was unsure since I couldn't make sense of anything going on.

Damari raised his head from the dog bed looking bean bag chair he rested on. “They're probably laughing because they know who killed him.”

He laid back down and went right back to coloring something in a book Ronan had brought with him. I would have thought he was way off base if not for the way the other men immediately stopped laughing.

I kind of wish Sinclair or Archie were around. At least then I would have had someone else who was more normal like me who could decipher what was going on.

"Do you know who killed him?" I asked slowly.

Memphis averted his eyes, his focus going back to his computer, while Godric and Cohen shared a look.

It was then I thought about how weird Orion had been lately. How he had tucked himself away for this "mission" he was on. The fact that he took Takeshi and Ronan too only furthered my suspicion.

"Did Orion —" I paused, not wanting to vocalize my thoughts.

Instead, I took off down the hall towards Tank’s office. From what everyone said, it was the most secure room in the building. If I was going to say out loud that I thought my boyfriend-roommate-partner-person was behind murdering a high-profile person in the city, I needed to be careful.

I barged into his office without knocking, only to stop short when I realized he was on a call. A video call. Tank’s eyes widened, then he mumbled something and slammed the laptop shut.

I only caught two seconds of the person's voice, but I recognized it. And from the disheveled look the man before me had, I felt like I was interrupting a pretty private moment.

What the hell was going on in these offices?

I closed the door behind me. "Did you send Orion to kill Varr?"

Tanks shook his head. His smile was slow to form, but when it hit, it was full of genuine amusement. “I didn’t order anything.”

The way he said that gave me a hint. He might not have ordered it, but he also didn't stop it.

“Orion did this, didn't he? Why?”

He steepled his hands in front of his face. For a moment he watched me, silent as could be. When he finally decided to reply, I felt the world shift beneath my feet.

“I've known Orion for a very long time. He's the type of person who will go to bat for the people he cares about. Because he knows what it's like to lose everything and everyone you love. When Sol appeared in his life, I saw him soften. He was less performative in how he interacted with people. And then we found you, and he changed again. Beneath all that, he was still the same person I'd known. Still the protective man who would burn everything and hurt anyone who went after his family. Youare his family, Arick. And he would do anything to make sure you were safe.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I wasn't angry or upset. More like overwhelmed.

I wanted to thank Orion for what he had done. I needed to kiss him and tell him I loved him, because I did. I was not falling, and I wasn't being foolish. That man meant everything to me.

“Where is he?” I said, my voice forced.

Tank stood from his chair quickly. “Can't answer that. I can reach out to see if he's okay with you coming, but he needs to do this. It's important that he takes care of it.”

I furrowed my brow.

“Takes care of it? It's already taken care of. The car blew — ” I hesitated. “The car blew up, but Varr wasn't inside, was he? Is he going to hurt him?”

Something like excitement moved through me.

But no, it couldn't be.

Tank walked around the desk and leaned on the edge. His hands gripped the sides as he watched me.

“I can't say what he is or isn’t doing. However, I do think an eye for an eye is one of Orion's favorite phrases. If Varr happens to not be in the vehicle, I imagine that he would be getting his dues. But don't quote me on that.”

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