Page 20 of Fractured Faceoff

"No, Jared," she said firmly.

At that moment, Kash stepped in. My younger brother had always been the golden child, with his clean-cut looks and easy charm. His sandy hair was perfectly tousled, and his blue eyes sparkled with that natural charisma that seemed to draw everyone in. He was wearing a casual button-up shirt and jeans, looking every bit the perfect Southern gentleman.

"Hey there," he said, glancing between us with a curious smile. "Everything all right?"

Ava shot me a warning look before turning to Kash. "Yeah, everything's fine. Just catching up."

"Isla’s here too?" Kash asked, peering down the hallway where Isla had disappeared.

"Yeah," I replied, my voice tight. "She needed a ride."

Kash nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at me. There was an unspoken question there, one I wasn’t ready to answer.

"Right," he said. "I forget. You were picked up by the Serpents. How do you like it?"

I shifted my gaze until I found Kash. He stood there, curiosity evident in his eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"How do you like the Serpents?" Kash's question cut through the tension.

I forced a smile. "Getting acquainted with the team. It's near preseason, so everyone’s still getting used to the new pieces."

"I heard you guys picked up the Russian Reaper… Nikolai Volkov?" he asked.

"Did we?" I shrugged. "I haven't seen him."

Kash's eyes widened slightly. "Have you heard about the guy? He's like a hunter… second liner who can brawl and score. And when he brawls…" He winced. "I don't want to be on the other side of that anger."

While Kash rambled on about Nikolai Volkov, my attention drifted to Ava. She was standing next to him, but her focus was almost deliberately elsewhere. She looked at Kash with an intensity that bordered on discomfort, as if she were purposefully ignoring me.

Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders, catching the light from the porch and glinting with hints of gold. Her eyes, usually so warm and inviting, seemed distant now. There was a stiffness in her posture, a coldness that hadn’t been there before.

I watched as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers lingering at her temple for just a moment too long. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and I could see the tension in her jaw.

"Jared?"

Kash's voice pulled me back to the present. He was still talking about Volkov, but I had missed most of what he’d said.

"Yeah," I replied absently, not really sure whatI was agreeing to.

Kash looked at me strangely but didn't press further. Instead, he turned his attention back to Ava.

"You okay?" he asked her softly.

Ava nodded quickly, a smile that didn't reach her eyes appearing on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine."

I couldn't tear my gaze away from her. Something was going on here… something off. I couldn't explain it. I just knew I didn't like it. But as I stood there watching her interact with Kash, I felt more lost than ever.

"Well," Kash said with a forced cheerfulness, "why don’t we all head inside? Looks like we’ve got some catching up to do."

We moved to the dining room, the aroma of baked macaroni and cheese mingling with the earthy scent of steamed broccoli. The table was already set; the silverware glinting under the chandelier's soft light. Isla was already at her seat, scooping a generous portion of macaroni onto her plate, followed by a few pieces of broccoli. She glanced up when she saw Kash enter.

"Oh, hey," she said casually.

Kash walked over to her and pulled her into a polite hug. "Good to see you, Isla."

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "You too, Kash."

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