Page 20 of BounBound By Scars

And I should have said something, should have stepped in.

Delara didn’t carry even an ounce of remorse over her outburst, but she did relent as she said, “I’ll put a security detail on all Alpha Team families.”

Sebastian lifted his chin in agreement.

And then—as if the knife in my gut wasn’t deep enough—he grabbed Amelia’s hand.

Heldit.

And pulled her out of the conference room without looking back.

My throat had never felt tighter.

This was it.

The friendship.

The deluded possibility of a relationship.

Gone, before I could even scramble up.

“You’re gonna do something about that?”

Dylan’s amused voice snapped me out of my spiral.

“About what?” I feigned ignorance.

Leora rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. “First Logan, now him. When will you Squad Six men ever learn?”

I scoffed. “Hey! You’reengagedto a Squad Six man.”

“Yeah, because he finally dislodged his handsome head out of his tight little—”

Her words were muffled by Zarek’s massive hand over her mouth, his entire face beet red.

I laughed—briefly. A rumble in my chest that didn’t quite reach my heart.

Then it faded.

“There’s nothing to be done,” I muttered, shaking my head. “It’s her choice.”

Every word out of my mouth burned. Dylan watched me closely, his expression impassive. Unreadable.

Like he knew I was full of shit. Because I was.

I turned and walked out before anyone else could comment, making my way over to Zane, who was already deep in decoding mode.

I leaned in. “Why was Michael in the conference room?”

Zane sighed dramatically. “His name is Maverick. And nothing. He wants a promotion.”

I needed a distraction. A stupid, reckless distraction.

So, without thinking, I blurted, “And what did he have to do to get it?”

My own badly timed chuckle died the second Zane’s smirk turned victorious.

“I’m not into sexual favors for promoting people, Kabir. Why? Are you offering?”

---