Page 116 of The Wild Charge

The mattress springs squeaked as she got to her feet. Fox’s stomach turned unpleasantly as she came to join him at the dresser.

“I didn’t know how you had everything arranged before, but I folded like with like.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” He went to the closet to fetch his bag. He set it open on the bed, and turned to pick up the clothes he’d selected. He pulled up short, though, when he saw Eden’s frown.

“What are you doing?”

He avoided eye contact as he gathered his things and went to set them in his duffel. “The boys and me are heading up to New York. We’ll travel through the night, and–”

“Hold on.” Suddenly, she sounded wide awake. “New York? When did you decide this?”

“About an hour ago. When Ghost told me about Raven and Cass being targeted.”

“What?”

Avoidance wasn’t going to work. He zipped up the bag, and met her gaze, finally. She looked…startled. As pale and smudgy-eyed as she’d been asleep, but now with a glimmer of fear. She stood with her arms folded tight across her middle, and it was another reminder that things weren’t as they had been. She was off-kilter, fatigued, more emotional than he’d ever known her to be. And that was his fault, wasn’t it? Because just like his worthless father, he’d knocked someone up andaffectedher. Had shifted the course of her life, most likely for the worse.

He wasn’t used to feeling sorry for people. It was an ugly, queasy sentiment, deep in the pit of his stomach. It lefthimoff-kilter. He didn’t know what to say, and that was a foreign state of being.

In the too-long beat he took to respond, Eden’s frown deepened, which at least made her look more like herself; made things easier for him. “Charlie.”

“Right. Yes. Ian called Ghost a few hours ago and said the hired security never showed up, and that the girls’ hotel room had been wrecked.”

“God.” Her expression smoothed with shock. “Are they okay?”

“Shaken up, but fine, as expected. Ghost called in New York chapter reinforcements and Ian was going to get some of his people in there.” When her eyes got even wider, he said, “Did no one tell you?”

The frown returned. “I was asleep.” In an angry mutter: “Fuck me.”

“It’s fine. If someone needed you, they would have come to get you.”

“Neededme? Your sisters were threatened, and no one thought I needed to know that? When I’m your–” She faltered. Doubt touched her gaze, a little flicker ofI don’t know.

This was a moment, Fox knew, in which he should reassure her. He should label what they had. Even Tenny, emotionally constipated man-child that he was, had been able to confess his feelings to his lover. Had called himboyfriend.

Damn it, he’d thought he was past this. After his talk with Abe, he’d been doing better, had accepted things.

“Oh,” Eden said. “I see.”

“No. No, it’s – you’re my old lady. You’re right. Someone should have told you.”

Her head tilted to a dangerous angle. “If I hadn’t woken up just now, wouldyouhave told me? Or would you have gotten on the road and left me to figure it out in the morning?”

“No.”

“But youjust saidto go back to sleep.” Before he could respond to that highly accurate accusation, she held up both hands, eyes closing a moment in a pained expression. She let out a deep, shaky breath. “Okay, you know what? Forget that. This isn’t about us. You should go.” Her eyes opened, and he knew the glint in them all too well. “And I’ll come with you.”

~*~

Reese secured the last of the bikes in the back of the trailer and went back down the ramp. Together, he and Tenny hoisted it and latched it into place. It was already hitched to the truck, and all their gear was packed inside – including several decoy license plates should they require them. Fox didn’t think they’d need to dodge anyone tailing them on the drive up, but in their line of work, caution was second-nature and downright essential.

“I feel like I’m not going to be much use on this trip, guys,” Evan said, scratching at the back of his neck in a movement that Reese had learned meant he was feeling self-conscious.

Tenny clapped him on the shoulder with a wide, false smile. “Don’t worry: you won’t be.”

“Thanks, man,” Evan muttered, and kicked at a stray piece of gravel.

Reese sent him a disapproving look, and only got another of those pretend smiles thrown in his direction. Well…mostly pretend. Tenny had been in a much better mood ever since Mercy asked him to hang back. Reese was terribly curious about that conversation, but wouldn’t pry. If they’d wanted him to hear it, they would have asked him to stay.

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