Page 51 of The Wayward Sons & The Vampires of Fortune
“I did—”
“Tell me again how you punched him,” he interrupted, his smile impossibly wide. “I want to hear it again.”
“I don’t know why you’re laughing.” I scowled. “The guy’s a fucking asshole! He deserved to be hit.”
“He was rescuin’ you, baby!” Gray exclaimed. “Did you punch everyone else workin’ to save you?”
“Only the one you dated,” I retorted. And while hearing him laugh was a relief, I didn’t see what was so funny about all ofthis. There wasn’t a damn thing entertaining about it. “Seriously, your ex-boyfriend.”
“Eh.” He shrugged. “It ain’t like it was my idea. I called the kid in Chicago—the same kid you always tell me to tap as a fuckin’ resource, remember?”
He had me there. Riley’s knowledge of the hunter world and his resources were unrivaled. He was a good tool to keep in our belt.
“And it ain’t my fault that he sent Sam or that Sam volunteered to break your ass out of jail after you decided to get your sexy little self arrested,” he continued. He cocked an eyebrow, waiting for me to argue.
“You didn’t have to agree to work with him.”
“It ain’t like I was thrilled with it. Hell, I punched him too.”
“And then you had sex with him,” I said. I paused to gauge his reaction. Questionable uncertainty swirled through him as he leaned back against the desk, his entertainment vanishing.
“Ah, that,” Gray whispered.
“Yeah,that.”
“We should probably talk about that, right?” he replied, and I nodded. “I know we ain’t ever really talked about hookin’ up with other men. It’s always been women, y’know? Do you… did I fuck this up?”
“What?” I frowned. “Honey, I don’t give a fuck what you do with your dick. After everything that goddamn man did to you, I’m worried about him breaking your heart all over again!”
His handsome face broke into a wide grin, a mix of humor and joy flitting through him.
“Baby, you’re so fuckin’ cute, y’know that?” He took hold of my cheeks and kissed the tip of my nose. “There ain’t no way Sam West or anyone else, for that matter, can break my heart. Not when it belongs to you.”
I held loosely onto the side of his shirt as I leaned in and kissed him once. When he tried to step away, I pulled him right back. I didn’t know how I’d thought I could just leave him for good.Yeah, hindsight was twenty-twenty.I wanted to be where Gray was—wherever that was and whatever we faced. No more one foot out the door.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered again.
“Just keep your promise, baby,” Gray said. “And we’re goin’ to be just fine. We just have to get the hell out of here. I ain’t got a clue where, but I know we’re flyin’ out of here.”
I hummed my agreement. Something about it didn’t sit right. Why were we just waiting here? Why weren’t we in the sky and on our way out?
Leaving him, I wandered to the office window and stared out to where Sam and his brother Cole were quietly talking. They stood as close—well, as close as the giant black dog that leaned against Cole would let them.
“That dog don’t like me,” Gray lamented. I smiled slightly, knowing exactly how much that upset him. Gray and his love for animals was infamous. It wasn’t just dogs. It was anything that moved and breathed.
He came to stand next to me, arms crossed, as he watched with me.
“I don’t like it,” I murmured.
“Don’t like what?” he asked.
“They’re hiding something big,” I said. I wasn’t sure what, but the opposition at every turn was a giant red flag. An uncomfortable feeling twisted through my gut, hot and nauseating. “I don’t trust it.”
“Me either,” Gray agreed to my surprise. My gaze flicked in his direction. “But it ain’t like we got a lot of choices right now. And…”
His voice trailed off.
“And?” I prompted when he remained silent for too long.
