Chapter Five
Wilder
HE WAS talking to some of Miles and Mika’s men when he felt a chill run down his spine and looked over his shoulder, catching Kaz’s gaze across the room. The clench of Kaz’s jaw had him straightening and excusing himself before making his way to Kaz with hurried steps.
“What’s wrong?”
“Several black SUVs have been spotted heading this way,” Kaz said, keeping his voice low.
Wilder’s heart skipped a beat.
“Serrano?”
Kaz shook his head.
He cursed under his breath. The gang, then.
Fuck. He almost wished it was Serrano. At least they’d know who their opponent was.
They didn’t even have the damned name of the gang, despite how much time Ezra had spent on his computer trying to learn everything he could about them.
They weren’t any closer to shutting down their trafficking than they’d been weeks ago, and it pissed him the fuck off.
“We’ve got trouble coming to our door.” Kaz nodded toward the men setting up the workout machines. “Get the civilians out.”
Wilder nodded tersely. The last thing they wanted was for anyone to get hurt. Especially the civilians who were helping them.
While the others headed outside to prepare for whatever was about to be thrown their way, he made quick work of rounding the men up and getting them to the back entrance along with Cary and Remy.
He gave Remy a nod and watched for a moment as she led the men out.
She would ensure they remained out of the way and, most importantly, remained safe.
He and Cary walked back through the gym, splitting up to check for stragglers.
He was heading toward the staircase to the second floor when he noticed Cary stopping by the double doors to the boxing area.
Cary looked through the windows in the upper half of the doors, then whirled around and waved at Wilder, who took off toward him.
“What about him?” Cary asked, pointing through the glass toward a lone figure sitting on the couch with a tablet in hand. “He’s one of the deaf guys, right?”
“Yeah. Emmett.”
He’d stared at Wilder earlier, and he couldn’t exactly claim he hadn’t enjoyed it. Especially when Emmett blushed furiously after getting caught.
“How do I…?”
Wilder hesitated for a moment. “I don’t know. Just gesture something or write it down?”
Cary shrugged and took off through the doors.
Wilder crossed the room and ran up the stairs to ensure the top floor was empty. They had two rooms up there that they were planning on using for their self-defense classes. Both were thankfully empty.
He took the stairs three at a time on his way back down, stopping to listen when he reached the first floor. He could hear Cary’s voice, which could only mean he hadn’t gotten Emmett out yet. Fuck. He didn’t know how much time they had.
Cursing under his breath, he ran toward the double doors, pushing through them to see Cary gesturing wildly, his movements not even making sense to him. He wasn’t surprised when Emmett crossed his arms and leaned further into the couch, brows furrowed in confusion.
Wilder sighed and walked up to Cary and sent him on his way.
Then he turned to the guy on the couch, his breath catching when cerulean blue eyes met his.
He’d noticed those eyes earlier when they’d been on his tattoo, but to have them staring at him with such intensity nearly had him forgetting what he was there for.
Fuck. The only sign language he knew was no, and he barely remembered that.
“Uh, you,” he pointed at Emmett, then toward the door, “Need to leave.”
“I can’t tell if you’re being condescending, or if you’re just ignorant.”
His heart skipped a beat, and he stared at Emmett for a few long seconds.
“Wait. You can hear?”
Emmett rolled his eyes and said, “The question remains the same.”
Wilder opened and closed his mouth a few times, the words never coming to him.
Emmett put his tablet on the couch and turned his head to tap behind his ear where his headphones… those weren’t headphones.
“I have cochlear implants. My brother doesn’t.”
“So, you can hear me, but he can’t? Why doesn’t he have the implants, then?” Wilder mused, brow creased in confusion. “If it makes it easier―”
“Makes what easier?”
The scathing look Emmett gave him had Wilder taking a step back, which was probably a good thing, because Emmett stood from the couch, and they would’ve been right up against each other if he hadn’t.
Not that he’d usually mind being pressed up against a gorgeous man, but considering the way Emmett was looking at him, it wouldn’t end well.
“Uh…”
Emmett raised a brow, and Wilder found himself swallowing hard.
“If someone told you to just change a part of yourself because it made it easier for them, how would that make you feel?”
Wilder didn’t have an answer for that. He could only blink at Emmett as it finally sank in that he was, in fact, being ignorant and condescending. Shit. He didn’t like that. Not one fucking bit.
Emmett turned and took off away from him, but Wilder grabbed him by the wrist, tugging him back around. Emmett’s eyes were like a lightning storm as he raised his head to meet Wilder’s gaze.
“So, if I want to talk to your brother, I have to do it in his language, right?”
“Yes?”
They absolutely did not have time for this conversation, and yet, he couldn’t stop himself. He took a step forward, bringing them within inches of each other. Emmett’s sweet vanilla scent washed over him, and it took him a moment before he remembered what he’d been about to say.
“In which case, I’ll need someone to teach me.”
A depraved part of him wanted Emmett’s sharp inhale to be because of how close they were, and not in outrage.
“I…” Emmett shook his head, gaze shooting between Wilder’s mouth and eyes. Fuck if he didn’t like Emmett’s eyes on his mouth. Emmett was fucking gorgeous, and clearly way out of his league. Not that that had ever stopped him before.
This was the worst idea he’d gotten in a long fucking time, and yet he found himself saying, “So you’ll teach me?”
Emmett’s mouth dropped open, and he stared at Wilder in outrage.
Before Emmett could answer, Wilder put his hands on his shoulders and turned him around, giving him a light shove forward.
Remy and the others would be long gone by now, so he’d have to get Emmett to safety himself.
He was loath to leave his brothers and sisters, but there was no way he would leave Emmett’s safety to anyone else.
“Great. Now let’s get out of here,” he said.
Emmett dug his heels in. Not that it made any difference. He could pick him up with one hand, and when Emmett started protesting loudly, that’s exactly what he did. He bent down, wrapping an arm around Emmett, just below the ass he definitely wasn’t going to ogle, and threw him over his shoulder.