Chapter Eleven
Wilder
HE CROSSED his arms, a slight frown furrowing his brows as he tracked the man above him.
He was lying on the roof, reaching over the side as he expertly wired shit together.
Talon stood next to him, and while his gaze was on their surroundings, Wilder could feel his displeasure just fine.
Getting up at the ass crack of dawn for this hadn’t helped Talon’s sunny disposition one bit.
He wasn’t much better off himself, though he wouldn’t have gotten much sleep either way.
His brain liked to torture him with bad dreams. Memories, really.
Of a past he’d prefer to forget. Of a time when he’d been utterly alone and lost.
“This is ridiculous,” Talon said under his breath.
Wilder chanced a glance at him, noting his clenched jaw and the tight grip on his gun holstered on his hip.
He still wasn’t sure what this would do except alert them to the gang’s presence should they return.
They already had eyes on every road into town.
They’d know before the gang reached this place, though he doubted they wanted to use it after everything that went down here when they kidnapped Kian.
He breathed out slowly before saying, “Agreed.”
“The only ridiculous thing here is you.”
“Say that again,” Talon growled as he whirled around to face Ezra.
The wry smile spreading on Ezra’s face had Wilder’s hand shooting out to land on Talon’s chest. The two of them were starting to get on his nerves. If they wanted to kill each other? Fine. But they’d have to do it on their own time.
“You done?” he asked Ezra, ignoring Talon’s deathly glare.
Ezra shrugged, then glanced toward the spot right under the roof of the building where he’d been working for the better part of an hour. Wilder followed his gaze, his frown returning when he saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Ezra grinned and pulled out his phone, tapping a few times before he turned it around to show them a crystal-clear image of the three of them from the point right under the roof.
“I know,” Ezra said, eyes gleaming. “I’m awesome.”
Talon huffed. “Still don’t know what the fuck you think it’s gonna do.”
“I could explain it, but I doubt you’d understand. Not a lot of intelligence in that squid brain of yours.”
Wilder barely managed to step between them before Talon could get his hands on Ezra, who just cackled like the fucking maniac he was.
He didn’t know why the fuck Ezra kept poking at Talon.
He had to know Talon could easily wring his neck.
Ezra wasn’t suicidal from what he could tell, but apparently, he lived for getting a reaction out of Talon.
It was driving everyone up the fucking wall, and Ezra had only lived with them for a few weeks.
“Walk it off,” he snapped, his hands on Talon’s chest the only thing holding him back. “Walk. It. Off.”
A muscle clenched in Talon’s jaw before he took a step back and turned on his heels, taking off with long strides. Wilder’s gaze followed him until he reached his bike, and then he turned back to Ezra, groaning at the smug look on the guy’s face.
“Maybe don’t call the Navy guy a stupid squid.”
Ezra’s brows jumped, a smile teasing the corners of his lips. “Isn’t that what they’re called?”
He shook his head, knowing full well that no matter what he said, it wasn’t going to deter Ezra one bit.
The roar of an engine brought his gaze back to Talon. He was on his bike, looking toward them, face shielded by his helmet, but it didn’t take a genius to know that he was scowling from the finger he was aiming Ezra’s way. Glancing at Ezra, he wasn’t surprised to find him blowing Talon a kiss.
He let out a deep breath.
“Anywhere else you want to put up useless cameras?”
Ezra scoffed. “Useless my ass.”
He arched a brow at Ezra, watching the man shrug before he shook his head and started toward their bikes, Ezra following a step behind him.
“No. I’ve already got cameras everywhere,” Ezra said, and when Wilder snapped his gaze onto him, he added, “Don’t worry. Ain’t no one good enough to hack into them.”
“When you say everywhere…?”
Ezra snorted. “I’m not a perv if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Just checking.”
“Fucker,” Ezra said under his breath, the laughter in his voice making Wilder run a hand over his mouth to hide his smile.
Ezra turned, walking backward in front of Wilder, the gleam in his eyes making Wilder steel himself for whatever was about to come out of Ezra’s mouth.
“Aww. I’m growing on you,” Ezra crooned.
“Like a tumor.”
Ezra grinned. “Tumors can be benign.”
“You’re the opposite of benign.”
“Truer words have never been spoken.”
They reached their bikes, and he watched as Ezra walked up and patted the seat of his lovingly.
It was an obnoxious beast of a motorcycle that Ezra had bought home after living with them for only two days.
At least it was less conspicuous than the sports car he’d originally shown up in.
He hadn’t been surprised to learn that Ezra could ride.
What he hadn’t expected was just how good he was on that bike.
He’d competed when he was younger, according to Miles, though he hadn’t disclosed whether that competing had been illegal or not. Knowing Ezra, his bet was on illegal.
“You going to the gym?”
“Yeah. Babysitting duty,” he said, flashing a grin at Ezra. He just had to go pick Emmett up from the clubhouse.
Ezra’s eyes narrowed, and that might be the first time he’d ever seen him even slightly serious.
“Don’t treat him like an invalid, and you’ll be fine,” Ezra said, a tone of something almost threatening in his voice.
Wilder raised his hands. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
There was no need to mention his and Emmett’s clash yesterday. He didn’t plan on asking any more stupid questions. Emmett was right: he’d been ignorant and condescending. He was going to change that. He was going to make it up to him.