Chapter 6 #2
“You’re not always there when he works.” Bellamy pushes his gnocchi around his plate for a second. “I actually thought it was—” He stops himself abruptly. “We didn’t vibe though.”
“Why not?” Wraith asks, clearly stirring the pot like the rest of us.
“He wasn’t kind. You can have a lethal face card and be literal walking sex, but if you’re unkind, you’re a troll to me.”
My eyes shift to Shadow, along with several of my brothers’. Shadow’s shoulders tense and his jaw ticks, his eyes darkening noticeably.
“Did he hurt you?” Shadow asks, his rage barely contained.
“No,” Bellamy says. “He didn’t even touch me. After one drink, I knew it wasn’t going anywhere. As for other options, I guess I’ve gotten picky.”
Colson chokes on a laugh. “That’s a word we can use.”
“What does that mean?” Shadow growls, making Specter narrow his eyes and pull Colson closer.
“Settle down, boss man,” Colson says, his tone playful. “I’m just teasing Bellamy. I think ‘picky’ is an understatement. It seems the bar has been raised.”
“Stop it,” Bellamy whispers loudly enough for all of us to hear it. He tucks a lock of his blond hair behind his ear as his cheeks bloom pink.
My gaze shifts to the boss who is looking earnestly at his former lover, then I look at Stealth, who is watching the entire interaction. If I were a betting man, I’d put all my chips on a messy love triangle, but who’s in love with who?
“So, still single?” I ask, just to make things as clear as possible.
“Still single,” Bellamy says, briefly glancing at Stealth.
Stealth reacts by clearing his throat and shifting in his seat, while Shadow looks ready to tear the room apart. How interesting.
“It’s good to see you again, Bellamy,” Wraith says. “It’s been quiet around here without you.”
“Yeah, you didn’t even say goodbye to us when you left.” Phantom pouts.
“He isn’t required to say anything to you guys,” Shadow says, clearly annoyed.
Bellamy’s eyes soften as he gazes at our boss, a soft smile on his pink lips. “They’re right, Shadow. They welcomed me into this world and then I just left. I apologize for that. To all of you,” he adds, still looking at Shadow.
“I feel like we should leave,” Nimble whispers to me.
I nod in agreement. It does feel like we’re in the middle of something we shouldn’t be.
“Does that mean you’re gonna hang out more?” Phantom asks.
Bellamy glances at his plate. “I guess if it’s okay with Shadow, I’d like to.”
Every eye at the table turns to the boss. Shadow’s jaw twitches as he focuses on his food again. The silence is deafening for a few seconds, but then he looks up and focuses on Bellamy.
“You’re always welcome here. You know that.”
“Thank you,” Bellamy says softly. When his gaze shifts to Stealth, mine follows. Neither of them says anything, but something is exchanged between them.
Yep, I’d win that bet.
“We’re going shopping after lunch if anyone wants to tag along,” Colson says.
Specter scoffs. “Obviously, I’m coming.”
“Obviously, mon tueur.”
“Ooh, what does that mean?” Bellamy asks. “Sounds so pretty.”
Colson grins, rubbing his man’s arm. “It means ‘my killer’ in French.”
Bellamy scrunches his nose then laughs. “That’s so fitting for you two. Only you could make something intimidating sound sweet.”
“I’ll be here with my man.” Wraith waggles his eyebrows.
“You’re so in love it’s kind of gross.” Phantom grins.
“I don’t mind being gross,” Wraith replies, smiling at Pax. “Love is the best thing in the world, and several people at this table could agree with me, no?”
“Fuck yeah,” Specter says, staring at his man.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Nimble agrees. “Highly recommend.”
Bellamy’s brow furrows as he lifts his fork for another bite.
“The problem with love,” Whisper says, “is that it doesn’t always come at the right time.”
“Word.” Ghost scoops up sauce from his plate with a piece of bread.
“But when the stars align, there’s nothing better,” Whisper continues.
“And when they don’t?” Bellamy asks softly. “What then? Does love wait?”
“We can hope so,” Whisper replies. “I believe true love waits.”
Bellamy nods. “It’s a nice thought.”
Shadow drops his fork and it clatters against the plate. We all startle as he pushes his chair back abruptly. “Lunch was great, Ghost. If you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting soon.”
He’s gone before any of us can react. Stealth exhales slowly, shaking his head.
“Did I say something wrong?” Bellamy asks. “I thought he’d be happy to see me.”
“He is,” Specter says. “He’s just… You know. He’s Shadow.”
Bellamy nods, his face brightening with his pretty smile. “Lunch was great, Ghost. Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
“We should go shopping now, right?” Bellamy pats Colson’s leg. “Let the house get back to normal.”
“It’s not because of you,” Stealth says. “It’s because of me.”
“What is?” Bellamy asks.
“Why the house feels off.”
“No, Stealth,” Phantom says. “You’re our brother.”
“I know, and I know we’ll find our rhythm again, but I’ve been gone a long time and now I’m back. Things feel weird right now. Shadow has to get back to a place where he trusts me and trusts himself.”
“Is he hurting?” Bellamy asks. “I hurt him.”
Stealth tilts his head as he stares at Bellamy. The tension growing between them is palpable enough that Whisper looks ready to intervene if necessary.
“Then unhurt him,” Stealth says.
“I would if he’d let me.”
Colson scrunches his nose and pats Bellamy’s hand. “This was a good first step.”
Bellamy nods, averting his eyes from Stealth’s intrusive gaze.
“I’ll go too,” Stealth says. “Shopping. I need new clothes.”
Specter looks shocked, but Colson grins, while Bellamy shifts in his chair.
“Besides, I missed out on getting to know you,” Stealth adds.
“The more the merrier,” Bellamy says, glancing at Colson.
As lunch ends and we all help clean up, I keep an eye on the glances between Stealth and Bellamy.
Hopefully, Stealth is smart enough to know that Bellamy is off limits.
Even if he’s never with Shadow again, that’s a line none of us would cross, especially when it’s obvious Shadow still has feelings for Bellamy.
When Stealth, Bellamy, Specter, and Colson excuse themselves, the rest of us can’t wait to discuss what we just witnessed.
“The fuck was that?” Ghost asks. “You guys felt it too, right?”
“Awkwardness,” Nimble says.
“And sexual tension between three people,” Phantom says. “Right?”
Whisper nods. “Fuck yeah.”
Wraith wipes his hands on a dish towel. “Shadow is gonna lose his shit when he finds out they spent time together.”
“You think so?” I ask.
“Uh, yeah. Were you at the same lunch I was at?”
“What do you mean though? Seems like Shadow is avoiding Bellamy.”
“Because he’s whipped,” Phantom says. “Obviously.”
“Well, yeah, I picked up on the emotions there, but do you think he’d be jealous?”
“Yes,” everyone says at the same time.
I chuckle. “Okay, yeah. Stealth isn’t stupid enough to try and make a move on Bellamy though, right?”
“Satan help him if he is,” Whisper says. “I don’t think Shadow could forgive that.”
“No.”
“What would he do?” Nimble asks.
“None of us want to find out,” Ghost says.
“Yeah, no.” Phantom nods.
“Hopefully, we’ll never have to.” I nudge Whisper’s arm. “Can we go check the tracker again?”
“Let’s do it.”
Back in the rec room, we hover around his laptop, watching the red dot move down the highway back to the area where Redlight is located. It’s too early in the day for the club to be open, so there must be another reason. Maybe it’s a chance for me to intervene.
“Want to go on a field trip with me?”
“Fuck yeah,” Whisper says. “Maybe they’ll stay there for a while.”
“Let’s hope. Otherwise it’s gonna be a long night for me. I have to find him. I don’t know why yet, but I know that’s the mission.”
“Have you told Shadow yet?”
“Nah. I guess I wasn’t sure it mattered, but maybe it does.”
“A warning wouldn’t hurt.”
“You’re right.”
On cue, heavy footsteps creak across the wood floors before Shadow appears in the doorway to the rec room. “Did Bellamy leave?”
Whisper glances at me and I nod. “He did. With Colson. They went shopping.”
“Ah. Where’s Stealth?”
Knew that was coming. “He, um, he went with them.”
Shadow’s eyes narrow. “He went with who?”
“Specter, Colson, and Bellamy. He said he needed some new clothes.”
He blinks rapidly several times. “Stealth went shopping with Bellamy?”
“And others, yes.”
“Motherfuck—dammit,” Shadow mutters as he turns on his heel and stomps off again.
“Should be interesting when they get home,” Whisper says. “Hope we don’t miss it.”
“Maybe we should hope we do.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, maybe. What do you think the deal is? Shadow still has feelings for Bellamy, obviously, but maybe Bellamy is saying no?”
“According to Colson, that sounds right, but then how does Stealth play into it?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Do you think Shadow and Stealth had a thing going?”
“No. Shadow would be honest, like he asked us to be if anything ever happened between some of us. He would’ve told us.”
“Yeah, I agree. So what, then? Because it’s not normal.”
“Fuck if I know, but low-key, I think there’s some unrequited shit between Stealth and Shadow. On whose end, I don’t know.”
“What a mess, huh? Glad it’s not me dealing with that.”
“Same here, brother.” I look back at the screen. “Ready to roll out?”
“I am.”
Hopefully, this isn’t a fruitless mission. If I have a chance to grab Rue, I’m gonna do it. I’ll figure everything else out after that.