Chapter 28 #2
He gave a subtle shake, dismissing my panicked self-reprimand. “Just breathe for me, Peach.”
“You knew,” I said through my quickening breaths.
“No, I hated him because you tried to date him,” he corrected, the smallest hint of amusement tugging at his mouth because he always found a reason to smile, even when everything was falling apart.
Like then.
Because I’d almost gone on a date with my enemy.
Never let your enemy sneak up on you.
“But it doesn’t matter why he was there,” Gray went on, “he wouldn’t have been able to touch you. He doesn’t know you can take down SEALs.”
My too-tight chest pitched with a strained laugh. “Infuriatingly attractive ones.”
“I’m armed, and Rush is right across from me,” Gray mumbled. “I might kill him right now if you say that again.”
Despite everything, an unsteady smile tugged at my lips. “You already know I was talking about you.”
One side of Gray’s face scrunched up into that stupid, unfairly handsome look he often made. “Still haven’t taken me down, Peach.”
“Still seem to win though.”
A wicked grin shaped his lips as he conceded, “Because you fight dirty, wife.” Pushing up, he pressed a searing kiss to my lips before dropping his forehead to mine. “You good?”
No.
But I just nodded and released a shaky breath when he brushed his mouth across the same place, before standing to his full height as Rush said, “It isn’t adding up though.
Wren and Monroe are single—were,” he quickly corrected with a glance our way.
“But if we didn’t know Monroe was married, they probably didn’t either.
Chloe is very obviously married. So, if they aren’t just going after the single women connected to us, why are they leaving Lainey alone? ”
Briggs shot him a warning look, but there was undeniable worry there. “The obvious answer is that there aren’t houses anywhere near ours.”
“She works, Briggs,” Rush reminded him before he carefully added, “And your niece is at that school.”
Something cold and dangerous settled over Briggs as he slipped his phone out of his pocket, but his glare shot to Gray. “You never thought anything of the name Davis until today?”
A hushed laugh left Gray that whispered his frustration. “Trust me, I’ve had plenty to say about his name, but I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that.”
“It’s Tessa’s last name,” Briggs ground out, as if he didn’t know why Gray hadn’t put it together.
But Gray went still beside me, as if he was just as shocked by the news as the rest of us.
Before I could go into a full spiral about nights spent with women he didn’t know or only knew the first name of, Briggs had set his phone on the table and was staring at it with his arms folded across his chest. As if he could will Lainey to answer it and ease his worries.
“Hey, you,” she whispered. “The kids are having their rest time right now, so I can’t really talk.”
“Need to ask you something,” Briggs said, ignoring what she’d just told him.
“Okay, sure. But I really only have a minute.”
“Does anyone named Davis work at the school?”
“Yes,” she answered, drawing the word out like she was trying to figure out why he’d ask. “He’s the janitor. Why?”
Briggs’ jaw worked as he stared holes into his phone before he managed to ask, “How long has he worked there?”
“He started, like, right after I did.”
Which was last fall . . .
Gray shifted closer to me at the information. A subtle but oh-so-telling movement that I’d caught onto so many years ago. As if he couldn’t help but instinctively take on a protective stance with me, when I’d never asked for or needed it.
But I was so caught up in my self-doubts and reprimands, that I didn’t shove him away the way I normally would. I just sat there, staring numbly at our boss as their conversation continued.
“Why?” Lainey asked, still in that hushed tone.
Briggs quickly swiped a hand over his face before dropping his palms onto the table. “Lainey, listen to me. You forgot Kaia has a doctor’s appointment, so y’all have to leave. Right now.”
The fear that crept through the phone was palpable when Lainey said, “Asher . . .”
“Lainey, get Kaia, and leave.”
“Tell me—”
“When you get here, I will,” he assured her. “Just get to Shadow.”
Silence filled the space for a few seconds before Lainey thickly asked, “Not home?”
Briggs’ dark eyes drifted between every one of us before he muttered, “No. No one’s going home.”
Evans bit out a curse and reached for his phone.
Concern barely peeked through his irritation as he tapped on the screen before lifting it to his ear.
“Don’t go to your sister’s. Come to Shadow,” he said after a few seconds.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he seethed, “Come to Shadow,” before ending the call and narrowing a glare at Briggs. “You deal with her when she gets here.”
“I have you watching Wren so I don’t have to,” Briggs said unapologetically. “Now, we need pictures or descriptions of these men so we all know who to watch out for.”
Gray cleared his throat before anyone could offer what they knew, pulling everyone’s attention to him. “Is this a bad time to mention Mallory and I were drugged in Aruba?”