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“Cole, you heard him. He said he’d help with the Lancasters,” I murmur, unsure of what to say or do to comfort my brother other than repeat Bren’s words. Even I can hear the uncertainty and disbelief behind what I say.
He lifts his head and turns to face me, then his green eyes search mine, and he shakes his head, as if banishing my words. “He doesn’t want them.”
My heart skips a beat. He’s upset that Bren refuses to acknowledge our girls. That’s who Cole is; the one who wears his heart on his sleeve, and the one who desperately wants family life and the security and love it brings.
Out of all of us, Thalia is the only one with a family, a sibling, and nephews, yet Bren wants to act like she doesn’t exist.
“He’s protecting his own,” Lucas mumbles. Cole and I spin in his direction, glaring at him, but Lucas stares straight past us. “He’s protecting his own.”
Why the fuck does he always do this? Talk in riddles? I pump my fists beside me. “Meaning?” I grit out.
His eyes finally meet mine. “Meaning his girl has a history too, and he thinks he’s protecting her. Give him time.” He glances at his watch. “We should get back. I don’t like us leaving them for so long.”
“Give him time?” I scoff, but when Lucas refuses to look at me again and instead gives that fucking tablet of his attention, I turn forward with a loud, petulant huff.
Cole starts the car, and I don’t miss the shake in his hand as he shifts the stick into gear.
I stare out of the window as we drive home in silence, with one thing on my mind.
Bren O’Connell will fucking pay for this.
Chapter
Two
TIA
The door clicks into place, and I turn my head over my shoulder to face my men.
When they left me earlier, it was weird to be on my own with Mia and Harper. I have spent every day with one of the guys by my side, but earlier, Lucas explained they had a meeting at the fight club and it was something they all needed to attend. He assured me they had adequate security in place for us, and I had to stifle a giggle at how overboard he’s going just to leave us alone in the apartment for a couple of hours.
After Harper helped bathe Mia, I put her down for the night, then I read Harper a bedtime story while she ate a cookie dipped in a glass of milk; another trait she’s picked up unknowingly from her father.
She made it known how much she prefers Jace to do the animal voices, and I giggled when she told me I made the animals sound like they’re sick.
After, I showered, slipped into my sleep shorts and camisole, grabbed a blanket off the couch, and draped it over me. Then I turned on a movie and have been watching it ever since.
“Hey, the girls okay?” Jace pushes past Cole and Lucas, and I chuckle at the unnecessary worry in his tone.
“Yes, they’re fine. Both sound asleep.”
My gaze roams over his defined body—the numerous tattoos make him seem darker than he is—and his shoulders relax ever so slightly. The rest of his body is strung tight: his jaw clenched and the veins in his neck protruding as if he’s struggling to rein in his temper. Something he hasn’t struggled with in a while. I narrow my eyes on him, wondering what’s got him so riled, and swallow past the lump in my throat at the thought of Jace slipping into old habits. When I clock his bloodied knuckles, I can’t help the way my heart races.
“Hey, it’s okay, baby.” My eyes shoot open on his tender touch as he strokes his thumb down my cheek, the warmth of his hand seeps into my skin, and though I hadn’t realized I’d closed my eyes, I’m grateful for his reassurance.
“You’re safe,” he whispers so low I almost don’t hear him.
His words should warm me, but the way he delivers it in a soft, velvety tone, so unlike Jace, has my heart skipping a beat because I’m almost certain he whispered those words to reassure himself, and now I’m even more concerned.
My eyes dart toward Lucas, who rests against the wall, opening and closing his knife, tilting his head from side to side, and narrowing his eyes on us.
He’s watching us with intrigue. Cole walks back into the living area from the corridor that leads to the girls’ rooms—ever the loving protector. My heart swells. Often, when he thinks no one is aware, he sneaks into Mia’s room and sings a lullaby against her ear; his loving words of devotion soothe me, and Iwalk away feeling more in love with him every day. With all of them.
But with that love, comes terror and the worry that my happiness is only temporary and something sinister is brewing, about to destroy it all. I can’t seem to shake it, no matter how hard I try.
It’s a gut feeling I can’t seem to banish, and the thought petrifies me, sending a shudder through my body.
“Thalia, where’d you go?” Jace strokes my cheek once again, bringing me back to the present, and my gaze meets his.
