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His blond hair weaved with darker browns was styled back, faded close at the sides, his stony face set in the same glower that he always wore.
So out of place but powerful enough not a soul would dare question his presence.
All dark allure and intimidating prowess.
I didn’t realize my fingers were digging into the edge of the table and I had no oxygen left in my lungs until Dakota wrapped her hand around my wrist. “What is it? You look like you’re about to go banshee right now.”
She angled around me, trying to get into my line of sight to find what had me shaking like I’d stuffed my finger into an electric socket.
Confusion curled her brow before I could feel her quickly catching up. “Is that him?” she hissed.
Chloe leaned across the table and Beth whirled around, everyone gaping while I sat there with my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.
“What? Who?” they asked.
“Holy shit. It’s him, isn’t it?” Dakota’s voice was held in a whisper, like the man could hear her from all the way across the room and over the raucous noise level. “You said he was gorgeous, but he’s…”
I finally managed to tear my attention away, jerking forward as I finished her thought, “An asshole. And I’m not about to let him ruin this night.”
“Hell, no, you’re not,” Chloe said.
Beth lifted her glass, repeating her toast from earlier as she winked at me. “To ditching assholes.”
Thank God that time I had a drink, one I clinked with my three friends, then guzzled down.
TEN
CALEB
“You look like a fucking rich prick sitting over there.”
Ryder kicked the edge of my chair with his boot. I sent him a glare, and he cracked one of his self-satisfied smirks that always made the guy look like he was up to no good.
“I told you I had no interest in coming here.”
It was loud and dirty and dark, and it set every nerve in my body on edge.
People were crushed together, their laughter and shouts crashing over the blare of the music.
Chaotic and uncontrolled.
Most believed it fun and games, but I knew full well there were plenty of twisted fucks on the hunt. The depraved. The ones consumed with the thrill of spilling blood. With the love of hearing someone scream.
Hatred burned hot, and my eyes narrowed as I searched through the toiling mass, ready to strike first.
“Loosen up, man.” He sat forward, grabbed me by the shoulder, and shook me like he was trying to knock me out of my affliction.
“I know what you’re thinking, but you left Seattle behind to start a new life, and you’re not going to have any sort of real life if you spend it thinking he might be in the same room with you. You’re going to lose your goddamn mind.”
It wouldn’t be my entire life. Because I would find him. Sniff him out. End him.
“And you haven’t come out once since you moved here. It’s Ezra’s fuckin’ birthday, man,” he emphasized. “Why don’t you ditch the attitude and help him celebrate? He lost someone who was important to him, too.”
Ezra came cutting back through the crowd just as Ryder said it, carrying a pitcher of beer. He wore jeans and a white tee that stretched across his muscled chest. The guy might be a cop, but he ran with an underscore of savagery, something that hadn’t been there before his wife had been killed.
“Happy Birthday, man.” Ryder lifted the scotch he was nursing, angling the neck of it in Ezra’s direction as Ezra poured himself a beer from the pitcher.
Air huffed from his nose like he didn’t know how to fucking be happy.
Not the true kind.
How could he?
“Thanks, man. I’m going to try to make it the best I can.”
“Know you will. What do the kids think of the new house?” Ryder asked.
Ezra had moved his kids close to his mother so she could help him while he needed to be at work.
Doing his best to start over, too.
“Oliver and Owen seem to think every inch of it is a playground, and Olivia has decided that she really likes to boss them. Thinks it’s her place to keep them out of trouble, and when they don’t listen, she comes running to tell me.”
Affection rode out with his words, a slight grin edging the side of his mouth.
“She’s a sassy little thing,” Ryder said.
“Just like her momma.” Ezra’s expression fell then, though he tried to shuck it off.
I shifted in discomfort.
He cleared his throat and turned to me. “And how about you? That house enough for you out on that ranch?”
A low chuckle came out with the shake of my head. “Not quite. Might have to expand.”
“Ah, compensating for something else, I see,” Ezra razzed.
Ryder smacked his hand on the table and pointed at me. “You know that’s it. Poor Caleb over here, everything so big and shiny to cover up his minuscule dick.”
