Harper
I watch a show with my mom before heading up to do my homework. Mostly I stayed downstairs hoping Luke would come back. I pause. Should I lock my bedroom door? It gives me a second to throw on a robe if they strip me naked.
But it also would be locking Luke out. Not that he wouldn’t find a way in.
I lock it before I sit in front of my computer. My room is in view and so is Luke’s. My insides twist. Does that mean he’ll be spending the night there? Or does he want to see if his father goes into his room?
I pull out my books and set them on my desk. Eli said eight but it’s only seven-thirty. My gaze lingers on Luke’s empty room again. Luke being by himself in that house makes me feel sick. What if he’s already hurt? What if his father does something worse to him?
If there was some way to know, I’d feel better. The guys have cameras all over my house now. They have access to it, but I have to sit here and wait for them to show up. I can’t see if Eli is having dinner with his family. Or if Nico is consoling his mother. Or if Jack is playing with Lucy.
Do Caden and Ava do things together or do they stay in their separate corners of the giant house? Are their parents home now? Will Caden even be able to come on tonight?
“You get a crinkle in your brow when you can’t figure something out.” Nico’s voice makes me jerk my gaze to the screen. “See, now it’s gone.”
“What are you talking about?” I tilt my head. What did he say?
He rubs at a spot between his dark eyebrows. “A wrinkle right here. You worried about something, sunshine?”
“Everything is worrisome these days.” Releasing my breath, I wish that were hyperbole. “I can’t see you guys when you aren’t in your rooms, but I know Jack set it up so you guys can see me.”
“It’s a little harder to give you access to five guys. Especially when most of our dads are super secretive.” Nico winks. “But if you want, I can send you my location on my phone.”
I get a message on my phone if I want to connect with Nico’s phone. I accept.
“Now, you’ll know where my phone is.” Nico smiles. “It may not be video, but you’ll know where to find me.”
“Thank you.” I set my phone down. “What did you think of last night? The punishment of Ethan Parker.”
“Honestly?” Nico leans forward.
“Yeah.”
“It probably wasn’t harsh enough for the guy.” Nico shrugs. “I should have let Luke tackle him at the game. If it wouldn’t have gotten them both kicked off the field, I wouldn’t have stopped him.”
“Ethan fell.”
“Caden pushed him down when he asked about sharing you.” Nico shakes his head. “The guy is a creep. Hopefully he fades into the background and doesn’t become a bigger problem.”
I blow out a breath. He definitely was a creep, wanting to know when they were done with me and then that offer outside the locker room. I shudder.
“Cold, kitten?”
My eyes focus on Eli. “No. Not cold.”
His gaze goes to what I suspect is Luke’s room. “He’s not in yet?”
“I haven’t seen him.” I tuck my feet up on the chair and wrap my arms around my knees, resting my chin on my knees.
“He knows how to handle his father.” Eli leans back in his desk chair. “It’s rare for him to beat Luke while he’s still healing.”
Rare. So it could happen. Luke’s bruises are fading and he doesn’t favor that side anymore, but I can’t imagine him taking more abuse. My heart skips. Now I’m the one who can’t wait until college when we can all live together and not have to worry about each other when we’re separated.
“She’s got that wrinkle.” Jack rubs between his eyebrows as he logs in.
Nico smiles. “She’s worried about us. Right now, it’s Luke. I gave her my phone location.”
He sounds a little smug about it since he was the first one to think of it. Two pings hit my phone. I glance down and accept Jack’s and Eli’s requests to share locations. I smile.
