I glanced toward Evie, who stood with Regan and Harper off to the side now. My stomach twisted again, the same mix of frustration and need that had been brewing all night.
I needed to stay away from her. And I needed to make her stay away from me.
But I had no idea how.
Another half hour went by before the body was wrapped up and in the trunk of the car, so we were left with trying to make it less obvious that someone had bled out here.
Evie stood at the edge of the parking garage, silhouetted against the lights of the town below. Her arms were crossed, her stance sharp and defiant, but I caught a faint slump in her shoulders.
I stepped up beside her, the sound of my boots on the concrete breaking the silence between us. “Still doing okay?” I asked, my voice low. My hand twitched at my side, aching to reach for her, to grab her hip and pull her into me.
“I’m fine,” she said, the words clipped. “Annoyed, but fine.”
I leaned closer, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “And you’re sure you’re not hurt?” My arm brushed hers, and I felt the smallest moment of her leaning into me before she pulled herself upright again, silent now.
I wasn’t getting anywhere. I knew when she got quiet like this, there wasn’t going to be much to pull her out of it—luckily, I knew what would.
“Here.” I pulled a bag of M&M’s out of my jacket and handed it over. “I think this is the part where the guy makes it better withchocolate. He brings candy, she forgives him. Do I need to cue the romantic music while I feed you one to really bring the full romance movie scene?”
“Shut your damn mouth,” she hissed, checking that no one was around. I didn’t say anything and finally her lips twitched, a reluctant smile breaking through. “It’s almost like you don’t hate me.”
“Not even a little,” I mumbled.
Hero, Mason, and Kane walked up before I could say any more, and Evie spun on her heel, heading straight for Regan and Harper without another word.
“She good?” Hero asked, nodding toward her. She stood with Regan and Harper now, her back to us, arms crossed tight over her chest.
“Yeah,” I said. “Fine enough. Evie’s more annoyed by life-altering events than traumatized by them.”
Rook snorted. “Any boyfriend we should be calling to come get her?”
My shoulders stiffened, but I forced myself to stay casual. “No boyfriend right now. The last one dumped her because she hangs around us too much.”
Rook’s brows furrowed. “Yeah, but why would that piss him off unless he saw something to make him think...” His gaze sharpened, suspicion flickering to life as he looked between us.
“You can’t be serious.” Hero gave a hard eye roll, his head nearly going with it.
Rook shrugged, still watching Evie. “Unless one of you lost your minds, I would hope not. Everyone here knows I’d kick them out of the house, the shop, and the damn group if they so much as thought about it.”
I nodded, keeping my face neutral while my chest twisted with the weight of the lie. “Exactly. No one’s that stupid.”
“Good,” Rook said, his voice hardening. “Family first. Glad the boyfriend’s gone if he couldn’t understand that.”
They walked off, packing up and leaving me standing there, his words echoing in my head. Family first. It was a phrase I’d lived by for years, but when it came to Evie, it felt like a chain tightening around my neck.
I looked back at her, my chest twisting again at the sight of the blood on her jeans. She shouldn’t have come here alone at all. The thought of her taking a risk like that—putting herself in danger without backup—lit a fuse inside me.
I stalked toward her, barely keeping my anger in check. I didn’t want her in danger. I didn’t want her doing these things alone, or getting hurt. I couldn’t lose Evie.
I pulled her to the side, out of earshot of the others. “You really couldn’t stay out of trouble for one night, could you? I swear, if you ruin one more of my nights, Evie, I’m going to—”
“I told you that you can punish me,” she said, grinning.
“This isn’t a joke. You put yourself at risk. Not only that, but I had to come down here and clean up your mess. You can’t do this. You can’t run off to dangerous places and expect that I will somehow be able to show up and save you.”
She moved closer and I could see how badly she wished she had a knife to threaten me with. “You can be nothing to me, Aiden. You can turn away and say no to protecting me. You don’t even have to clean up my mess.”
“You know that isn’t true.”
