“Oh, I was, but I don’t think we could actually be together, Evie. I wouldn’t waste my time getting in the way of anything serious for you. I won’t be telling Aiden the same story, but that’sbecause pissing people off is so much fun.” A calm smile came across his face, the slight nod in Aiden’s direction making me look at him again.
“Then why give us all the help? I thought it was your way of flirting.”
“A bit,” he said, shrugging. “But mainly because I like you all. You’ve all been nothing but fair to me, even when I was nothing. None of you seem to treat me any different now that I run half the town. Which, now that I think about it, is a little infuriating.”
I grinned, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him into my side. My head fell to his shoulder, but I didn’t feel anything at the touch of him.
“Yeah, that’s kind of what family is. Can’t really get rid of us, no one is impressed by the money or power, and you always seem to get treated like a little sibling no matter the age.”
“I’m older than all of you.”
“By like four years and, like I said, it doesn’t matter.”
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he sighed as he pulled it out. “Fucking hell.”
I leaned in more, snooping as I read the text.
Violet:Your dog broke into the break room and ate ALL of my emergency chocolate stash!!
Violet:And yes, I’m already bringing him to the emergency vet.
I snorted, laughing as I watched his face. “Something you need to attend to?”
“My new receptionist. Apparently, she’s as unruly as the dog. Who has an emergency chocolate stash? It’s literally creating an emergency, not stopping one.”
“You know, I really built you up to be some suave man with the women, but if you don’t know that, I worry for any woman you’ve dated.”
He gave me a pointed look as he tucked his phone away. “I have to go,obviously, text me when you’re headed to the fights tomorrow and I’ll let you in.”
“All right. Let me know how the dog is—the new receptionist, too. And thank you. Seriously. I appreciate it.”
“Anything to save your life,” he said, winking as he headed back around the crowd toward the back doors where his car would be.
I was quick to tell everyone else the new plan and while the guys all gave me a pissed look, the girls looked ready to head to fight night right now.
“Problem?” I asked.
Aiden looked around to Rook, Hero, and Mason but no one offered an answer. “No.”
“Then why don’t you all cheer up? We have a lead and we can follow it before one of us is killed. Plus, we can leave and enjoy the rest of the night now,” Regan said.
The guys grumbled, but I looked at Aiden, his blue eyes burning into me.
I didn’t say a word, the anger in them making me freeze. He was mad I found a lead?
I sunk back into the booth, pushing a little harder against Harper’s side, and she was quick to throw an arm around me like a lifeline. My eyes flicked back to Aiden, his blue gaze smoldering with a mix of anger and... something else I wasn’t ready to name.
I let the silence stretch, letting him simmer while I let my pulse slow. One thing was certain, he didn’t like I’d found another lead—but that didn’t mean I was going to stop. Not now.
And tomorrow? Tomorrow, we were going to find Anderson.
Chapter 26
Aiden
This wasn’t good.
I couldn’t even put into words how not good this plan was.
