Page 109 of Lose You Twice

“There.”

I look at the towel on the floor. Then at him.

“Do you give this little effort to everything or just women?”

A few guys nearby go quiet, and I can feel the air shift. Maybe the guys aren’t the only ones a little cranky today.

Coleson smiles without warmth. “You’re paid to pick up after us, right?”

My fingers tighten around the cart handle. I smile back because if I don’t, I might say something that gets me fired. “I’m paid to assist equipment operations. You’re capable of basic motor skills, or so I’ve heard.”

Someone snorts.

Coleson’s smile drops.

“Careful, Calloway,” he says. “You’re not one of the boys just because Cooper lets you joke around.”

My pulse jumps, but I keep my face steady.

“I don’t need to be one of the boys to ask you to put your towels in a cart.”

His eyes narrow. “No, I guess being the captain’s little slut gets you special privileges.”

My face burns hot with fury mixed with a twinge of embarrassment. Is that how the rest of the team sees me?

Weston stands so fast the bench creaks. Asher’s expression goes flat. Grayson, who has just stepped back into the room near the doorway, stops dead in his tracks, taking in the scene.

Suddenly, I can feel someone’s body heat at my back, and I know who’s standing behind me without even looking.

Coleson’s eyes flick over my shoulder.

Whatever he sees makes his face change.

Kai’s voice is low when he speaks, causing shivers to surge down my spine.

“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to that way?”

I don’t turn around. I can’t. My hands are locked around the cart handle, and every inch of me is aware of Kai standing right behind me.

Coleson pushes to his feet, looking a lot less confident than he did a few seconds ago. “Relax, Mercer. It was a joke.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“What, you’re policing jokes now?”

“I’m policing how you talk to the staff.”

“Staff,” Coleson repeats. “Sure.”

Weston takes one step forward. “Man, just shut up. Even I have better self-preservation skills than you.”

Grayson’s voice comes from near the door, calm but hard. “You’re done.”

Asher says nothing. He just watches Coleson like he’s already decided where the body would go.

I look at Coleson. “Put the towels in the cart.”

The words come out a lot more confident than I’m feeling.