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“I don’t get it,” he said finally, no longer looking at either of us, but searching the mats at his feet instead, like they might hold an answer he was seeking. “Why…” he started but stopped.
“Why not you?” Rook supplied, and I squinted at him, confused.
That wasn’t what I thought Corvus was getting at, but I could see it now. The tightness between his eyes. The set of his shoulders. He was angry, yes, but he was fuckingjealous,too.
When Corvus didn’t reply, giving away the truth, Rook stopped the heavy bag from swinging gently back and forth and began unwrapping his hands, squatting to sit on a low weight-lifting bench. “Because you’re a complete and utter dick.”
I cleared my throat to cover a laugh. “He’s right,” I agreed. “And a controlling asshole to boot.”
“When it comes to Ava Jade, at least,” Rook added, and I snorted.
“Name someone he’snota controlling dickhead with?”
“Don’t fucking push me right now,” Corvus warned and, rolling his shoulders back. “I’m only like that with her because she—”
“She likes to push your buttons?” Rook interrupted with a mischievous smirk.
“Because she refuses to be controlled?” I added.
“Oh!” Rook blurted. “I know, because you want her all to yourself and you can’t stand the thought of her wanting us more than she wants you. Is that it?”
I grimaced.
“Low blow, brother,” I leaked out through another grimace.
Corvus’ face reddened for a second before the blood drained back out.
“I already want to skin you alive for that fucking shit you pulled last night, Rook.Don’t. Push. Me.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s not because of that,” he said. “Notjustthat, anyway. It’s…”
“Because you care about her?”
I could see it now and wasn’t sure how I hadn’t seen it clearly before. Corvus cared about Ava Jade. Similar to how he cared about us. It wasn’t just control for the sake of control. He didn’t give a flying fuck what happened to any other girl, or many of Diesel’s men. He didn’t try to controlthembecause he didn’t care about them.
He was a controlling prick with us because he cared. He demanded a reply when he texted because he cared. He wouldn’t let Ava Jade out of our sight for the same reason. I doubted it had anything to do with Diesel’s orders at all.
He just didn’t understand her—the things she needed. What she would and wouldn’t tolerate or understand. She didn’t know him. How could she when he was always so busy erecting walls to cage himself in?
“Admitting it doesn’t make you weak,” I continued. “We all care about her.”
Corvus opened his mouth with a rebuttal, but I shut him up with a glare. “Don’t lie to me,” I said, turning his own words against him. “Lie to yourself if you want, but don’t lie to us.”
“If you were right, which I’m not saying you are…” He trailed off, and I caught Rook rolling his eyes when Corv wasn’t looking. “How would I...you know...make it up to her?”
“Stop being such a dick, for starters,” Rook put in, going back to the heavy bag bare-fisted for another few hits.
“You could try giving her some trust. Some freedom.”
His upper lip curled.
“Or...you could try flowers?”
He blinked at me like I just said the stupidest thing in the world. “All right, yeah, that won’t work for AJ.” I thought about it. “You owe her a blade, don’t you?”
“I say get her a flamethrower,” Rook grunted between hits.
“You’renotgetting a flamethrower,” I told him.
