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Grey twisted in his seat to see me in the back, trying to gauge something from my stare. Perhaps whether or not I would comply. I wasn’t yet sure if I would either, so it was anyone’s guess.
Depended on how Diesel did the asking and whether or not he would agree to certain…stipulations.
I knew from the email Becca sent six hours ago that she landed, was safe, and had gotten rid of her phone like I told her to. It put me at least moderately at ease to know she was so far away. Out of his reach. Well, maybe not entirely, I didn’t know how large his web of contacts expanded, but I was counting on it not being large enough to reach her there. At least not this quickly.
Diesel’s headlights behind us blinked off, and we all stepped out of the Rover, meeting him outside.
“Here,” Grey said, going to Diesel’s side to try to take his arm, take some of the weight off his injured ankle. “Come on, I think we might have something you can use for a—”
“I’m good.” Diesel waved him off, walking alone unassisted instead, though he was no longer trying to hide his limp. “It’s splinted.”
“You still shouldn’t be walking on it,” Corvus said, agreeing with Grey, but Diesel ignored both of them as he passed, making for the front door.
“You want to help? Stop yapping and let me in so I can sit down.”
Corvus opened the door for Diesel, and we all followed him through the dark house to the living room, flicking light switches as we went. All of us on edge as the rooms each lit up in turn, as though there might be monsters waiting in the shadows. Because…there might be. Not the kind with big scary teeth and claws, but the kind with guns, or in my case, syringes full of fucking sedatives.
I only allowed myself to partially relax once we were all seated in the living room. I thought about trying to get out of joining this little chat, but knew Diesel would only insist if I tried.
Awkward didn’t even begin to describe the atmosphere in the living room in the minute between sitting down and when someone decided to break the silence.
“Want a whiskey?” Grey offered Diesel, pushing the low coffee table nearer to him so that he could lift his leg to rest on its edge.
“No.”
“Fuck yes.”
Diesel and Rook said at the same time.
Grey’s face screwed up into a sneer at his brother. “Dude. Get it yourself.”
Rook huffed as he pushed off from the sofa next to me and went to the kitchen, the sound of rattling glass and tinkling ice the only thing to be heard until he returned.
“No need for small talk then,” Diesel said, his eyes roving over each of his boys with a flicker of disappointment before they settled on me. “We need intel only Rebecca Hart can give us. I know she skipped town. I have a rough idea where she is and the area gets narrowed down by the hour. I have no interest in sending my people in to get her, but I need her back here. Now.”
I rolled around his words in my mouth, contemplating spitting each one back in his face.
“I won’t tell her to come back here, if that’s what you’re asking. Not without guarantees.”
Diesel sat back on his cushion, extending his arms wide over the back of the couch so his reach nearly touched Corvus and Grey spread out far at his sides near the edges of the sofa. “What kind of guarantees?”
“Her safety, for one.”
“Is that all?”
“No.”
He waited.
“You want to speak to her at all? You have questions for her? They go through me. You’ve traumatized her enough.”
A muscle in his temple bulged.
“And I can ask said questions on your behalf while she’s away. There’s no need for her to come back here.”
Not until I’m certain I can trust you,I wanted to add, but didn’t. We both knew that was unlikely to happen. Ever.
“And if I need her to ID a face?”
