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At hearing Hawk’s voice, I turn my head to look at him, frowning. “Bait him? With what? Me?”
Hawk makes asort ofgesture with his head before flicking his gaze to Kai. Following, I glance back and forth between them until the penny drops.
“You.” The word snaps off the end of my tongue as I continue to bounce my gaze between them. “You meanyou’llbe the bait.”
Hearing the refusal in my tone, Kai gives me a placating look. “Emilia, this makes the most sense.”
“Putting yourselves at risk makes the most sense?” I seethe, glaring at all three of them. “No. I’m saying no.” Fixing Wilder in my sights, I demand, “How are you on board with this?”
Holding up his hands in a conciliatory gesture, Wilder says, “I agree with the logic of the plan, but I’m not the one putting myself at risk for you.”
My eyes narrow before I dismiss him, focusing back on Hawk and Kai.
“I’mgoing to pretend to be your boyfriend,” Kai states, like it’s the most natural thing to say.
“Boyfriend?” I croak.
“No,I’mgoing to be her boyfriend,” Hawk growls, smacking his hand on the table.
The two bicker back and forth for a minute before Wilder speaks up, a condescending smirk on his lips. “You must be so proud of yourself, Angel. You’ve got these two fighting over you.”
“I don’t want anyone fighting over me,” I snap irritably, a headache forming at the base of my skull. Pushing to my feet, I plant my palms on the table and stare at all three of them. “I don’t want any of this. I don’t wantany of youto put yourselves in harm’s way. This ismyproblem to solve. If Hadley hadn’t involved Kai, none of you would even know about this.
“Yeah, and you’d probably be locked in some whacko’s basement while he tells you to put the lotion on,” Wilder drawls. I’m left momentarily speechless as images of exactly that flicker across my mind.
Hawk jabs his elbow into Wilder’s side, making him grunt, while Kai tells him to shut the fuck up. It’s enough of a distraction to pull my thoughts back to the present, and despite the new chill in my bones, I force my features into a scowl.
“I’m vetoing this plan. Either come up with a different one that doesn’t involve any of you possibly dying, or I’ll—” I hesitate, not entirely sure what to say. “Or I’ll think of something myself.”
That was a bit of a lame-ass ending to my speech, but regardless, I stomp away from the table before any of them can argue. Heading up to my room, I close the door shut behind me and collapse onto my back on the bed. In the silence of the room, my headache begins to dissipate, yet my thoughts only grow louder as everything they just bombarded me with and Hadley’s plea for me not to do something stupid play on repeat in my head.
I can’t let them put themselves in harm’s way for me. I can’t let anyone elsediefor me.
Yeah, but you aren’t asking them to do this. They’re volunteering. Theywantto help.
And what? I’m just supposed to stand back and let them put themselves at risk?
It’s not like they don’t know what they’re signing up for. They’ve all seen what happened to Richard, yet they’re still willing to help. Besides, didn’t Hadley say they could more than handle themselves? Between them, they have experience and resources on their side. Richard didn’t have any of that, plus he didn’t even know he needed to be on the lookout for a crazy-ass stalker. If anyone’s going to have a chance of catching this guy before he catches you, it’s them.
I groan aloud at my inner thoughts, rubbing at my eyes in an effort to dispel them.
At a knock on my door, I lean up on my elbows, arching a brow when Wilder steps into the room. He closes the door behind him and leans against it, his eyes focused on me as he crosses one jean-clad leg over the other.
I scan his face before lowering my gaze, running my eyes along his body. This is the first time he hasn’t been staring at me with hostile aggression, and I take my time noting the changes in him since we were at school. He’s bulked out some—probably having been dragged downstairs to the gym with Hawk—but he’s still lean in all the right places.
I have to fight a smirk, noticing he still has his quirky sense of style, with his black and purple vans, dark jeans, and a black t-shirt that saysstory of my life: I knew better but I did it anyway.I wonder if that’s meant to be some sort of reference to us, but I don’t dare ask.
“Do you remember that whole thing with Deke back at Pac?” I frown, not sure where he’s going with this. “You were so pissed at me because I got him to stop harassing you.”
“He was my problem to solve.” Pushing myself upright, I cross my legs on top of the bedsheets.
He nods as though he understands, but his tone says otherwise. “That’s the thing about you, Emilia. You always have to do everything yourself. You never ask for help, even when a situation is beyond your control. I used to admire your independence, but that pride of yours will get you killed one day.”
Frowning, I feel a tad defensive as I explain, “My whole life, I’ve been taught to be self-sufficient. To rely only on myself. To fight my own battles. My mom…” I duck my head, pulling at a loose thread on my sheet. “My dad hurt her—badly—and she never really recovered. I—I never wanted to end up like her.”
“Fair enough, but those two guys downstairs aren’t asking for you to rely on them. They aren’t waiting around for you to find the balls to ask them for help. They’re already committed. You let your hubris get in the way once. Are you really going to let it kill you this time?”
Finding the courage, I lift my head to meet his eyes. “Wouldn’t you prefer if I just left? Why are you trying to talk me into letting Hawk and Kai help?” When he just shrugs, I push harder. “I’m honestly surprised you haven’t shoved me out the front door and left me to fend for myself.”
