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My hands circle over my head, certain I’m about to get one of the stray bullets right to the chest as Zade lets out a heavy sigh and strides toward his couch, barely even noticing the bullets whizzing past his face. He takes a seat and leans back, getting comfortable as he waits for Easton to run out of ammunition.
Each loud BANG makes my body jolt with fear, and I find myself commando crawling across the floor until my body is pressed right up against Zade’s legs, hating myself for how desperately I need his security. Despite knowing there’s no way in hell Easton would allow a bullet to come anywhere near me, I can’t shake the fear.
The second he’s out of bullets, Sawyer stops running and braces his hands against his knees as Dalton slams into the back of the couch, both of them trying to catch their breath. Easton just shakes his head, more than pissed off, before storming across the penthouse, getting down onto his hands and knees, and trying to coax Venom out from under the cabinet. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he tears the cabinet apart to get to her.
Getting up off the ground, I spare a glance toward Sawyer and notice a trail of blood down his arm and then another low on his calf, and I suck in a breath before whipping around to look over Dalton, finding the same. Two fresh bloody grazes. “He actually shot you.”
Easton scoffs from across the penthouse. “You really think I’d let those assholes get away unscathed?” he questions, and he’s right. I honestly should have known better. “We’re going to have to go and get Venom’s enclosure from the college apartment.”
“What?” Zade says with a sigh. “What’s wrong with the one in your place downstairs?”
“Venom prefers the other one,” Easton grunts, fixing Zade with a hard stare, a clear warning of what will happen if he dares to push him on this. He turns his stare on the boys before pointing at the shattered glass. “Clean this shit up.”
Dalton and Sawyer don’t dare argue about it, quickly getting to work as Easton finally lures Venom out from under the cabinet. He places her up around his neck, and she instantly slithers beneath the neckline of his dark shirt, finding comfort hidden within. Not gonna lie—I’m pretty fucking comfortable when wrapped around him too. The snake’s got good taste.
Within the span of an hour, the boys are stitched up, the old enclosure has been thrown in the trash, and we’re pushing through the main door of the college apartment complex. As we stride down the long corridor toward Easton’s door, I can’t help but think about the day I moved here. I so desperately wanted this place to be my new home. Only now, Zade’s penthouse is starting to feel more like where I belong. Not that it really matters. To the guys, I’m only there out of convenience. I’m sure if I weren’t Zade’s sacrifice, I wouldn’t be welcome to take up space in his home.
The boys stop by Easton’s door, but I keep on going, striding further down the hall. “Where the fuck are you going?” Easton mutters, his hands pausing as he unlocks his door.
I turn around to find all four of them staring after me. “Ummm, I was going to say hi to Cara,” I say, a little unsure how they couldn’t have pieced this together themselves. “I mean, should I have put in a written request forty-eight hours ago and waited for formal approval?”
“Damn right you should have,” Zade says, though I can’t really tell if he’s being serious or not.
I arch a brow, more than ready to throw down over this. What’s the big deal? It’s not like they were expecting me to be the one to haul the big enclosure out on my back. Besides, I’ll probably be back before they’ve even worked out how to get the stupid thing through the door. I mean, that’s what I’ll tell them if they were to ask, but we all know I’m lying.
With no hint of a refusal, I give the boys a smug grin before spinning around and soaring back up the hallway before Zade decides to change his mind. I can only imagine what’s going through his head right now. I don’t doubt he’s thinking the worst, assuming the second I’m out of sight, someone’s going to jump out from under my bed and slaughter me. I suppose my track record isn’t the best, so he’d be right to constantly assume the worst, but I appreciate him giving me the benefit of the doubt.
Reaching the door of my apartment, I take it slow, gripping the handle and giving it a turn before silently slipping inside the apartment. Cara is nowhere in sight, but I can hear her in her room.
