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Ro does the same, leaving us alone for a moment.
“Neil?” I ask.
“The bassist in Riot’s band,” Rogue explains.
“Oh.”
“So, what do you think?”
“I’d like that. But I have an appointment in the morning. With Dr. Keller.” I can’t miss it. Not with everything that is going on. “And I should go withdraw from school. Plus, Adira needs me at Hunt Luxuries over the next couple of days.”
“How about the weekend then?” He asks before he turns his attention to the view through the windshield. The warmth in his eyes cools. Rebel is storming across the lawn, his jaw as steely as his baby blues. Rogue pushes open his door and swings his legs out. “But right now I need to go and deal with my brother. You should head inside with the others.”
“You should have called me straight away,” Rebel shouts as Rogue stands and closes the door behind him.
Rogue grabs his shoulder and shoves him a couple of steps from the vehicle. “Why, so you could bring all this calm sensibility over to Ro’s where you’d be surrounded by cops who already think you’re a violent asshole? Or so you could confront Hawthorne? He’s baiting us and trying to scare Ro into retracting the article. We need to make sure we don’t give him what he wants.”
I climb out of the car when they turn their backs on me and shut the door as quiet as a mouse. I can feel the anger from the two men in their every word. Rebel is just much louder in voicing his displeasure where Rogue hides it with humor. It doesn’t make his fury any less dangerous.
I heard what Rogue said to Riot earlier tonight about putting my brother in a shallow grave. I heard his promise in his refusal to guarantee me that he wouldn’t go after my brother for what little of our history he’s even aware of, and he doesn’t even know that we were talking about Alec.
“You’re right.” Rebel kicks a loose stone across the driveway. “But he got into her apartment. It scares the fuck out of me that he might try to hurt Summer.”
“He hasn’t yet,” Rogue says. “We have to assume that his threats were meant to goad you into reacting. He’s a coward. He thinks Ro is an easy target. He’s gotten to her before. Seen the effect he’s had on her. Summer wouldn’t be so easy.”
I shouldn’t be listening to their conversation. Rogue wanted me to go inside. And the less I hear the less I can accidentally admit to Alec. I’m not a good liar. My face will give me away and my brother knows it.
I pivot quietly toward the light coming from the front door.
My phone destroys any chance I thought I had of escaping quietly by happily announcing a new message.
“You took her to Ro’s?” Rebel asks.
I hunch into myself. If I could turn invisible I totally would. My kingdom for the ability to be a chameleon right now.
“We were on our way over here,” Rogue scrapes his big hand over one eyebrow, up his forehead and into his hair where he grips his scalp like he might blow his top if he doesn’t.
“You barely know her.”
One deep breath to steel my guts and I turn around. The two men are having a stare off that feels a lot like a conversation I’m not privy to. Identical facial muscles tick and bulge in turn. Eyes narrow. Jaws jut.
“Fine.” Finally Rebel shrugs and starts walking toward the house.
“He hates me.” I push the sleeve of my jacket up my forearm to rub at the goosebumps there. He should. I’m a liar. I can’t be trusted. As much as I hate it, that’s the reality of my situation. But the alternative makes my chest ache. The way Rogue would look at me…his anger…just thinking about it devastates me.
“No.” Rogue gives me a tight smile. “He’s just on edge. And you’re new. Believe it or not he was a complete prick to Summer when she first showed up on our doorstep. They did not start out on a good note. Now, he would do anything to protect her.”
“I can’t imagine.” He’s so sweet with Summer. She’s like the balm to his roughness. My relationship with the older twin seems like it will always be tenuous.
“You just have to give him time,” Rogue says. “He’ll come around.”
Maybe if I wasn’t his enemy’s sister that might be true. I can only hope that we can build a bridge once Alec isn’t a threat anymore.
“Let’s go inside.” He takes my hand and grips it tight as the gravel crunches under our feet.
Rogue tells me everyone is gathering in the family room so that’s where we head. As we step in, Riot walks out to take a phone call. Rebel and Summer are somewhere else in the house.
Ro sits in one corner of the huge leather modular that takes up a swathe of the expansive space, sipping amber liquid from a thick and stubby glass. The ice clinks against the sides from the shake in her hand, but it’s not as bad as it was earlier.
