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A slow smile curled at the edge of my mouth, but just as I was about to respond, my head snapped up in time to see one of the rockstars charging around the corner, a murderous expression on his face that only grew more severe when he saw us there.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
WILLOW
Diggs had dropped the comforter and shifted me partially behind him before Jared Kerr ever finished speaking.
Because he was there. Again.
Standing in front of us like being confronted by famous rockstars was a totally normal thing. Then again, we were standing in their house. There was no way Cora would believe me whenever I finally saw her again.
“I don’t know,” Diggs said in that easy, arrogant amusement of his, even though his hand was still pressed protectively and possessively to my stomach. “Am I?”
Jared’s outraged glare shifted from Diggs to where he was hiding me, his eyes narrowing. “There’s a dog in my house, and I’m told it’s yours,” he ground out.
A stunned breath punched from me. “Why does everyone have an issue with that dog?”
“It pissed in the entryway and our merch room,” he snapped as if I should’ve known that.
I clearly hadn’t, but my face flushed with embarrassment at the news and sorrow for Chaos. “Oh, I—”
“Maybe take her outside next time?” Diggs suggested casually, shrugging as he bent to gather up the comforter. “Just a thought.”
Jared’s hands balled into fists as if he were trying not to explode on Diggs, but his tone was a soft warning when he said, “Get control of your dog.”
“Wouldn’t say she’s our dog—more like the collective Rebel pet,” Diggs said as he reached for my hand and started leading me forward again. Just as we reached Jared, Diggs paused and met Jared’s enraged stare. “But that dog can turn lethal with a command, so I’d be careful if I were you.”
Humiliation and guilt tore through me at the reminder of what I’d done, but Diggs pulled me close to his side as we began walking again. His head tilting close to mine and his fingers drifting up to tease my wrist when he murmured, “You did what you had to,” as if he knew where my thoughts had gone. With another pass along my wrist, he pressed his lips to my temple and whispered, “And I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“For ending someone’s life.”
“For surviving,” he countered. “For using what you had. Don’t ever be ashamed of what you do to keep yourself alive in life-or-death situations.”
I nodded, but that guilt remained deep in my stomach as we wove through the house until we came upon the room I’d spent hours in just days before, spending time with Sutton and Alexis and loving on the babies.
But just when Diggs reached for the door, he paused and muttered, “She’s coming,” just as someone else asked, “This yours?”
I turned in time to nearly be barreled over by Chaos in all her clumsy excitement as if I were her favorite person and not someone she hardly knew.
“Easy,” Diggs warned, hurrying to push her away when she leaned against me, placing all her weight on me and nearly taking me down for the second time in as many seconds.
“Jesus, that dog’s huge,” Lincoln Grey said in disbelief, once again momentarily stunning me because there was a famous rockstar directly in front of me. Talking to us like it was just another day.
“Yeah,” I said a little breathlessly and scratched Chaos’ scruffy face when she nudged my chest. “Jared told us about your merch room and the entryway. I’m so sorry; I’ll clean everything.”
“I will,” Diggs said over me. “I didn’t know everyone was already in here when I kicked her out of the room, so it’s my fault.”
Lincoln lifted a shoulder as if he wasn’t bothered either way. “Ledger’s already on it, and I just took her out.”
“Oh, I could’ve—” A soft laugh bubbled free when Chaos nearly knocked me over again despite Diggs trying to calm her. “Thank you, but I would’ve done that when I found her.”
“You’re right,” Jared began when he entered the hallway we were in, voice a sarcastic drawl. “That is a vicious-looking dog. Real killer you’ve got there.”
“Chaos...danger.”
My head snapped up at the unexpected command as Chaos’ did the same. Her body going tense as she looked to see who the threat was before locking on Jared, a vicious snarl ripping from her as she took a protective stance in front of me.
“Shit,” Diggs hissed. “Shit, shit. Enough.”
