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“Then we have a lot of calls to make,” London said carefully.
Caleb wrapped his arms around Ryth, and leaned down to kiss her. But his lips didn’t find hers. Instead, he moved to her ear, whispering something the rest of us couldn’t hear. She stiffened, then jerked her gaze to his. I saw panic before she smothered it with a forced smile, then glanced my way.
What the hell was going on? She said nothing, only turned her gaze back to Caleb.
“We recruit anyone else willing to stand by our side.” London said.
“And anyone else, we force them,” Riven added. “We’ve been the bad guys before. But this…this is personal.”
The entire room was utterly still. Not even the draw of a breath pierced the silence. Then in an instant, London turned around, found Vivienne, and gave a nod. “Playing the good guy was never my strong suit anyway.”
Vivienne gave a soft, sad smile. I watched them, and the way they were so fiercely protective of her reminded me of my own life. I turned back to find Riven, then Hunter and Kane…but Thomas wasn’t here. I glanced around the room. Caleb was gone, as well.
“Okay. That’s that. We keep in touch and make sure everyone is updated. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Same goes for you,” Nick added, and glanced Riven's way. “Both of you.”
We all moved, but I was the first to head for the door, leaving everyone else behind. Something was going on and it involved Thomas. I headed back along the east wing hallway to the foyer of the house, hearing voices coming from the kitchen.
I stepped inside, finding Caleb and Thomas standing on the other side of the middle island. Thomas’ gaze was lowered, but Caleb’s was fixed on him.
“What’s going on?”
Thomas jerked his focus my way, his cheeks red.
“Nothing,” Caleb answered, giving a smile as he patted Thomas on the shoulder. “Just catching up with Priest.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing to me, Caleb.” I stepped closer. “I think you forget who you’re dealing with here.”
All of a sudden that smile died away, leaving the stare of a dangerous man behind. Caleb had been mysteriously absent these past few weeks. My sister made excuses, but I knew they were a lie. Caleb Banks was up to something and now he seemed intent on drawing the man I loved into whatever he was up to.
I wanted to know what it was.
“Water,” Thomas muttered and turned away, went to the refrigerator, and yanked it open. “That’s what I came for.”
His hair was still damp. His white shirt was still so wet it stuck against his skin. “Haven’t you had enough of that?” I asked as he let the door close and screwed the top off the bottle.
One large draw and he swallowed. But I wasn’t buying this for one minute.
“C?” Tobias called his brother from the doorway. “You ready to head out?”
“Yeah.” Caleb answered, giving me a smile, then flicked those dark eyes to Thomas. “Talk soon, yeah?”
Thomas just lowered his hand, met the lawyer’s stare, and nodded.
They left, leaving their lies behind.
They wanted to hold to their schemes and their lies, that’s fine.
We’ve been the bad guys before. Riven’s words repeated. He had, that was for sure. I took a step, moving closer to my Priest and dragged my fingers through his hair, finding those beautiful brown eyes. But not my Thomas. He wasn’t anything like the others. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my cheek to his chest, knowing all that was about to change.
SIX
Thomas
“Thom…you’re quiet, buddy.”
I jerked my gaze upwards, finding Hunter’s stare in the rear-view mirror. Voices settled around me. The soft, bass-filled tone of Riven lingered as our headlights cut through the dark and we headed back to the sanctuary of the mountain house once more.
