Page 58 of Desperate Victory
Liam lifted his chin then shut the door, leaving the three of us alone.
“I’d protest about heading out alone, but you’re hardly going without backup. They are more than capable of keeping an eye on you.” The dry comment pulled a faint smile from Milo.
“Yeah and I need to talk to Doc. With everything we’re juggling, I don’t want to lose sight of anything. Particularly King and his ties, this—new sibling Ivy and I apparently have, and everything else.” He raked a hand through his hair. “You two good? No plans to raise hell or burn anything down tonight?”
“Not at the moment,” I said, shrugging. Anything was possible. “Night’s still young.”
“No,” Adam grunted out the word and gave me a fierce look. Oh, there went the vein in his forehead. My grin widened. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Oh, that was definitely an order. I almost chortled, but managed to contain it before I glanced at Milo. “Go check on your friend. I solemnly swear, I’ll send you a text if we plan any riots.”
“Uh huh.”
Milo and Adam grunted those two syllables in the exact same tone. Try as I might, I couldn’t not laugh. It was funny as fuck.
“I won’t be far,” Milo said to Adam. “Good luck.”
Good luck? Some of my amusement drained away. The fact Milo clapped Adam on the shoulder didn’t help.
I scowled as Milo strode out, closing the door behind him and leaving us in Bodhi’s penthouse. Bodhi’s place… I got why we were here. He wanted us in a more secure location. For Lainey…
Suddenly, it seemed too silent, too large, and far too empty. Pivoting, I glared at Adam. The desire for whiskey burned in my throat. I could practically taste it.
“Why did he wish you good luck?” The demand escaped with all the grace of an angry toddler. Irritation raced through me, slamming headlong into embarrassment and shame.
The idea that Milo knew something about Adam that I didn’t? It… it grated.
“You know what,” I snapped, surging to my feet. “I don’t care. Keep all your secrets. I’m going to bed.”
What I really wanted was a drink. Bed wasn’t quite a substitute but it would have to do. The alcohol in the penthouse—what I’d seen of it—was under lock and key. The rest had been thrown out. No one trusted me.
The anger revved inside of me as my thoughts continued to collide. Pivoting on my heel, I stalked out of the living room and headed for the stairs.
“Ezra…” Adam called, aggrieved didn’t begin to cover his tone. No. He didn’t get to fucking do that. I was the injured party here. Him keeping secrets.
Again.
It wasn’t until I hit the top step that I realized he wasn’t even bothering to follow me. Pain stabbed right through the fury in my system to impale my heart. The emotional wound only made it pound more furiously.
Fuck, I would kill for a drink. I slammed the door on the bedroom that Adam and I had been sharing for the past few weeks. The fact Bodhi had given it to “us” hadn’t really registered at first.
But Adam hadn’t skipped out of the room or told me to sleep in here by myself. Didn’t stop him from keeping secrets. I slammed the door behind me, then turned the lock.
It was petty as fuck.
At the same time, it was ridiculously satisfying. I leaned back against it and dragged in a couple of deep breaths. My eyes burned with the tears I refused to shed.
I shoved away from the door, stripping off my clothes on the way to the shower. As much as I hated cold ones, I needed to clear the cobwebs. I needed to?—
The crash of the door opening behind me jerked me around. I forgot how to breathe as Adam glared at me. His blue-violet eyes were so dark, I swallowed convulsively.
Adam was pissed.
He stalked across the room after me.
Apprehension shivered up my spine. I opened my mouth, but he raised a finger and silenced me in one motion.
My teeth clacked together when I snapped my jaw shut. Then Adam was just there, invading my space. He half-ripped the shirt from my hand and flung it away before he pinned me to a wall.