Page 28 of Craving Justice
An intimidating sight for sure. But it was the cold efficiency of his gray gaze, and the way it pierced deep into Harper, as if disseminating her every thought and deciding how best to use each one against her, that held her silent.
“Adam.” Seth’s voice was tight with an undercurrent of tension.
Adam? The oldest Aussie. The one who’d adopted Seth into their gang years before.
And yet, this seemed far from a happy reunion.
Judging by the way Dillon and Heath held themselves at the ready, they shared Seth’s opinion. Only Zach, who uncrossed his arms and leaned back on one leg leaving the other slightly bent, seemed at ease.
She glanced over at Jinx, who made big eyes back. Yeah, time for them to leave.
“We’ll go and allow you to, um”—Chat? Draw blood in a knife fight?—“catch up.”
Seth caught her arm in a firm hold. He bent and kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you later.” He held her with an intense stare, as if willing her to agree with his plans.
“Right.” She wanted to argue the point, but frankly, getting out of there was a higher priority.
She pulled her arm free from Seth, grabbed Jinx’s hand, and walked to the door.
Unfortunately, the giant still blocked their exit.
“Adam.” Seth’s voice was knife sharp.
Dillon stepped close to Harper. “Move, Adam.”
Adam studied her for a moment. When he spoke, his voice came over soft, but the chilling tone erased all ideas of gentleness. “An attack on my brother is an attack on all of us.”
Harper held her breath, as the shockwaves from his warning—that’s what it was, not reassurance that she was gaining extra protection—crashed through her body.
“Jesus fuck.” Seth surged forward, only to be grabbed around the shoulders by Heath.
Adam stepped aside, and Harper dashed through the door toward the reception area, dragging Jinx behind her. She didn’t waste a second looking back as shouts rang out from Seth’s office.
In answer to her silent prayer, the elevator doors opened as soon as she pushed the button. Slumping back against the metal cubicle’s walls, she breathed deep.
“What the hell happened there?” Jinx shook her head slowly.
“God knows, but I’ve got a feeling Seth will be too busy with his not-so-joyous family reunion to have time for me.”
And why did those words leave her bereft? Wasn’t that what she wanted? Space and no hassle?
She rolled her eyes. Her life was chaotic enough with the usual bedlam that attracted itself to her like a magnet to a fridge door. No point looking for extra complications.
But even as she made her silent declaration, her mind filled with the memory of Seth, and the sure firmness of his grip as he cupped her face.
Dammit. Some complications weren’t so easily dismissed.