Page 62 of Wright Together

“Out. You are supposed to be at home.”

He shrugged. “I was bored.”

“Bored,” Jensen said softly, dangerously. His eyes flicked from his son to the three losers he was standing with. He took in the scene in an instant.

Eve put her hand on mine, as if to say we should leave. Jensen should handle this. But, fuck, I felt sorry for the kid.

“I can take him home,” I offered.

Jensen turned back to me, as if processing that I was there. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Sir, I think—”

“I said, that won’t be necessary,” he all but snarled.

He was barely clinging on to control. My presence was only making it worse because, now, I was a witness.

I glanced back at Colton, but he wouldn’t even meet my gaze.

“Just go,” he ground out.

It felt wrong. I should say more. Colton Wright was fifteen and drunk and making every wrong decision. He deserved whatever was coming to him. He’d deserved being sent to Lubbock as punishment for getting arrested. And yet I felt for the kid. Growing up with no rules, with a father so far away, I could empathize.

Jensen’s dad had died when he was in college. He’d had to come home and help raise his younger siblings, take over the company. He might have gone through it, but I was sure he was judging his own son on a different scale.

Jensen pushed open a door and pointed at it. “The four of you, inside.”

“We were just…” Monk pointed back to the elevators.

“Now!”

All four boys snapped to attention like they were in the military and grumbled as they strode into the open conference room. The door swung behind them, and Jensen sighed heavily. The frustration vanished, and in its place was a concerned father who had no idea what to do with his little troublemaker.

He held his hand out to me. “Thank you. For looking after him.”

“Of course.”

He smiled at Eve and offered her his hand as well. She shook without a word. “Glad you two were here.”

Then, he nodded at us and wrenched the door back open. We watched his back disappear.

I’d done my best. I couldn’t save a lost cause. Colton would have to learn this lesson the hard way.

“Come on,” I said, reaching for her hand.

But she was still frozen, staring at the closed door. Her eyes were distant. Somewhere very, very far off. Like I’d have to cross a desert to reach her in that moment.

“Eve?”

She blinked and came back to herself. “Sorry.”

“You okay?”

“I’m glad he has you to look out for him.”

I scoffed. “Little good it’s doing.”

“More good than you know.”