11. Levi

Chapter 11

Levi

now

"Let me in!" Greedy snarls, getting right up in my face as if he can intimidate me into bending to his will.

Teeth gritted, I keep my arms crossed over my chest, holding my ground.

There's no point in blocking the door, really. It's locked, and he knows what's going on behind me. We both heard enough—witnessed enough—to know exactly what Kabir and Hunter are getting up to.

The way he spoke to her was hard to swallow, but when she responded, almost as if she was grateful to submit and let go, my trepidation eased. There's something there—a whole helluva lot of something—and no matter how I feel about it or where things stand between us, Hunter makes her own decisions. She's so smart. Independent. Thoughtful and assertive.

I may not like what's happening in her bedroom, and I may not understand it, but I have faith that she knows what she's doing and that she trusts the man who kicked us out and locked the door .

"She's okay, G," I say, grasping his arms.

He shakes me off, then shoves into my shoulder. When I don't budge, he sucker-punches me in the gut. Thankfully, he's so slow and deliberate enough in his movements that I see it coming and brace my abs before he makes contact.

I hit him with an unamused glare. He's drunk, and he's clearly looking for a fight, but he won't get one out of me.

There's nothing either of us can do, even if I agreed with him. Even if I step away from the door, neither of us is getting into that room unless Hunter or Kabir unlocks it from the inside. Or one of us breaks the glass.

On second thought, I better stay put.

A whooshing sound at my back startles me, and I spin just in time to see Kabir closing the floor-length blinds. As they sway, I can make out his retreating form through the gap. I also catch one more glimpse of Hunter—completely naked, standing in the middle of the room—before the curtains settle and we're shut out entirely.

"He closed the blinds." Greedy blinks rapidly, as if he's trying to process the move. "He closed the fucking blinds." The second time he says it, his tone is edged in panic. "Levi," he begs, grasping the door handle near my hip and jerking it a few times in vain.

It's locked. He knows it's locked. But he's a masochist. A glutton for punishment. Especially when it comes to our girl.

Our girl.

Is that what Hunter is? Will that ever be a possibility for the three of us now?

What about the British Invasion currently dominating her behind these doors?

Frustrated, I run one hand through my hair, then look Greedy in the eye.

"Come on," I coax, clasping his shoulder. "Let's go hang out in your room. Or maybe get out of here, go for a drive."

I would be the one driving, of course .

"He fucking locked her in there!" Greedy rages, shaking the handle with even more effort. "Hunter! Hunter !"

Fucking hell. He's drunk and so damn heartbroken. Somehow, I'm stuck out here with the responsibility of explaining to him that Kabir isn't doing anything that Hunter doesn't legitimately want him to do.

"G. Stop," I say, my chest aching, even as frustration bubbles up inside me. "It's okay. She's—"

"It's not," he cries. "It's not fucking okay. She locked me out. She locked us out."

He's vibrating with fury now. I'd be surprised if they can't hear him inside.

" Greedy ." I grip his shoulders and angle closer, trying to catch his gaze.

He's frantic and harried, desperation emanating off him as he trembles under my hands.

"G, please," I try, desperate for him to look at me, to focus, to be okay.

"She locked us out," he repeats. "She always fucking locks me out."

In slow motion, his face crumples and his anger dissipates. He pulls in a gasping inhale, then lets out a pained, mournful cry.

He collapses, his body racked with sobs as he gives me his full weight and pounds one fist against the glass next to my head.

On instinct, I wrap my arms around his waist. I pull him against my chest, pressing his body to mine as tightly as I can, aching to be his anchor.

I cup the back of his head and stroke along the base of his skull. "It's okay," I promise. "It'll be okay."

He slumps farther, sinking into my hold completely and burying his face in my neck. His chest shudders as another sob works its way out of him.

"She always does this. She runs. Why does she always fucking do this?"

He cries out again, a pained, anguished sound that sends fissures through my heart. Then he sinks to the ground, taking me down with him .

My knee hits the wooden planks, and pain sparks up my quad. Quickly, I shift to a seated position, sure to keep my back against the glass door of Hunter's bedroom in case Greedy lashes out again.

On his knees between my legs, he continues to cry, but he allows me to guide his body to a position where I can best comfort him. I wrap my arms around his neck. He places his head into the crook of my shoulder.

I smooth one hand up and down his back tentatively, then give him a firmer, steady rubbing when he doesn't pull away.

It takes a decent amount of resolve to fight the urge to kiss the top of his head. Too much. Instead, I channel all my energy and empathy into comforting my best friend.

"It'll be okay," I murmur in what I hope is a soothing tone.

Greedy shakes his head minutely, grinding his forehead into my clavicle in the process. "It won't, Leev," he whispers. "Not this time."

Sighing, I hug him tighter.

This whole situation is a big fucking mess. All I can do is hope that Hunter realizes sooner rather than later that what she seems to need in order to be well has the power to be Greedy's undoing.