Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four

GREY

"I didn't mean to drag you into this," I tell Cadence. She looks up from where she'd been watching a video of someone sleeping. It looks like the kind of feed you'd get from a baby monitor.

We're sitting in the hotel's conference room. It's the middle of the night, but the Cross brothers managed to showcase, once again, that they are boys with power.

In exactly the time that Zane demanded, the hotel staff got the conference room fitted with tables, chairs, and a tray of tea, coffee, donuts, and fruit.

My perusal moves from the extravagant room to Cadence's cheeks. The air conditioning is blasting, but I doubt that's the reason for the flush on her face. She's wearing Dutch's T-shirt over a pair of jeans. Her hair looks like she hastily threw it into a ponytail.

I know my hair doesn't look any better. My curls refused to be tamed with the water I splashed from the hotel's sink. Unfortunately, a place this ritzy does not have the creams and gels needed to control natural, coily hair.

"It's okay. I don't blame you," Cadence whispers.

I have no idea why we're whispering when we're in the conference room alone, but I whisper right back to her.

"I wish you would. I got the impression we," I clear my throat, "interrupted your night."

It's awkward to talk about my students' sex lives. I didn't encourage this topic even inside the hallways of Redwood. But I'm also aware that Cadence and Dutch are married.

"It seems like we both got our nights interrupted," Cadence whispers back, pointing to my neck.

"Huh?"

She blushes. "Nothing."

But it's too late.

I take out my compact makeup mirror and check my neck. A horrified gasp escapes when I find bruises. The passion marks dot my throat, following the trail that Zane's lips took earlier.

Heart lurching, I face an amused Cadence.

"It wasn't like this earlier. I checked," I explain, feeling like I got caught doing something wrong.

"They tend to get darker with time." She pats my hand like a wizened old grandmother. "Put your hair down like this." She motions to her dark hair that's covering her throat. "Turtlenecks work too."

My smile wobbles.

I'm getting advice on how to hide love bites from an honors student. Great.

Before I can explain to her that curly hair like mine defies gravity and does not fall to my shoulders without a bucket of water and gel, the door opens and The Kings walk in. The air immediately gets sucked out of the room. They're all tall and regal and seem extra dangerous tonight wearing those serious faces.

"You think they actually left to escort Sol up here?" Cadence whispers to me, her eyes on them. "Or do you think they were having a meeting without us?"

I pin my lips together, not responding. The Kings used to include me in those private meetings. But now that I'm just ‘Zane's wife', it looks like they're treating me like I'm something fragile too.

Sol walks to the center of the room and I'm surprised when he starts the conversation. I was pretty sure that Zane would talk since he's the one who dragged his brothers and best friend into a meeting in the middle of the night.

"I hear Hall came to you asking for help," Sol says blandly.

I sit up straight. The dull note of his voice alarms me. Something seems off about him. More off than usual. There are dark circles under his eyes and he's hiding his hands in his pockets like he doesn't want us to see them.

"He was asking for mercy," Zane announces gruffly. He's standing far away from me, shoulders rigid.

He still looks angry.

"What exactly did he say?" Sol asks, still seeming bored.

"He told me someone's been following him. That they broke into his room. Stood over him with a knife and threatened him."

No one seems surprised by that.

No one except Cadence.

She gasps and leans toward me. "Really? Someone threatened him?" Her eyes sharpen and pierce into her husband.

Dutch grunts and shakes his head.

The two glare at each other for a minute and then Cadence's shoulders relax. "It wasn't Dutch. So who was it?"

Sol turns those dead black eyes on me. "What matters is that Hall is broken. He's not going to hurt you again." He jerks his sharp chin in Zane's direction. "Or any of us. If you really want to use him, he'll comply."

A shudder runs down my spine. Whatever version of Sol is coming out to play tonight, it's definitely not the one I'd want to meet in a dark alley.

A sudden movement to my left gets my attention. I see Zane stalking around the table. With jerky movements, he shrugs out of his jacket and slips it around me.

"I don't…" I start to remove the jacket.

He stares down at me and frowns.

I pull the giant fabric around my shoulders, allowing the warmth to swallow my frame. Zane must have noticed me shivering and mistaken it for the cold.

"This entire idea is ridiculous and I didn't like it the first time I heard it." Finn looks askance at Dutch. He seems antsier than normal. Rather than sitting down with an e-reader or a book, he's standing—lounging, really—near the door.

His legs—just as impossibly long as his brothers'—are bent and the sole of one vintage sneaker is flat against the wall. Despite his casual pose, his finger taps on his knee, reminding me of Zane when he's drumming on the desk during a quiz.

"I don't like it either." Zane walks back toward his brothers. "You guys already know that."

Cadence glances at me from across the table.

I share her concerned look.

The boys are talking like they had a discussion before this. It means they really did make plans and share information without us.

"I'm for it," Dutch says, dragging out the chair next to Cadence. I'm not surprised that he's sitting next to her. But I nearly fall off my chair when he looks at me and dips his head in something close to respect. "If you want to take the risk, I say do it. Hall might as well make himself useful."

"I'm so confused," Cadence says. "What do you mean ‘use Hall'? For what?"

"As an errand boy," Dutch explains.

Cadence's eyes bug. "But he broke Zane's wrist! You really think he can be trusted after that?"

Zane scowls and looks pointedly at me. "He did a lot worse than just break my wrist."

I glance away.

"We're split two and two," Sol says, his eyes skipping past Cadence to land on me.

I wonder if he's ignoring Cadence on purpose. I've noticed how soft Sol is with her and always thought they would have worked out naturally if Dutch wasn't so… well, Dutch.

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"It means it's your decision," Zane says, twirling a drumstick in his fingers. I have no idea where he got it from, but it makes sense that he would break a drumstick out now. I can feel his restless energy from a mile away.

"Sol thinks we can trust him, but I don't think it's worth the risk," Finn says. "If we wait, we can come up with a better solution."

"If we wait, I'll explode," I reply honestly.

"It's your decision," Zane says again, emphasizing each word.

I glance at Cadence who raises both arms in surrender. "I stayed out of it when you and Zane decided not to punish Hall. I'll keep that position."

I stay quiet, trying to decide if I'm annoyed by this sequence of events or not. This is my life. My investigation. This is not a group decision. Or maybe it's that I feel so strange having a group supporting me.

A part of me doesn't want to get cocky and turn my back on The Kings. I've remained alive for this long because of their constant watch and paranoia.

But the other part of me wants my independence back.

And it seems like I lost it the moment Zane looked me in the eyes and said ‘I do'.

"I want to take the risk." I nod.

Sol leaks a tiny smile of approval, and I wonder how far I've stepped off the right path.

"Finn and I discussed the details. I already have the location and I'll send Hall there now," Sol says, rising to his feet.

"Martina will meet him at the drop-off point." Zane checks his watch. "She usually takes a walk at dawn. It won't be suspicious."

Cadence yawns and stretches her arms over her head. "If we're done here, I'll go check on Viola."

"Your sister's here?" I ask, looking into her tired eyes.

"She and Dutch teamed up and got me to agree on separate hotel rooms," she raises a stiff finger, " on the basis they set up a baby monitor." She rolls her eyes at her husband.

He doesn't look sorry at all.

"But I don't feel right letting her out of my sight, so I'll head up now." She smiles at the room but the grin falters a little when Sol continues to avoid looking at her. "Good night, everyone."

"Keep me updated," Dutch says, slapping Zane on the shoulder as he walks out. The last thing I see is Dutch putting a hand on Cadence's hip before the door falls shut.

Sol leaves soon after, the deviant smile now shifted into an aggrieved frown. "I'll make the call."

"What can I do?" I ask, hopping to my feet.

"Nothing for now. It'll take a while before I have news."

"So what?"

"Maybe catch some sleep?" Sol shrugs.

"I can't go to sleep after all this. I'll come with you."

Zane holds out a hand, barring my path. "Over my dead body."

"Let me at least go with Sol and talk to Theodore. He was terrified."

"No," Zane shakes his head.

I huff. "Then what am I supposed to do now?"

"Now, you wait." He leans down, eyes narrowing to slits. "And watch how The Kings get things done."