Page 58 of Raze
Tense silence fills the air between us.
“And who is the shark you’re calling for?” I finally ask.
“All the ones that matter.” Jack stands and then perches on the open window. “Keep her safe, Aiden. Or else I’ll come for you, too.” Then he slips out the window and is gone.
I look back at Raegan and her peaceful, sleeping face.
If she ever turns on us, we’re fucked.
Chapter fifteen
Raegan
If stares could burnholes into people, I’d have two of them right through my cheek. I raise my brows in question at Kellan. What the hell did I do to cause Aiden to stare at me in a way that feels like a glare, even if his expression is stoic?
Kell looks over at Aiden and then back to me with a shrug. “Sorry, beautiful, but you’ll have to ask him. I’m thankful I have no idea what goes on in his head all the time.”
My face drops into a scowl at him for openly outing me in front of everyone.
He flashes me a grin and then goes back to devouring his food.
Dane finishes his orange juice and sets it down with an audible knock. “Whyareyou looking at her?” he directs to Aiden, who has since dropped his gaze back to his phone in front of him. His food is untouched, with just his coffee finished for his breakfast.
I eat another strawberry that’s sitting on top of my pancakes while we all wait for him to answer. I pile the strawberries on my breakfast, but I always eat them off first and then eat the pancakes—or Frenchtoast or eggs—after. I love fruit for breakfast, just not with anything other than maybe whipped cream or chocolate.
Aiden finally looks up at Dane, then shifts his eyes over to Kellan before finally landing on me. “We need to talk about Jackson,” he states.
I pause with the berry poised in my open mouth, then drop it back. Well,thathas my attention. “What about him?” I ask defensively. I don’t like the way he said it or the way he’s looking at me. My sixth sense, or woman’s sense, or whatever it is, is putting me on alert on Jackson’s behalf.
He’s done nothing but be there for me ever since I came here. The least I can do is have his back in return.
Aiden’s eyes narrow at me and my tone, but I don’t back down. I don’t care how he feels about me defending Jackson. Even if I haven’t seen him in amonthand have no idea what he’s been up to, I’m positive that he’s been visiting me at night when he can.
A phone interrupts us, and he answers it. I go back to eating my fruit, annoyed that he’d answer his phone while we’re all in the middle of a conversation. What was he going to say about Jack? The ‘we need to talk’ phrase always means something bad happened.
“We’ll be right there.” We all look at Aiden expectantly. “Two gifted persons from GE submitted an application to join the Guild. They’re waiting to meet with someone at the city library.”
“Let them wait,” Dane immediately snaps. “Like hell, we’ll let GE scum into the Guild.”
Aiden looks at Kell. “They asked specifically to speak with you.”
Kellan looks as shocked as I feel. Why would they want to talk tohim in particular? Not that there’s anything wrong with talking to him, but Aiden is the face of the Guild.
“Any idea why that is?” Aiden questions him.
Kell shrugs and finishes his coffee. “Naw, but I’m interested to see who these people are now. We all going, or just us?”
“I’m going,” I speak up before Aiden can try to decide for me. “I’ve done nothing but hide out here for a month. If these guys can give us any information on GE, then I’m not missing out.”
“You’ve been going into the city and working at a bar every night. I wouldn’t call that hiding out,” Dane unhelpfully counters.
“Don’t be jealous, Rapunzel.” Kellan grins at him. “If she comes, then you’re coming too. So, there. Family outing.”
I roll my eyes at Kellan and stand with my plate. I’m too excited to get out and make some progress on GE to eat now. “Don’t call us that. Hurry up and put a shirt on, or we’re leaving without you.”
The city library is in the heart of downtown. We take Aiden’s Aston Martin, which forces me and Dane into the back together because Kellan is way too large to fit anywhere but the front. I keep a clear amount of space between us because he still doesn’t seem too keen on us making any contact. While we’ve made progress with him accepting my presence in Old Red, mostly at mealtimes or the random training sessions he chooses to attend, touching or casual conversations are still off the table.
It’s more than I ever thought I’d get from him, even after my confession, so I take it without complaint and do my best to respect the boundaries he still has in place.
