Page 163 of The Reluctant Hero

It’s been like this all night. None of us are willing to go home.

We’re waiting for her to come back as if nothing happened. It was all a bad dream, and we’ll wake up as soon as she opens her foul mouth and greets us.

Every time Ace’s question interrupts the silence, I’m reminded thatshe’swaiting onus.

I freeze up because it makes me think about how vulnerable I’ve been with her. I told her things I’d never shared with anyone, opening myself up to her in good faith. Only to have it thrown back in my face. It brings the icy wall back up, making it easy to deny Ace again and again despite my promise that I’d bring her home with us. I can’t act like I’m unaffected by her betrayal well enough to face her yet.

“Hi,” a sweet voice calls hesitantly from the door, and fingernails tap on the door.

I’m suddenly waiting for Amanda to come in with her haughty grin. The thought that it will never happen again hits me one more damn time. And then I curse because it was never real to begin with.

How the hell am I going to change that when I lock her up at the house? Imprisoning her isn’t going to make things better, but I can’t let her go.

Tera peeks through the cracked doorway and gives me a tiny smile. Then she enters, and I take in her rounded stomach. Shade is right beside her like a guard dog with a blank stare.

“Shade. Hello, Tera,” I stand up and clear my throat, trying to throttle back my obsessive thoughts. “Would you like to sit here? This chair is more comfortable.”

I only know that because of Amanda. Fuck me, I can’t get her out of my head.

Shade raises a brow at the offer, and I have to stifle the urge to flip him off. Amanda’s influence is everywhere in me now. Even with her out of sight, she’s left a mark.

“That’s so sweet, Gabe. But I’m good with standing for a bit.” The smile she gives me is timid. I try to return it, but it feels forced and wrong on my face. I got used to smiling around Amanda and-

Stop. Juststop.

I clear my throat again and focus on Shade, “Wedding planning?”

A brief flash of pity crosses his eyes before he looks around the room to the desk we have set up for Amanda. I refuse to look, and my shoulders tense as I wait for him to ask where she is. I don’t want to tell him anything. I’ll say she’s sick.

I can still feel her arms around me, her breath on my neck as she comforted me without reserve. She was snarky with it but I could tell it was genuine. Amanda didn’t want me hurting. I know that. And the sex. I’ve never felt that kind of connection before. When she ran, I thought it might have scared her as much as it scared me.

Now I’m wondering if she took the act too far and started feeling guilty.

Tera clears her throat gently, bringing my wandering mind back to her.

“I want to give you a big hug, but I’m mad at you right now,” she confesses with a wince.

Shade rolls his eyes and walks to the desk, gathering up the spread-out files.

My brows snap down, and I bark out, “Don’t touch her things.”

Shade pauses and turns back to me with narrowed eyes. “Just helping clean up the rest of the trash you threw out.”

“Shade!” Tera squeals with wide eyes. “Amanda is not trash, you jerk!”

“Not to us,” he says pointedly. “They’rea different story.”

I want to roar at him and have an outlet for this anger. I can’t. The way Ace cringes without a single sign of rage at his words cuts through me.

I’m destroying us all.

No.I’m getting her back. My hand is already reaching for the phone to have the cops get her ready for release. I pause, taking them both in again.

How does Shade know she’s gone? He should be thinking she’s late or ill. Her seat being empty should mean nothing to him. Did Amanda callhimfor help? The thought of it has my teeth grinding in rage.

“We have something to show you,” Tera desperately interrupts. She holds up a laptop and gently sets it on a corner of the desk. It’s covered in stickers with glitter and funny pictures.

“A laptop?” Cade teases weakly. His charm has deserted him. As soon as he saw that text it fell away, and he hasn’t gotten it back.

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