Page 254 of The Reluctant Hero

His hand snaps out to grab my wrist. I stop but refuse to look down at him. I can see his face tilted up, but not his expression. I’m focusing straight ahead, determined not to let him under my skin.

“Mana-chan. That isn’t what I meant,” he protests, his voice thawing for confusion to peek through.

“You know, this fucking mystery has ruined just about everything in my life. The least you could have done is give me one second to see them happy before it all falls to shit again.Workis the only thing that will always be there later, not life.”

I jerk my wrist away from him and keep moving.

Fucking asshole had to ruin the morning. I was great until his frigid ass showed up.

My eyes stray to the stairs as I consider taking Jakob for a different kind of warm-up in his pathetic replica of an office. I want to see if I can break that desk into pieces. See him work from the floor and whine about it.

I let out a tight breath and continue to the bedroom instead. I’ve got my own team to catch up with.

But Shade doesn’t have anything except a nagging feeling about their dad lingering in town. South wants to know my thoughts on the pictures that were sent. I mention the manor of doom, and she falls silent. No matter how much I beg her to take me to it, she tells me to get there on my own.

How am I supposed to do that with so many people around? I could try Monday. Request for Jake to stay with me. He’d be down for some sightseeing.

I turn the news on for something to distract me, but nothing new comes up. No one else has been taken out of the game.

This holding pattern has to break at some point, and I’m not sure I want it to.

Being stuck here sucks, no matter my company. I want to be able to go out freely. But the opposite is true, too. As soon as I leave my shelter, I’m dead. Unless I cling to South as hard as Shade does. I don’t think he would appreciate that and would let me know through violence.

I’m stuck.

I make my own lunch because no one comes out of hiding to eat. By dinner, I’m practically sulking and refusing to talk to anyone again.

Holding a grudge is a waste of time, but I’m currently clinging to it as the last tangible thing I have.

I’ve had a few days with them to be convinced it wasn’t anything more than them defending each other. They were actually a lot more gentle about it than I would have been. They didn’t know about what happened to me. They didn’t have any concerns about the cops because there were some on their payroll. No one here attacked me. No one here trashed my place.

The only thing left to be pissed about is Gabriel’s reaction after we had sex.

Even that has lost its meaning under the clear adoration of Ace and Mikael—even Jake. Knowing Cade isn’t a lost cause helps, too.

It makes me uneasy.

If all my worries are settling out, what do I have left before I die?

What if, against all odds, I survive? What will happen? Will any of their affection last without the mystery?

54

I’m Sorry

Amanda

I shower and change into pajamas. I don’t bother with shorts. Just the purple panties, to see how they look, and a tank top. In the mirror, I don’t look half bad. The large bow accentuates the curves of my ass nicely. Maybe Jake knows what he’s talking about.

I make it to the bed and slide under the covers. It feels lonely. A few days of having one of them sleep next to me and I’m already spoiled.

I toss around for a while, wishing the metal shutters weren’t there so I could at least have a view of the night sky and green grass.

The click of the door latch sends my face swinging around to see Jake in a loose pair of pajama pants.

He sees that I’m awake and gives me a bright grin.

“Look who’s joining our team,meine Seele,” he whispers and steps aside.

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