Page 141 of His to Save

“Atlas,” I hiss, torn between tugging the covers closer and following after him.

Ultimately staying behind—where it’s safe—wins out. Not because I’m necessarily afraid, but because Atlas would probably blow a gasket if I tried to follow him.

Baby steps and all that.

Another round of knocking starts up, followed by shouting, and while I can’t make out exact words, the voice sounds feminine—but also sort of like a bear. You know, if bears sounded like they were preparing for war.

“The fuck?” I hear Ellis mumble as he, too, heads toward the front door.

Too intrigued to stay put, I rush to the bedroom door and peek my head out, hoping to figure out what’s going on.

“Atlas Wallace, I swear to God, you better open this damn door or I’ll find a way to rip it off its hinges!”

That’s… Scarlet’s here!

I poke my head out a little further when I hear the front door open.

“Why are you here?” Atlas growls, sounding every bit like a guard dog I neither want nor need.

“I’m here to see Nora?—”

“You need to leave,” Ellis says, his voice a menacing rumble as he stands shoulder to shoulder with Atlas, physically denying her entry.

“This is ridiculous.” I can’t see Scarlet, but I can picture her throwing her hands in the air in frustration. “You’re both acting like?—”

“Like you allowed the woman I love to get taken by a goddamn monster?”

“No, you’re acting like Nora’s a child, incapable of making her own choices. I don’t know how she deals with y’all’s macho bullshit, but she deserves?—”

“Shut your mouth,” Ellis says, cutting her off, “and leave.”

“Not until I see Nora.”

“Haven’t you done enough?” Atlas asks.

Fury burns through me like lava—which is fitting, because I feel like I’m about to blow—as I tug on one of Atlas’s hoodies and jam my feet into my slippers. I’ve had enough of theirmacho bullshit, as Scarlet called it, and one way or another, it ends here and now.

“Did either of you hear a single thing I said yesterday?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper as I join them all in the foyer.

“Nora!” Atlas whips around to face me but refuses to make eye contact. “Pip, please.”

“No.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Don’t youPip, pleaseme. We literally just talked about this last night. Y’all promised to take a step back, but here we are less than twenty-four hours later, and you’re both out here making choices for me that you have no right to make.”

“Fuck.” Atlas scrubs his hands over his face and then through his hair. “You’re right, Pip. I just want to keep you safe.”

“I get that,” I whisper, stepping closer to him and cradling his cheek with my palm as I smooth his furrowed brow with my thumb. “And I appreciate it. Your heart is in the right place, but, Atlas, I want a partner. Not a guard dog.”

“Woof!” Scarlet barks before shouldering her way past Ellis. “Now, can wepleasetalk?”

“That’s up to Nora,” Atlas mutters, finally getting on the same page as me.

“Yes, please,” I say, linking arms with Scarlet. “But first, coffee.”

“Well, I still think inviting Satan into our house is a mistake,” Ellis says as he shuts the front door. “But no one cares what I think.”

“Now you’re getting it, Officer Jackass,” Scarlet quips back at him. “Now be a good boy and make us some coffee. We have much to discuss.”

I start for the kitchen, but Scarlet tugs me toward the living room. “Might as well be comfy for this conversation,” she murmurs with a self-deprecating smile.

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