Page 42 of Power Shift

His exhale is strained as he releases a hand from the steering wheel and scratches at his neck. Anxiety doesn’t look that great on him. The vein in his forehead is going to explode any minute, and I’m positive Landon’s would, too, if he found blood on the seats and had to get yet another vehicle detailed.

“Tell me what she looks like,” he says, his voice softer now.

I swallow. “You’re going to see her in two minutes.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“Her eyes are blue. Pale, like if you dropped blue paint on a plate and added too much white. There’s a tiny stud in her nose, and her hair is a deep brown, so dark it’s almost black like Landon’s. She only reaches my shoulders, but she pushes up on her tiptoes to try and appear taller every chance she gets.”

That’s something I’ve noticed by . . . keeping an eye on her. Yeah, I’ll go with that.

Fucking stalker.

“What else?”

“You can see for yourself. Pull over here.”

The car jerks to the right before he finds a parking spot along the curb. The engine runs quietly while he shifts into Park and then grows still in his seat. I unbuckle my seat belt and stare at him, waiting for a sign of life.

“You can’t meet her sitting in the car.”

He turns to me, eyes fear-stricken. “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for my entire life.”

“I know.”

“Do you think she’s been waiting for us too?”

“I hope so.”

“You get out first. I need a minute,” he says, loosely flinging his hand toward the door.

“Thirty seconds, Jasper. You don’t need longer than that.”

Stepping outside, I hesitate to shut the door, worry bunching in my gut as I stare at my packmate. He blows out a heavy breath and swipes his hands over his already perfectly swooped-back hair. The shake in them doesn’t go unnoticed.

Before I can order him to stop fussing, he turns the vehicle off and pushes his door open. In a matter of seconds, he’s meeting me on the sidewalk and locking the doors behind us.

“Do you need to text her first to let her know we’re here?”

“I was just going to buzz her apartment.”

He blinks at me. “Yeah, that works too.”

I slip my hands into the pockets of my jeans and try to calm my own nerves. I’m not as open with them as Jasper or Dash are, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. At least I know that Briar feels the same about me as I do her. That makes this a bit easier to handle. Jasper has none of that reassurance.

With a slap of my hand to his back, I lead the way up the sidewalk. Jasper fidgets with his hands the entire way inside before taking a deep breath and forcing himself to stop.

“You haven’t been in her apartment before?” he asks.

The wall of apartment numbers and their call buttons have his attention as he stares at them all. For the first time ever, I don’t press on my mom’s.

The loud ringing of our call to Briar’s apartment fills the entrance as I say, “No. I haven’t.”

I’ve only seen her front door a million times. Passed by it, unknowing as to who was waiting behind it.

Jasper nods, appearing relieved. “Okay.”

The door in front of us buzzes when it’s unlocked. I reach ahead of Jasper and pull it open, waiting for him to pass first.

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