Page 47 of Lane

“Yes, after I peed for the fourth time, and Ethan asked if I had a medical condition. He had a urologist he could recommend, by the way.”

I zipped up and washed my hands, using the water on them to brush my hair back. The slacks and shirt Hartley had made for me were exquisite. They fit perfectly. I’d caught myself repeatedly running my hands down the navy sweater, just to feel how soft it was.

“No more coffee for you,” Raiden said as I exited. He gripped the back of my neck. “Let’s go before the boss asks why we’re not on the road yet.”

I reached for my coat and put it on. “Right. I forgot he could track our phones.” Not him per se. Barry could. It was a way to find our location if need be. Barry didn’t sit behind the security desk and monitor our every movement. At least, I didn’t think he did. He’d get nothing else done if he did that.

In the garage, Raiden slid behind the wheel, Kayli sat up front, and Sheldon and I sat in the back.

“Watch this,” Sheldon whispered before Raiden had a chance to put the Navigator into gear. “You’re going to do just fine,” Sheldon said, looking out of the corner of his eye at the driver’s seat. “If anything happens, squeeze my hand. I’ll be with you the whole time.” He took my hand in his.

I didn’t have a chance to react before Raiden turned in the seat and wedged himself between them to grip Sheldon’s leather jacket. “I will fucking kill you if you touch him again.”

Sheldon released me and repeatedly smacked Raiden’s hand. “Don’t fuck with the leather. Grip my shirt, not the jacket. I need this when I ride.”

Raiden glared at him. “Then you should have worn something else. I’ll kick your ass, Sheldon.”

“Yeah, yeah. And I’ll stab you with a needle. Whatever.” He rolled his eyes.

It was my turn to reach for the man next to me. Unlike Raiden, I grabbed Sheldon’s Henley, bringing his face to mine. “Threaten my man and I’ll cut off your balls. Poisons or not, I’ll hurt you first.”

“What is wrong with you two?” He pried my fingers off him. “Neither of you can take a joke.”

“Oh, I can have a great time,” I told him. “When it comes to Alton and Raiden, I’ll cut you for threatening the people I care about. Remember that.”

Sheldon straightened his shirt and faced forward. He was still calm, but his jaw ticked. “Christ, Kay, put that shit away.” That was when I noticed Kayli videoing us with her phone.

“Where’s the fun in that?” She winked.

Raiden gave Sheldon one last glare before righting himself in his seat and getting us on the road. We didn’t talk the entire way there. I was no longer nervous about having the meeting without Jordan there. I was still pissed at Sheldon for threatening Raiden. Would Sheldon hurt any of Jordan’s employees? Not without explicit permission.

Sheldon was a good guy. He was always nice to me, liked to roam the halls at night like a ghost, and was tortured over Forest. Sheldon liked to have fun, that much was obvious. He enjoyed riling others up. Oleander was used to it. When the two of them were together, they fed off each other. I guessed that was what happened when you grew up with a best friend. I wouldn’t know. I had no close friends. I had no friends at all.

West Dremest appeared a lot like the eastern side, with a business district, residential areas, small businesses, and unappealing parts that people avoided if they could. Jordan didn’t rule here, but the Dremests and Altairs—Perry, notJordan—donated enough money to help rebuild the worst of the areas.

We stopped in front of an office building. There was a lot of reflective glass with the company’s name emblazoned on the front in red.

Everyone got out but me. I fixed my hair while I waited for Raiden to open my door. As far as the people at this meeting were concerned, I wasn’t with one of my boyfriends. I was with a trusted guard. I had to play the part of Jordan’s second-in-command. What was the saying? Dress for the job you want, not the one you have. Considering I had none and wanted to work at Jordan’s side, I only dressed one way—how Hartley told me once I gave him my preferences.

I walked inside with Kayli in front of me and Sheldon and Raiden at my back. Kayli popped the gum she chewed and made her way to the reception desk.

“Well, aren’t you adorable?” she said in a sweet voice to the man behind the desk.

He quickly stood, but his foot caught on the chair in the process, and he nearly fell. “H-How can I help you?”

“Mr. Everhart has a meeting with your boss, the big one, not who you report to.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He looked down at a screen then lifted the phone to say we were here. “If you’ll have a seat in the waiting area, they’ll be right down.”

“Thank you so much, sugar.” She spun, leaving the man’s mouth to hang open.

“You’re evil,” I whispered.

“Absolutely.”

None of us chose to sit. Instead, we stood near the corner so no one could sneak up on us. Raiden had his eyes on the outside, always watching, waiting for someone to attempt to hurt me.

“Mr. Everhart?” a burly man said as he approached.

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