Page 74 of Gluttony
“She can’t see us, can she?” For a moment, Bailey had a very real concern about privacy.
“Nah. There are no cameras in here.”
“Great. That makes me feel so much better.” Not. “I guess I’ll wait here?”
He frowned, as if she’d grown multiple heads. “You’re family. You come.”
Twenty-Three
With his palmresting on the small of Bailey’s back, Tony guided her out of the communal apartment elevator. The suite had been stripped of bedrooms and only consisted of living, dining and entertaining rooms. Although, he still preferred his own theater where the sound and picture quality was better.
They were the last to arrive, and Bailey was notably nervous. Black hair cascaded in a beautiful mess around her shoulders, and she wore the outfit Lilo and Misha had brought last night—soft jersey yoga pants and a flowing top. She gathered her hair over her shoulder on one side and repetitively twisted the length.
He didn’t blame her for her nerves. The presence of all of his siblings, and parents, were intimidating. Their powerful, lethal bodies seemed to suck the air from the room. Standing by the sectional, arms folded, and talking with Griffin, Max noted Bailey arrive and came over.
The rest of the family were spread across the enormous sectional sofa and the dining table behind where Sloan had her laptop out. Parker, Evan and Grace were with her, scrutinizing the screen.
“How are you feeling?” Max asked Bailey.
“A little tired, but feet are doing better.”
“Good.”
Tony lifted his chin. “S’up, Maxi-Pad.”
Max scowled. “Only Sloan’s allowed to call me that.”
“You let her call you that?” He smirked, then coughed the next word into his hand. “Whipped.”
“No,” Max growled. “You know what I mean.”
“Relax.” Tony clapped in on the shoulder. “I’m having a laugh.”
“Yeah, you should be a comedian, mate.”
It was Tony’s turn to laugh, an action which brought the attention of the rest of the family.
Parker came over. “You’re here. Take a seat.” He cast a glance at Bailey. “You good?”
She nodded and then went with Tony when he sat next to Wyatt on the sectional. Misha leaned forward so she could see past Wyatt’s looming body and grinned. She rubbed her protruding belly.
“How’s the bub?” he asked.
“Oh you know, kicking me in the middle of the night instead of sleeping.” She tried to laugh, but it came out like a wince.
Yeow. Tony’d bet the little squirt had kicks of steel, and with about two months until she was full term, she wasn’t out of the woods yet. Those kicks would get more active.
Standing at the front of the room before the flat screen, Parker cleared his throat, eyeing Tony’s chatter with distaste. Parker flicked a piece of lint from his shoulder. The charcoal tailored suit was the standard he wore to the office. Judging by the neat man bun and designer trimmed stubble, he must have been there already. God, the man looked like he rolled in a million dollars every morning before going to work. There was such a thing as looking effortlessly awesome. Parker should try it some time.
Tony leaned back on the couch and spread his legs. His knees knocked into Wyatt’s spread legs which earned Tony a scowl.
“Those of you who went on the search and rescue last night already know this, but for the rest, we couldn’t find Daisy,” Parker announced.
Tony straightened. “Did you look where I told you to go?”
Parker lifted an imperious eyebrow.
“Well, did you check under the water? It was pretty dark in there.”
