Page 73 of Wolf.e
Dell looks at me and sets his jaw, understanding I’m somehow involved with Layla’s world for the first time. He says nothing as he shakes his head and turns to head back to his office.
“You okay?” Layla asks when he’s out of earshot, rubbing her hands up and down my arms. She pulls me in for a quick hug.
“Sean will be on his way here. My guess is Wolfe will be with him. They think DOS threw warning bricks through the clubhouse windows. It’s unheard of for a DOS member, let alone their VP, to be in downtown Harmony like that. Sean says we’ll be on lockdown until they can figure this out.”
I nod, still shaken.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
W
Don’t fucking leave the office.
As scared as I am, I’m instantly annoyed that he hasn’t contacted me at all and then, when he finally does, he thinks he’s just going to boss me around.
“I thought you said it was one night?” Layla asks, as if I must be hiding something. Thing is, I’m not.
“It was. I haven’t heard from Gabriel in a week.”
Her mouth falls open. “Gabriel?”
I look up at her. “What?” I ask, “it’s his name,”
“Nothing, just have never heard anyone refer to him by his first name. He really let you call him that?” she asks, her eyes scrutinizing.
I blink. “Yeah?”
“Hmm. From what Sean says, only his mother called him by his first name.”
Layla pulls her phone out and tries to dial a number while I turn away, unsure what to do with the idea that no one calls him by his first name but he letme,because it’s clear he’s done with me.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself but it doesn’t work. Does he know where I live? What could he want with me? I need to upgrade my security system.
The sound of Harleys coming in hot through the downtown core is impossible to miss. Before I knew Gabriel it would’ve made me uneasy. Now, it brings me a sort of comfort I can’t explain. They’re loud, even from inside the office building.
Layla and I both spin around to see them. Of course, herphone call brought Sean here and she’s right, Gabriel is in front of him. Days without seeing him has made him even more disturbingly beautiful and daunting. My breathing speeds up as he pulls up and takes his helmet off, just as Dell comes out of the back office to the sound of the bikes.
“What the hell is going on?” he asks as Gabriel and Ax make their way into the building.
Gabriel is to me in three seconds flat, scanning me for injuries or anything that would alert him that I’m not okay. He touches my face, my shoulders, to see if I’m marked, but I back away.
“We’re fine,” I say, averting my eyes.
He sets his jaw. “You’re done for the day. Let’s go.”
I turn my eyes back to his. “I’m here until three.”
“It’s your day off. And you’re done.”
The way he says it sinks into me and tells me not to argue, but I’m furious. I consider going with him just to give him a piece of my mind for not calling me all week.
“Got a prospect coming for your car. He’ll meet us at your place.” Gabriel doesn’t say another word, he simply nods toward the exit and turns to leave the building.
I watch as he takes a seat on his bike, no doubt in his mind that I’ll listen to him. I glance between him and Dell. The look of disappointment Dell wears is similar to the one I’d imagine my parents wearing in this scenario.
He lifts his hand in motion to the door. Silently telling me to go if I want.
Layla moves toward Dell and hugs him. “It’s nothing. We’re fine, this is a precaution. That other club is dangerous. Tell him,” she says to Ax, backhanding him in the cut.
