Page 26 of Broken By Silence
Archer takes a spoonful of his and looks over at me. “You added extra paprika.”
I beam. “And none of the spice. That’s just for them.”
Roman’s already halfway through his container. He’s sweating…a lot, but he’s grinning like an idiot. “You’re an evil genius, Lottie,” he mutters around a spoonful of rice and chili. “I love it.”
Claire sits near the foot of his bed, casually steals a bite of his food. She doesn’t even flinch, just glances at me with pride. “You’re revenge tastes good.”
Elijah grabs a water bottle and downs half of it. “You’re all insane for eating this. I feel like I’m dying.”
“Pity you aren’t…” Archer grumbles under his breath. He moves closer to me. “Are you going to eat?”
I nod. “In a minute. I’m enjoying the show.”
Crew starts hiccupping, staring at me in a way I don’t want to even think about. “Revenge looks good on you, baby.” He winks at me, and I look away.
“I feel alive!” Roman announces, fist pumping the air. “Like I could get up and run a mile.”
“You’re on morphine…” Claire says dryly. “You won’t be running for a long time.”
“Yeah, because the idiot got himself shot,” Elijah snarks from his corner, his face still red.
Roman shrugs. “I regret nothing.”
I take a bite of my own chili, trying to ignore the mix of feelings that’s lingering in the room. Roman’s sudden change from hating me to taking a bullet while trying to defend me. The way my stomach flutters whenever Crew calls me baby. How my stomach twists whenever I think about the fact that Elijah has a wife… I lean into Archer’s side, and he drapes an arm around me. Oscar moves to sit cross-legged on the floor in front of us.
Then Will walks in. Makes a straight line to Claire and presses a kiss to her forehead, soft and full of something that makes my chest ache.
“Have you talked to them yet, my love?” he asks.
“Not yet,” Claire says, smiling up at him with that dangeroustwinkle in her eye—the same one she had last night, right before she tackled me to the floor like a maniac.
“Talk to us about what?” I ask, sitting up straighter.
Claire grins. “The new living arrangements.”
Chapter 10
Crew
The second the words leave Claire’s lips, I know I’m not going to like whatever comes next. She sits there, calm, legs crossed, one manicured hand balanced on Roman’s hospital bed rail like she owns the place… and she does. Not the hospital, but this space, the conversation. Hell, maybe even all of us.
My stomach knots. My fingers twitch for the phantom weight of a pill bottle, the one I flushed to try to prevent any temptation, but I can still hear the rattling in my head. Claire smirks. “Roman’s going to be discharged soon. Elijah and you, Crew, you’ll all come back with us.”
Silence. Heavy, suffocating silence that doesn’t even sound like anyone in the room is breathing. I blink at her. “Come again?”
“You heard me.” Her eyes flick to Will, who’s standing behind her like a sentry with that quiet intensity that makes my skin itch. He’s not loud in the way Roman is, or sharp like Elijah, or openly cocky like me.
He’s worse… he’s calm. Deliberate. Doesn’t need to raise his voice to own a room. Will places a hand on Claire’s shoulder. “Lorenzo won’t stay ignorant forever, and if he thinks even of a fraction like I do, then he knows your dumbass is alive. You are all targets. So, the safest place is with us.”
“Safe?” Elijah scoffs, crossing his arms. “You call that house safe? Withher?” He tilts his head toward Lottie, who stiffens beside Archer.
I want to deck him. Tell him to shut the fuck up, but Claire beats me to it. Her voice is like silk, dangerous and deadly as she narrows her eyes at him. “Careful how you speak about her, Elijah.Very careful.”
The temperature in the room drops. I swear I see Elijah’s throat bob when Will leans forward, his calm façade cracking at the edges. “You will live under our roof,” Will demands, “because it’s the only way to keep Lorenzo from gutting you alive. But hear me when I say if any of you hurt Lottie again…” He doesn’t raise his voice. Doesn’t need to. He’s terrifying just from a look. His hand squeezes Claire’s shoulder, and his eyes narrow like blades. “You’ll wish Lorenzo got to you first. Do you understand?”
Roman whistles under his breath while nodding. Elijah mutters something I can’t catch. Me? I just sit there, feeling the ground tilt beneath me.
We’re really doing this. All of us, under one roof.With her.
