Page 19 of Shackled to the World
Then the door shut between them with a snap.
Everything inside her burned white-hot.
“Hey, let me out of here.” When she reached for the handle, Mason wedged himself between her and the door, then crossed his arms, refusing to move his massive bulk.
There was no way she would be able to budge his ass.
For a few seconds, the delicious urge to ghost them rippled through her.
That woman was touching Edgar.
HerEdgar.
Xander stepped up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her tightly to his chest. Her ribs creaked, the pain grounding her, then twisted to pleasure as the sensors in her brain mixed up the wires. He knew just the right amount of pressure needed—stopping just short of breaking her bones—to pull her back from the edge of panic.
His touch was both a threat and a promise.
If she went, he was determined to go with her, and she refused to allow anything to happen to her men.
Only when she deflated against him did he reluctantly release her, trailing his fingers down her spine until she shivered.
Her lungs expanded, the air sweet as her body automatically inhaled. She turned away from them, chewing absently on her bottom lip, trying to resist peeking out the window like a jealous girlfriend.
Camden stepped into her path, reaching up to run the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip, easing the sting. The wild, exotic smell of flowers wrapped around her, soothing her ragged nerves. His vivid green eyes, the color of a venomous green tree frog, examined her face carefully, no doubt studying her for signs that she was affected by his touch.
She reached up and linked her fingers with his. He stiffened, his expression uncertain and she tightened her grip. “It’s not the venom that’s calming me—it’s you.”
He didn’t look convinced, but neither did he pull away.
Footsteps stomped up the stairs from the basement, and Camden twisted them around until he was standing in front of her. Mason’s form bulked up, while Xander calmly reached over and grabbed two knives from a wooden cutlery block on the counter.
Terrance entered the kitchen, flipping his sandy-blond hair out of his face. The friendly, boy-next-door persona was gone. He’d lost weight in the past week, concern for his brother weighing heavily on him.
His brown eyes were no longer laughing as his gaze locked on her. “He’s gone.”
Annora blinked at him in confusion. “Who?”
“Kevin.” Terrance leaned against the wall as if he didn’t have enough strength to hold himself up anymore. He glanced down at a piece of paper in his hands that she only just noticed. “He cleaned out his things and left.”
The guys relaxed some, even going so far as to stand aside and set down their weapons. While they tolerated the kids in the house, they weren’t part of the team.
No one was trusted with her protection but them.
“What?” Annora plopped down on the chair by the counter, guilt churning in her stomach. “That’s not what we discussed at all.”
Terrance’s head snapped up, his face whitening. “You didn’t kick him out?”
“Of course not!” Annora surged to her feet and began pacing. Then she remembered spotting Kevin walking out of Greenwood’s office just as they arrived and blanched. “He went to talk to Greenwood without me.”
“Greenwood? What does he have to do with anything?” Terrance pushed away from the wall, suddenly alert, life surging back into his eyes. “What did you say to Kevin?”
“I told him to stop acting like a victim, that other people had it worse. I told him to get off his ass and share whatever information he had on Erickson with Greenwood. I never meant for him to go off on his own!” Instead of retreating, she stood her ground when he approached.
She deserved his recriminations and much worse for meddling in their lives. Worry that he would seek out the drugs again to make him whole made bile rise to the back of her throat, but she quickly dismissed her fears. Kevin wouldn’t risk dragging his brother down with him again.
The brothers were too dependent on each other. They fed off each other. If they wanted a healthy relationship, they needed to start living separate lives. She just never expected the kid to jump into the deep end. “I’m so sorry. I—”
Then another horrible thought occurred to her, cutting off her breath. “Logan. He’s going to infiltrate Erickson’s pack and go after Logan.”
