Page 349 of Power Play

My stomach dropped. “Why?”

Cade looked at me as he zipped the grocery bag he had never unpacked. “Ryan needs armor tonight.”

“What does that mean?”

His eyes lifted to mine. “You know what it means. You heard us outside.”

I pushed myself off the couch and caught his forearm before he could turn away. Cade looked down at my hand, and I released him immediately.

“Tell him to come back here,” I pleaded. “This is his trip. I’ll stay next door. I won’t come into the lodge while he’s here, call him, or try to talk to him again. Tell him he doesn’t have to sleep in his apartment because I showed up somewhere I wasn’t invited.”

Cade studied me for several seconds. “No promises.”

Relief and pain moved through me together. “Thank you.”

“We aren’t leaving yet,” Easton told Aura. “We’ll settle everyone in and head over after practice.”

Aura rose slowly. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

The room fell quiet.

Easton’s brows drew together. “Excuse me?”

“I said you aren’t getting involved.”

“I’m already involved.”

“This is between Ryan and Charm.”

“It stopped being only between them when Ryan made it clear he wasn’t fucking okay to every motherfucking one of us before she arrived.”

Aura flinched. “Charm needs us too, East.”

“You’re staying with her.”

“So, I’m expected to remain here cleaning up this disaster while you disappear to Ryan’s apartment?”

Easton’s expression hardened. “You aren’t cleaning anything up.”

“That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

“No. You’re sitting with your friend while she deals with what she did. I’m going to sit with mine while he deals with what was done to him.”

“I forbid it.”

The words left Aura’s mouth before she seemed to hear them. Easton became completely still, and even Rider stopped lining up his next shot.

“You forbid it?” Easton asked.

Aura lifted her chin, although the confidence behind the movement had already started failing. “You know what I mean.”

“No, Aura. I don’t.”

“I don’t want you making this worse.”

“By supporting Ryan?”

“By turning it into sides.”