Page 174 of Shattered Pieces

“It’s the middle of fucking winter. You can’t expect her to step outside in a tank and sleep shorts,” Hunter growled as he toed his shoes off and took his keys from the pocket of his sweats, turning them inside out to show they were empty. He didn’t hesitate to kick them off and kneel down in front of me, letting me hold onto his shoulders as he helped me step into them before he tied the string to stop them from falling down.

Then, he peeled his hoodie off and shook it to show it wasn’t hiding anything before moving towards me and shoving it over my head. It engulfed my entire body, looking more like a dress on me, and when he stood back and started taking his socks off, I scoffed. “You can keep your⁠—”

“Put them on, and they can let you put shoes on. Josie can follow you, and I’ll stay with the guys here until the cops are done.”

I blinked at him, a little surprised by his outburst as he put his warm socks onto my bare feet, and Josie gave him a look of appreciation as the cops let me grab some shoes off the rack by the door. Pretty sure they were a pair of Caden’s, they were a little big.

“I’ll be right behind you, honey. Don’t say anything until Kirk gets there. He’s in town, so he won’t be long,” she called out as she grabbed her keys, following in the outfit she’d thrown on before we’d come downstairs earlier, slippers still on her feet.

The cops were a little rough as they shoved me into the back of the car, the yard now swarming with cops to make sense of the crime scene upstairs.

“Seemed pretty skilled with that gun. Those criminals been teaching you a thing or two?” the cop behind the steering wheel asked as he climbed in.

I mimed zipping my lips, doing as Josie said by staying quiet, and he seemed annoyed that I wasn’t about to incriminate myself.

I wasn’t saying shit.

Hunter

It was four in the morning. Two hours since I’d arrived to find Rory in the hallway with mayhem around her, and we were finally allowed to leave. The cops were being pricks to me, only letting the guys upstairs for a change of clothes while being supervised, leaving me in my boxers, shoes, and a shirt.

Tyler brought me down some sweats but said the cop wouldn’t let him get me a hoodie. The pants were better than nothing.

“We can go to ours,” Jensen said, motioning to Lukas. “Plenty of room for all of us there.”

“As much as that sounds like a good idea, it’s not. It’s hard to keep a property that size secure. Mine doesn’t have much space, but we can go to Mark’s. He’s at least got the spare bedroom,” I reminded them, earning a sour look from Caden.

“We need to stay in Ashburn. What happens when Rory and Mom are done?”

“They can come too.”

“You expect my mom to crash on the couch in a dog pile or something?” he growled, and I rolled my eyes.

“Chill out. I can change the sheets and she can have one of the rooms to herself.”

“Your house is dangerous.”

“You’re just trying to pick a fight at this point. What do you mean my house is dangerous? Your fancy house with all the bells and whistles didn’t keep intruders out tonight. How is mine dangerous?” I asked dryly, and Lukas put his hands up in a time-out motion.

“I think Marco’s is a good idea. Tell Josie not to leave without security, and let them know where we’re going.”

“Look, even the one with anxiety agrees with me,” I said brightly, the anxious man in question giving me a light shove. “You get hold of Josie. I’ll call D to fill him in too. I’ll take up the rear, so drive straight to Marco’s.”

We headed outside as a group, Caden and Tyler going in the Challenger, while Jensen and Lukas followed in Jensen’s Camaro. I went last and grabbed my phone from the center console, dialing Diesel’s number once we were on the road.

“What’s up?” Diesel asked, sounding pretty alert for this hour of the morning.

“You want to meet me at Marco’s? Shit went down at Holloway’s,” I replied, glancing around for trouble.

“Something happened?” Diesel was on the move, his keys jingling as a door slammed.

“Break-in. Everyone’s fine, but Rory was taken in for questioning and Josie’s with her. I’m following the guys to Marco’s so we can figure it all out.”

“I’m on the way,” he replied before hanging up, making it easier for me to keep an eye out for trouble.

Marco was making coffee when I unlocked the door to let us all in, and I frowned disapprovingly at the joint between his lips. He shot me an irritated look, knowing exactly why I was looking at him like that.

“Fuck off, man. What happened? Break-in? Who was it?”