Page 89 of The Stalker Snafu

I let out the breath, stepping over Finn’s propped-up legs to take a seat between him and Oliver on the couch, and clasped my hands in my lap.

Finn grinned beside me. “You’ve got something in your hair, sugar.”

“What?” I ran my hands down the loose strands, not feeling anything.

“Here, let me get it,” he offered before reaching for the side of my head. His finger brushed the crest of my ear, sending a shiver down my spine, before he pulled back and opened his fist. “Oh, look at that.”

A small piece of chocolate rested on his palm, and I couldn’t resist grinning back as I took it. “Really?”

Finn winked. “Seventh lesson in all things magic: Perform for an audience as often as possible.”

I fought not to roll my eyes before popping the chocolate into my mouth. “Thanks, Finn.”

“I’ll text it to you so you have a copy.” He settled back in his seat, shoulder resting comfortably against mine as I gave Julian my attention.

His gaze was trained on Finn, but he let out a breath and planted his hands on his hips as his gaze cut to me. I sat up straighter on instinct.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, swallowing the chocolate before realizing how silly the question sounded. “Something else, I mean? Aside from the whole ‘my boyfriend is on the FBI Most Wanted List’ thing, of course.”

Julian sighed, pushing on his jaw until his neck cracked. “We found Kincaid, okay? He’s safe.”

My shoulders slumped in relief. That was great news! So… why wasn’t Julian smiling? “He is? Where is he?”

Julian nodded. “He’s somewhere secure, but my contact said it might take some time before he can come back.”

I squinted at him. “And is this ‘contact’ with the cartel?”

“No. Definitely not. But I’m not allowed to say more.”

None of that made sense to me. I looked around the room, but the other guys avoided my gaze. “So, what does that mean? What do we do?”

Adrian leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs out. “We wait.”

“We wait? Can we at least call him now? Can I talk to him?” I scooted to the edge of my seat. “He told you he wasn’t lying about me being his girlfriend, right?”

But Julian shook his head. “Not yet. We’re no-contact right now.”

“Oh.” My hope withered to the carpeted floor. “And when will we be… yes-contact?”

Rafe stifled a snort, and I sent him another glare.

Julian straddled one of the ottomans with a small smirk. “Hard to say. I’ll try and get a call set up with Noah as soon as I can, but it has to wait until the no-contact protocol is lifted.”

My lips twisted. “Do you hear yourself right now? Protocol?”

He smiled sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Sorry, it’s a habit. But all we can do right now is wait. I’m sorry.”

I sighed, leaning back against the plush couch cushions and looking around the room. Each of the guys were watching Julian or me, and it felt like I was in an alternate dimension, seeing them all in the same room again. I’d met Julian during a date with Noah. Finn had popped up during catering, while Oliver had been a heart-attack-worthy surprise in the music practice room. I’d mistaken Adrian for a stalker, then met Rafe by pulling a knife on him. They were all different parts of this big happy family.

But it didn’t add up.

A question that’d nagged me since I saw them each parade through the door yesterday bubbled to the surface. “How are you all even friends?”

None of the guys had been expecting that, and brows went up around the room as they exchanged glances.

I slouched further, crossing my arms over my stomach when no one spoke up. “It wasn’t supposed to be a tough question. You just seem so different. Are you in the same fraternity or something?”

Adrian was the first to break the silence. “Nah. We weren’t all friends until after high school, but Rafe and I met Finn when we were thirteen or so.”