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“She was fine.” Calder scoffed, shaking his head. “I wasn’t gonna let anything happen to her.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, a sinking feeling in my gut telling me that they were discussing Thea.
“He fucking scared her on his bike, then threatened her.” Hendrix shoved at Calder’s chest.
Calder didn’t budge, his feet planted on the floor. “I didn’t threaten her,” Calder said. “I simply advised her to get the fuck out of dodge before she got hurt.”
“And why would she get hurt, Calder?” I asked, standing from the stool I was sitting on.
“Because.” He looked toward me. “The two of you idiots are bringing her into the fold. Nice way to put a target on her back.”
“Target? No one can link this shit back to us,” I said.
“Anything can happen, Parker. Anything. We can fail a mission, we can get caught by an enemy. Fuck, we can even be arrested. And all of those leave her exposed. Have you not thought about that? About what it means to be in a relationship with someone?”
I swallowed. Both Hendrix and I were silent, unsure how to respond. I hadn’t thought about the dangers of the things we did in the dark. The things we were doing were virtually untraceable. I made sure of that, but he was right. There was always a possibility. And Thea was our weakness.
We were brothers and would always have each other’s backs. We’d always protect each other, would always follow the ‘no man left behind’ motto. But we still had hard rules in place. That was no matter what danger the four of us were in, we’d never sacrifice the cause to save someone. We’d walk away without negotiating for our lives.
With Thea, that was off the table. She was innocent in this, and if anything happened to her, her blood would be on the hands of Hendrix and me. Why hadn’t we seen that before?
I scratched at a brow, not sure how to respond. We were foolish. “You’re right,” I said. “But I’m trying to figure out why you give a shit? You’ve been a dick to her since the second she came over. Don’t tell me it’s because you’re trying to protect her.”
Calder’s arms fell open, and he waved them between the triangle the three of us made. “I’m trying to protect us. We don’t need this bullshit again. Quit thinking with your dicks.”
“You mean the way Millie crushed you?” Hendrix asked. “You don’t want another heartbreak on our hands. Well, Calder, you’re the only one who’s still upset about that. It’s been eight years. Time to move the fuck on.”
“Fuck you, prick.” Calder stepped toward Hendrix, his chest bumping against Hen’s.
Hendrix’s laugh was dark, and his face was holding a sadistic smile. “That’s what it is.” He nodded rapidly, as if the pieces were coming together. “Are you scared you’re gonna fall for the pretty girl and get your feelings hurt again?” He spoke in a low, taunting way, and I knew I was going to have to break up a fistfight if I didn’t get in between them now.
I gripped the back of Hendrix’s neck and pulled him back. “Come on. Let it go. Thea’s alright. This doesn’t matter.”
“It does fucking matter,” Hendrix said, shaking free of my grip.
“You’re right. It does matter, Hendrix.” Calder took a few steps back, his hands clenching at his sides. “You think this is about Millie?”
There was a beat where we didn’t respond, where the air felt thick and energy stalled. Then, a low growl left Calder’s lips. “This is about us. It has nothing to do with a woman. You aren’t thinking, and it’s going to end in heartbreak for all three of you.”
Hendrix continued, ignoring Calder. “Millie wasn’t supposed to be serious, Calder. You fell for her along the way. Parker and I may have been getting there, but to us she was just a friend who we happened to all sleep with. I don’t know why or how you got attached. But you did, and that’s okay. You’re allowed to feel betrayed. You’re just not allowed to push your trust issues on us. We like Thea. We’re happy with where this is going. You can get on board, or not. But it is happening, Cald. It’s happening and I’m not going to fucking stop it.”
He glanced at me, then back to Calder. “As far as putting her in danger? That’s a fucking cop-out. She’s worth protecting, and if that’s what we have to do, then that’s what we do.”
Calder glared at him, his mouth slightly parted in shock. “You’d willingly put an innocent woman in danger, Hendrix?”
“She’s not in danger. She’s got four fucking bodyguards at her disposal. And we’re getting ahead of ourselves. This isn’t anything serious.”
Calder’s laugh fluttered through the air, blanketing us with his disbelief. His gaze was back on me. “I see the way you look at her, Parker.”
Then, back to Hendrix. “The way she looks at both of you. All of you may be denying it, but it's there. You’re right. I got attached to Millie. Somewhere, something shifted for me. Maybe it was the loneliness and the feeling of being with someone who made me forget what was going on around us, or maybe it was just the chase of her that hooked me. But I got fucking hooked.”
His voice cracked, and I saw the sadness in his eyes, the regret that swirled there. It made my chest ache for him. “That was on me. I thought that…” He shook his head as he blinked hard. He was forcing himself not to show weakness, not to cry in front of us, and he refused to shed a tear.
I glanced at Hendrix, who was standing more relaxed. The situation was diffusing, and I was relieved we hadn’t gotten to the fist throwing.
“She is off limits,” Hendrix said, a rumble coming from deep in his chest. “No more threats.”
Calder sighed, but nodded his head pensively. He reached out a hand to shake Hendrix’s hand, then pulled him into a brotherly hug.
