“No problem. I appreciate you picking me up.”
Brayden rolled his eyes. “Nowadays I have to get you to pencil my ass in. Tell your boyfriend thanks for giving you a few hours off.”
“Jealous?” I teased, as we crossed the street toward the back of the packed lot.
“Yes,” Brayden said, and then he gave an exaggerated sigh and waved his hand. “I’ve just had to occupy my time with hookers and brandy.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re only half joking?”
Brayden took his sunglasses off his head, slid them on, and then gave me a blinding smile. “Because you know I don’t like brandy?”
I laughed as he hit the unlock button on his key fob, and the lights of his Jeep flashed. Beside the car, parked at a diagonal so that it covered two full spaces, was a shiny white Hummer, and Brayden snorted.
“Can you believe anyone would drive one of those five-ton rolling bricks of shit? It’s like a small-dicked cry for help.” He shook his head as we slid into his car, and after I’d buckled myself in, I looked up and froze. King was walking past Brayden’s car, and when Brayden followed my gaze, he said, “Why does that guy look familiar?”
I couldn’t say anything, too busy staring at the dark blue sling he wore. My Tor did that. My Wolfe.
“Hey, wait a minute. Wasn’t he the guy from the den? The one hitting on you? Lemme guess. Your boyfriend found out and broke his arm?” He laughed as my face went hot.
“Accidents happen,” I said, mimicking what Tor had said earlier. “I’m sure he got what he deserved.”
King headed straight for the Hummer, and after unlocking it, he struggled to lift himself up into it using only one good arm. It was almost comical to watch. Almost.
“Of course he drives an H2 chode.” Brayden snorted. “What a fucking douche.”
“My sentiments exactly.”
As King drove off in his monstrosity of a vehicle, Brayden put the keys in the ignition and then paused. “What did you mean about him getting what he deserved?”
“Huh? Oh. I mean…you know. Karma, I guess.”
Brayden narrowed his eyes. “Bullshit.”
“Excuse me?”
“You do this thing with your nose when you’re lying. It scrunches up.”
“I do not.”
“You do so. You’re doing it right now.”
Self-conscious, I covered my nose with my hand. “Shut up.”
“So, why are you not telling me the truth?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Brayden dropped his hand from the ignition and crossed his arms. “I guess you’ll have to walk home, then.”
“Can you please drop it?”
“No.”
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “It’s nothing, okay? King just kept making passes at me, and Tor took care of it. End of story.”
“King’s the pavement-hogging beast’s owner?”
“Yes.”
“Wait, hold on,” Brayden said, shoving his sunglasses up on his head. “Are you trying to tell me your boyfriend beat the shit out of that guy because he hit on you?”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “Can you turn the air on?”
“Not until you answer the question.”
“It’s not what you think…”
“Uh, maybe it’s exactly what I think.”
“Look, he was protecting me, okay? King’s been showing up at work, and now he won’t be bothering me anymore.”
“Because your boyfriend fucked him up and threatened to run him over if he made a pass at you again?”
The air inside the car was stifling, and I unbuttoned my sleeves and began to roll them up my arms. “You don’t understand. The guy’s been following me, okay? Like outside of work. I’ve felt someone watching me for weeks, and I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to freak you out, and I didn’t want to freak Tor out. So, yeah, if the guy I’m seeing wanted to get a little rough and teach King a lesson, I’m not about to stop him.”
Brayden stared at me, taken aback by my outburst, and then slowly nodded. “Okay. I get it. You should’ve told me, though.”
“What would you have done?”
“Sat with you while you filed a police report, maybe?”
“That’s a little extreme when I don’t have proof.”
I could tell Brayden was biting his tongue, trying not to say what I could already hear him thinking: But a beating isn’t too extreme at all. Sure, Jesse.
“Just…be careful, okay?” he said, turning the car on and, thankfully, putting the AC on full blast.
“I will. Don’t worry about me.” The sun was glaring today, and I reached up to the compartment above the rearview mirror, where I knew Brayden kept a spare pair of sunglasses. Before I could take them out, Brayden grabbed my wrist and yanked my arm toward him.
“Holy fuck,” he said, as his gaze traveled over the scratches and light bruises that were still healing from last week’s escapade in the forest. “What the hell happened? Did Wolfe do this too?”
“It’s nothing,” I said, pulling my arm free of his hold, and then I shoved the sleeves back down.