“Figuring out who his strongest allies are would probably be a good start,” Rowan put in. “For him to think he’s going to challenge us, he needs a large army. He’s probably formed alliances with some of the smaller gangs to strengthen his position. But it might not be hard to win them back to our side.”
I frowned. “That’s something that bothered me. He’s managed to take control over most of the Bend. I can’t see most of even the small-time gangs rolling over without protest.”
“It is odd,” Gideon said.
Just then, Wylder stalked into the kitchen with his fists balled at his sides. He looked so grouchy he might as well have brought his own personal thundercloud with him.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed. “Jeez, what’s up with you?” Kaige asked before downing another mouthful of bacon.
Wylder’s eyes briefly dropped to the space between Kaige and me at the island, and his gaze darkened. “I’m fine,” he said brusquely, as if any of us were going to believe that when he said it that way.
His energy had seemed strange ever since they’d found me. Like something inside him had gotten wound up too tight and he hadn’t figured out how to unravel it. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be around if whatever it was snapped.
Of course, he’d also been oddly protective of me the whole time. The knife he’d given me—one of his personal weapons—formed a solid weight in my hip pocket. It felt weirdly intimate, as if he was touching me there through it. The thought made my insides heat.
Ignoring his boss’s mood, Kaige shifted his stool a little closer to me and squeezed my shoulder while still looking at Wylder. “You’ll be glad to know this one’s fine too. Frank already checked her over again.” Shifting his gaze to me, he leaned a little closer with a teasing arch of his eyebrows. “We wouldn’t want our kitten in anything but tiptop shape, right?”
The hunger in his eyes, which had nothing to do with breakfast now, sent a deeper flare of heat through me. There was a softer edge of his flirting than there’d been before, more gently playful than aggressively seductive. After all the back and forth between us, maybe he wasn’t so sure of himself. But Kaige being uncertain was actually kind of cute.
I couldn’t help thinking back to the way he’d picked me up with those bulging arms and set me on the hood of his car to ravish me. I did like him fierce too.
A smile touched my lips even as I had to hold back a squirm at the memory, and Kaige’s grin widened. “And smiling too. Gotta have that beautiful smile.”
My stomach really shouldn’t have fluttered at such a small compliment, but it did.
“We’re all glad you’re okay,” Rowan said.
Annoyingly, something in his voice provoked another flutter. I shouldn’t be getting at all mushy over the guy who’d already broken my heart once, even if he’d had my back a little in the past few days.
Wylder stalked past us to the counter without a word. My gaze flicked to Gideon, and I decided to flip it into a joke. I kicked him gently in the shin, making him finally look up from his tablet. “Maybe not all of you. Somehow I think Gideon might have been happier without me here complicating all his data.”
Gideon blinked at me with those cool gray eyes of his, and a brief flicker of emotion passed through his angelic face. “Actually,” he said matter-of-factly, “I’m finding your kind of complication can be gratifyingly stimulating.”
That was a compliment, right? My body had certainly reacted as if it was, some of the heat from before settling between my thighs. Stimulation and gratification—I could definitely do with more of the latter to go with all of the former these guys had been supplying.
Kaige laughed and gave my ponytail an affectionate tug. “She is all that and more.”
“Fucking damn it!” Wylder slammed his hands against the counter. I practically jumped out of my seat, and the tablet wobbled in Gideon’s grasp. We all stared at the Noble heir, who whipped around to glare at all of us, his gaze searing. “Where is my brandy?”
“What brandy?” Rowan asked. His eyes mirrored the surprise that had shown up on everybody’s face.
“My brandy,” Wylder said in an irritated voice. “I left it in the kitchen.”
“I put it back in the liquor cabinet by the bar,” Anthea said.
“Well, you should have asked me before you did that,” he snapped. “I could really use a drink right now.”
Kaige rubbed his jaw. “It’s nine in the morning, man.”
Wylder spun on him. “Who the hell asked you? You know what? I can barely hear myself think around here.”
“Did everything go all right with your father?” Gideon asked tentatively.
Wylder bared his teeth. “I can handle my father just fine, although it doesn’t help that everyone keeps bringing him up. Why don’t you all get out of here and let me have a little breakfast in peace?”
Oooh-kay then. Prince Wylder had clearly gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. The other guys exchanged a glance and got up from their stools.
“Do you want me to—” Anthea started to offer, gesturing to the frying pan.