18
Rowan
My hand moved rapidlyover the paper. With every stroke of my pencil, the harsh lines of the man’s face became pronounced. His X-like scars took over both of his cheeks, extending all the way to his jaw.
A shudder ran through me, but I couldn’t stop myself. After yesterday’s run-in with Xavier, I hadn’t been able to get the image of him, of the savagery in his eyes, out of my head. This seemed like the only way to get it out.
“What are you doing?” said a voice from behind me.
I snapped back to attention at the kitchen island, flipping over the paper automatically as my head jerked around. Ezra Noble had come up behind me so quietly I hadn’t realized I was no longer alone.
He studied me from where he’d come to a halt a few feet away. “What do you have there, son?”
“Er, it’s nothing important,” I said. “I was just sketching a little.”
“All the same, I’d like to see it.” Before I could protest, if I’d even have thought that was wise, he stepped up to the island and lifted the paper. As he studied my rendition of our greatest known enemy’s face, his expression revealed nothing. “That’s quite an interesting drawing.”
“We had a run in with him yesterday. It was… unnerving. Drawing him felt like a way of taking control, even if that sounds silly.”
“It’s not silly at all if it works.” Ezra pushed the paper back to me. “You’ve got talent. I didn’t know you liked to draw.”
“I haven’t much lately,” I admitted, wondering why the big boss was in here making casual conversation with me. Other than our relatively brief discussions about the few projects he’d taken me on directly for, like the negotiations for the waterfront property, we’d rarely talked. He definitely hadn’t ever expressed interest in my hobbies. “Is there something you needed me for, sir?”
Ezra leaned against the counter, offering me a mild smile. “You can call me Ezra. I think you’ve earned it.”
Even stranger. I kept my stance looking relaxed on the outside, but inside every part of me went on the alert. “Thank you.”
“You haven’t had quite the amount of support you deserve in our ranks lately, have you, Rowan,” he said.
I had no idea where he was going with this. “I’m not sure what you mean,” I said cautiously.
“Well, my son was your original supporter, but it’s hard to say where his mind is lately, isn’t it? So focused on that Katz girl, and making odd decisions on the fly. He hasn’t always been quite so erratic.”
Apprehension wrapped around my stomach. I didn’t think Wylder had been behaving all that oddly, but that obviously wasn’t what his father wanted to hear. I settled for a noncommittal response. “I think a certain amount of unpredictability is expected given the unpredictable situation we’ve found ourselves in.”
Ezra nodded. “Very generous of you. That’s the kind of loyalty we should be rewarding. But he still sees you as less than those other two of his, the computer fanatic and the meathead, just because he’s known them longer. That’s not how his loyalties should work.”
I still wasn’t sure what his goal was here, but he was obviously trying to drive a wedge between me and Wylder. Did he think I’d agree with his assessment of the other guys, that I was bitter about my place in Wylder’s inner circle? Maybe he was hoping for that—that I’d be easier to manipulate because I had less history with his son.
An eerie calm settled over me. I needed to know what Ezra had up his sleeve, and I was just the man to figure it out, wasn’t I? In the past week, I’d mostly been called on to use my combat skills and the viciousness I only let out when I had to. It was nice to have a chance to put my preferred talents to use, working with my words rather than my fists.
I’d rather I didn’t have to use them against the man who held all our livelihoods—and our lives—in his hands, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. If my position in the Nobles was at stake here, I intended to hold onto it every way I could.
“I guess he is a little closer with the other guys,” I said, keeping the same unconcerned tone and watching Ezra’s body language carefully. “That’s understandable too.”
“Not in a man who’s meant to become a true leader. I have no idea what’s going through his head these days. How will any of the men respect him if he’s willing to be led around by his dick by some girl?”
Ezra shook his head, and I resisted the urge to clench my jaw in anger. He clearly had no idea about my and Mercy’s shared history or about how those feelings had been reignited. He was probably hoping I’d let something slip about her relationship with Wylder.
But then Ezra went on in a different direction. “While he’s busy chasing a piece of ass, you could enjoy much more authority if you reported directly to me. You’ve done good work for me in the past. I’d like to see that rewarded.”
Report directly to him? He wanted to take me into his inner circle, alongside Axel and the few others Ezra totally trusted? Technically that’d put me on almost equal footing with Wylder rather than beneath him.
A little thrill shot through me. Even though I couldn’t say I had any interest in the offer, I still recognized it as an honor.
If it was even about me and not about undermining Wylder, that was.
“What exactly would that look like?” I hedged, fiddling with the corner of my paper. In what other ways was he planning to disrupt Wylder’s operations?