I nodded, my throat swelling.
I think I’d been in shock, but now emotions were starting to swarm up.
I rasped out, “I will.”
Melissa came in, but she just gave me a quick hug. She cupped the back of my neck and whispered, “I’ll see you later in class, but hang in there. I’m here if you need anything. Call me. Promise, please?”
Again, my throat was damn near choking me. I whispered, “I promise.”
Matt was next.
He pushed inside, Chester, Guy, and Tony behind him.
At the sight of the last three, a growl came from Kash, who was standing halfway between me and the door. He was surrounded by guards. Matt and the guys all stopped short. Everyone stopped short.
The growl was primal sounding. Savage.
Matt’s eyebrows went up, but he indicated for them to hold back. He went to Kash first. Their heads bent together. After a nod from Kash, Matt headed over to me.
“Hey.” He sat next to me, pulling me into his arms.
Okay. It hit me then.
Not the emotions. Those were there, but I was stuffing them down.
All these people coming up here, they were the emotional ones. They were the ones needing to be reassured I was okay. They were coming over, hugging me, and that was all for them. Kash was ready to rip someone’s head off, but I knew he was handling business until it was just him and me. As if he could sense I was thinking of him, I felt his eyes on me. Looking over Matt’s head, I met Kash’s gaze, and whoa.
Pinned. Down.
His eyes were smoldering.
He swallowed to get control of himself.
“Oh, Bailey.” Matt pulled me closer and shoved my head into the crook of his shoulder and chest. He started petting me. “I’m here for you. I’m here for my sister. I’m so sorry. That’s so scary.”
Yeah. It was. But my hands started shaking.
It was building in me. Fury.
I waspissed.
My mom was alive, and I hadn’t said one word to anyone. Kash caught me up, whisked me here, and I’d been too stunnedto start talking. Everything happened at a whirlwind pace, but now thoughts and emotions were catching up together. They were syncing, and I was livid.
I tore out of Matt’s hold. “I need my computer.”
I swung around.
The room had gone quiet.
I said to Kash, “Raccoon.”
His eyebrows snapped down together. He took one step, made one bark. “Out! Everyone out.”
Everyone scrambled.
In two seconds, we were alone, except for Matt.
He lingered, standing slowly. “Uh, guys—”