Leo preceded Cord through the doorway. Blame it on the concussions he was still suffering from the bombs Kaydee dropped, or the fact that he was too caught up in his shit to notice the guys flanking him.
Until it was too late.
The door closed, and he heard the lockclickinto place. That was hisahamoment. Leo stiffened, and a sense of dread filled him.
Christ. He stilled and turned to see Cord lean against the door with his arms folded across his chest. He shot his gaze to Stone, Vince, and Brick—standing, not sitting—all regarding him with concern pinching their faces.
Ah…fuck.
“Seriously? An intervention?” He ground his teeth, suddenly wishing he’d stayed in Dallas.
The last time he was in the hospital—more than a year ago for alcohol poisoning—he swore to himself he was never going to give his friends a reason to look at him that way ever again. The looks haunted him ever since. And he hadn’t given them cause…until today.
His stomach clenched. “What did I do?”
Was it Blanche? Had she told them about the mix-up? He’d left her with a completed kitchen that morning. She’d been thrilled, even signed off on it. He’d filed the paperwork before leaving for Dallas.
Brick cocked his head. “You tell us.”
“Gonna need you to be clearer than that,” he said, leaning against the desk, keeping the door in his peripheral vision in case Cord left his post.
Snow would fall in hell first.
“Kaydee,” Stone said, stepping close to put a hand on his shoulder. “What happened between you two this week?”
How the hell…? No way would she have called. The woman was still too private, too closed off to the ways of sharing with well-meaning, meddling friends.
Stone’s lips twitched. “Your grandmother called me on Wednesday.”
Leo closed his eyes, let out a long, ragged breath, andthunkedhis forehead to his closed fist a few times. Then a few more.
“Knock any sense in there yet?” Brick’s amused tone had him lifting his head and opening his eyes.
He flipped the idiot off.
Vince snorted. “That’d be a negatory there, Romeo.”
He turned his attention back to Stone. “Sorry. Gram shouldn’t have bothered you.”
Lord knew what she’d told them.
“Bothered?” Vince exhaled loudly. “Leo, you’re not a bother. You’re abrother. We’re always going to worry about you.”
Stiffening, he straightened from the desk. This was exactly what hedidn’twant. Their worry. Anxiety.
“No more than we would any one of us,” Stone added, no doubt reading his thoughts. “You’ve taken part in several interventions, and none were about you.”
“Yeah, they were for each of us,” Cord said, still guarding the door.
“Because at some point we had our heads so far up our asses that we needed help prying them lose.” Brick grinned. “We’re here today to return the favor.”
“So, what did you do? Or did we catch you before you did it?” Stone asked.
He blinked at them, wondering what he needed to say and how much to get them to open the damn door.
“You know,” Vince said conversationally, “the girls are bingeing a Netflix series, so we’ve got all night.”
He muttered a curse. They weren’t going to stop until he fucking talked. Fine. “I’m in love with Kaydee.”
