Of course, I didn't like the idea someone was trying to get to me, but I didn't want to be stifled either. I was scared, but I wanted to go on living my life. I couldn't let fear keep me from that.
"If they try, they can answer to my fist," Storm growled.
Ice nodded and started to remove the chains from the man's wrists. "I'm not killing an innocent man. Not when he can be useful to us."
Chapter Three
Jay
"I feel like a fucking idiot."I looked down into my beer. Maybe drowning in there was a good idea.
"Don't," Atlas said as he slipped into the chair beside me. He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed.
If anyone else touched me like that, I would have jerked away. Anyone but him and Chelsea. They respected my boundaries. If I was uncomfortable, they backed off. I loved them both for it.
Frost was quickly creeping into that same, comfortable space. The guy got me too, so far.
"It was a setup by people who knew what they were doing." He lowered his hand to the back of the chair. "You couldn't have known they'd pull what they pulled."
"I should have," I said. "I don't know how, but I should. There's some asshole out there who took a potshot at our woman. Instead of grabbing him, we went after the wrong guy."
I turned my face to look at him. "They're going to come again. Ramsey said so."
"Ramsey doesn't know everything." Atlas wrapped his fingers around a half-empty water bottle. "It might have been a one-off. It might not be what he said it was."
"You don't believe that," I stated. "You think someone is coming after her." I nodded upward, in the direction of Storm's apartment. He, Frost and Chelsea disappeared upstairs with Dallas and Ramsey when we arrived back in the building.
I needed a moment, so I slipped into our place. Atlas followed. I wouldn't have minded if he left me alone, but I was grateful for his presence. He was better than anyone at talking me down from the proverbial ledge.
He chewed on my statement for a few moments before responding.
"Yeah, I think Ramsey is right on that score. But if you hadn't gone after him the way you did, we wouldn't know as much as we know. Besides, if you went after the person who really shot her, they might have shot you. I'd be pissed off right now if you were dead." His tone was light, but at the same time, fully sincere.
"That makes two of us," I said with a laugh. "I'd be pissed off about it too. I'd be haunting some prick right now."
"Instead, you're here with this prick." He grinned.
I jabbed my elbow into his arm. "You're not a prick. Would I be here if you were?"
"That depends on your taste," he said. "If you have bad taste, then yeah. You would."
"Lucky I have good taste," I said.
Joking around for a few minutes was nice, but it didn't shake my frustration. We were set up, and we did exactly what they thought we'd do. I hated people pulling my strings like I was some kind of puppet. I was no one's puppet. I was Jayden fucking Lang, scrum-half for the Dusk Bay fucking Smashers. I was a badass bitch in my own right.
"If you let it eat you up, then they win," Atlas said. "This was only one play. Not the whole game."
"I can't help feeling it's past halftime," I said. "If we don't get our shit together, we'll lose."
"What the hell kind of talk is that?" He frowned at me. "Since when do we lose?"
"We've lost before." I shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze. He always made me diamond hard, but right now I was losing myself in this stupid pity party. I knew it was dumb and pointless, but I couldn't get out of my own head.
"Look at me," he insisted. "We are not losing this. We’ll keep Chelsea safe and we'll stop those assholes from muscling in on Dusk Bay, or anywhere else. They won't get past us. Our defence game is strong. Right now, the only offence they have is a stupid distraction. One we'll use to our advantage. They'll regret the day they tried to screw with us."
Like always, I couldn't quite meet his gaze, but I let his words seep into my brain and buoy my confidence.
"Yeah, they will," I said with a sharp nod. "We'll be on the lookout for them now."
