Mrs. Martin was already on her feet, pulling Emma up with her. They rushed past Dennis, heading for the lobby.
Zoe and I followed more slowly, our eyes finding each other. As glad as I was for the Martin family, I needed to see for myself that my friends were okay. I knew that Zoe did, too.
When we got upstairs, the lobby was crowded. Henry was sitting on one of the couches, a blanket wrapped around him, his face scraped and red from the cold. His father sat beside him, one arm around his son, the other holding a compress to his ankle. They both looked exhausted and cold, but alive.
Emma threw herself at her brother, and Mrs. Martin attempted to hug both her husband and her son at the same time.
Kai and Landon stood off to the side, looking beat. Kai’s face was red from the wind, his hair wild. But it was Landon who worried me. His face was ashen, his eyes hollow.
I pulled out my phone and contacted my sous chef, barking out enough orders that he’d be able to run the dinner service.
My friends were more important than a dining room full of strangers.
So I stayed with Zoe, watching as the Martin family held each other. Watching as Kai tried to talk to Landon, who barely seemed to hear him.
“They just need time,” Zoe said quietly. “Kai and Landon. To decompress.” I nodded, but we both knew that the real concern was Landon. What had it done tohim, to go on this rescue when the last one had resulted in the death of his partner?
With a gentleness I’d never seen, Kai was leading his brother away.
We gave them a head start, then made our way to the hideaway, too.
The three of us had planned a sex lesson for tonight. It was supposed to start with hand jobs and progress to oral. Before all this happened, I’d been excited about it. About touching Zoe again and watching her face as her body shook with pleasure.
But now?—
Landon was on the edge of the armchair on the far side of the room. His hands were red from the cold, but that wasn’t what disturbed me. It was the way his elbows were on his knees, his head in his hands, his whole body curved in on itself.
Kai was standing near the fire, looking lost. When he saw us come in, he walked over quickly.
“He’s barely said ten words since we got back. Not even to me.” Kai’s voice was rough with helplessness. “What do I do? Should I get him drunk to forget? Try to make him talk? I don’t know what’s best.”
I’d never seen my friend look so uncertain. So completely out of his depth.
“I don’t think we do anything,” I said.
Zoe looked up, concerned.
“We have to,” Kai insisted. “He shouldn’t be aloneright now. It’s not healthy to think too much after something like this.”
“I know.” I met Kai’s eyes. “I saidweshouldn’t do anything. You and me.” I turned to Zoe. “But you should go to him.”
“Me?” Her eyes widened.
“Yes.”
“What do I do?”
“This isn’t a lesson. You’ll know what to do.” I struggled to put it into words. “You two have... there’s something between you. Something strong.”
Somethingreal, I thought. Would I ever have that with her? It had taken me a really long time to realize that Zoe wasn’t just an uptight ballbuster with a killer body. Even now, I wasn’t sure how I felt about her, besides being turned on most of the time. But Landon had seen there was more to her from the start.”
Maybe that’s what made the connection between them different. Real in a way that went deeper than desire.
Almost against my will, I found myself wondering if she’d ever look at me the way she looked at Landon.
She nodded, still looking worried.
Kai took her hand and squeezed it. “Please. Help him.”
