𝐕𝐄𝐗𝐄𝐃 ❷

𝟖. ✭ 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 ✭

I revel in the feeling of the near-skin-scalding water as it runs over my body. I'd trained hard today, worked out a lot of the frustration that seemed to be constantly inside of me these days. I'd thought about the feeling of utter disappointment I'd experienced at the end of our trip to New York. It had been frivolous. Yes, we'd taken out a good amount of Dedaj's men, fucked over a lot of his business, but we had come up empty handed at the end of the trip.

The last of the suds and water flow down the drain when I shut off the faucet. Reaching around the curtain I grab ahold of my towel, drying myself off before wrapping it around my waist to exit. I make quick work of changing into tan chinos and a black tee. After throwing my bag over my shoulder I make my way out, giving a smile and a wave to a few of the men I've gotten to know. A lot of them seemed curious about me but I kept conversation to a bare minimum. My bag jostles against my back as I go down the stairs to see Torey.

Outside of his room is a man that stands a few inches taller than me and would give Torey a run for his money in the size department. He's the kind of guy I could see Torey trying to pick a fight with. You know, just to make a point that he could kick his ass and that he, indeed, is the bigger man. I let out a laugh at the thought which has the man eyeing me with curiosity.

"Broooooks!" Adri says as she rounds the corner out of Torey's room.

"Hellcat." I regard her with an incline of the head.

"Look at you." She looks me over, licking her lips as she does. "Looking like a freshly showered snack, if I do say so myself. Well, for my brother, that is." She gives me a wink that has me shaking my head. "He'll be waking up soon. The doctors are going to take him completely off the coma medication once our parents get here which," she pulls out her phone to check the time, "should be any minute now. I'm sure you're excited about thaaaat."

No and yes.

"Yeah, excited." I hope that came off more enthusiastic than I think it did. The reality is, I don't want to disappoint him and I know I will have. We don't have Dani and we don't have his son. Torey will fucking hate me as much as, if not more than, I already hate myself.

Her eyes scan over me like she sees through the lie. "Have you met Braxton the bear?" She waves a hand to the guard standing next to her then places a flirty hand on him. So this is the guy that caused all the fuss in the kitchen the other day. "Isn't he just scrumptious to look at. Mmm mm mm. Just like a giant yummy dessert that I want in my mouth." He blows out a deep, frustrated breath, not making eye contact with her or me, staring studiously at the wall in front of him. "He plays hard to get but I know he wants it." His lips twitch at that which means that he does, in fact, want it. She lets out a mischievous laugh. "See, it's all an act to remain professional. I know if we were under different circumstances he'd be plowing me against the wall right now." He chokes on a noise before giving her a look full of incredulousness. She gives him a blinding smile then saunters off with, "oh, how I love fucking with you. You're so adorably shocked. Every. Single. Time."

"Good luck with that one." I nod off in her direction. "That woman is a whole damn handful and then some." To say the very least. Her and her brother have that in common— an arrogant, cocky demeanor with the inability to not say every-damn-thing on their minds.

Braxton lets out a small laugh as he watches her with, "yeah, I've come to gather that. She is... something else. That's for sure." With a shake of his head and a grin stretched wider than the great plains across his face he heads after her.

Yeah, he likes that crazy little hellcat a whole bunch.

Hope the man knows what he's doing with that one and not just because she's a tad bit unhinged but because of who her family is. If he is smart, the man will stay at least fifty paces away at all times. 'Cause I have a feeling once those claws of hers sink in he ain't ever going to be able to get them out. That last thought has me sighing and eyeing the door in front of me.