possible fire would’ve rolled out of his mouth along with the words.
Gabe started to pull me toward the door. I felt it was in my best interest not to fight him so I didn’t. I did my best to keep up with Gabe’s long, angry strides. When he suddenly stopped at the door I slammed into him. His arm went around my shoulders and he tucked me to his side.
“Suggestion. Don’t ever pull that shit with me again.”
“I see you’ve now made the right call,” Zane responded.
I felt Gabe go solid and his arm around me got super-tight.
“What you see is me leaving before I do something regrettable.”
“Fair enough,” Zane conceded. “And Evette? Why are you taking her with you? Cooper’s here, he can take care of her.”
“Don’t fucking push it,” Gabe seethed and I squeaked when the breath was squeezed out of my lungs.
Gabe was holding on to me as if he were afraid someone was going to try to physically take me from him.
“Gabe,” I panted. “Too tight.”
His hold loosened, but barely.
“Is this what you wanted, Z?”
“I get it, brother,” Zane weirdly said. “I get it and you know I do. You know Linc does. But look at us now. Look at all we have. You may think you have it all, with your cars and your big-ass house on the water, and your bank account, and accounts you have set up for your mom, the shit you do on the side. You might think it's enough. You might’ve convinced yourself you’re playing it smart. Keeping your life fast and loose and free. But, brother, you are fucking up huge. So, yes, this is what I wanted. I wanted you pissed as fuck at me so you’d grab your woman, put your foot down, and admit that Evette means something to you. After that I want you to find a way to open your life to more than material shit that means goddamn nothing.”
This wasn’t good. I could feel Gabe vibrating with anger. I craned my neck the best I could. My eyes found Owen and I gave him what I hoped was a plea for help. He gave me a thoughtful smile and nod.
What the hell? Was Owen, Garrett, or Cooper not going to help defuse the situation?
“That wasn’t cool,” I muttered and my gaze shifted to Zane.
“Maybe not but it needed to be said.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But what’s not cool is the way you did it. First, you used me to piss Gabe off. And second, anything you had to say to Gabe you should’ve done in private. Or wait, maybe you should stay in your lane and mind your own damn business. What Gabe does with his life, his money, his mother, is none of your damn concern and it was seriously uncool that you brought it all up publicly.”
“Hello Pot, meet Kettle,” Zane sarcastically threw back. “Kinda like you should’ve stayed in your lane and minded your own goddamn business instead of digging up shit that happened to Kalee, Piper, and Anaya.”
Zane’s response hit me in the stomach like a battering ram.
“That’s not the same—”
“It is exactly the same thing, Evette. You were doing something that each man in this room could argue was something stupid. But you don’t see it that way because you care about those women. So you might think what I did was uncool, but I have my reasons and all of them are because I fucking care. You don’t have the first clue who Gabe Harris really is. If you did, you’d be standing silently just like Owen and Garrett. They know who he is. They know he’ll stay quiet. He’ll never open up unless he’s forced.”
“Zane,” Gabe warned.
“You’re wrong,” I told Zane. “He did open up to me. I know he has a house on the water and I’m pretty sure I understand why. I know why he’s always trying to make me eat. I know why he gives me dirty looks when I don’t finish my dinner. And I know how he grew up. What you just did was cruel and unnecessary and if anything probably made him rethink about sharing in the future.”
I lifted my hand and flattened it on Gabe’s chest at the same time I tried to push back a little so I could see his face better.