thing I don’t.” I left the cafeteria and made my way to Wren’s room with Jamie hot on my heels. I knew this when I heard him whisper over my shoulder.
“Are you afraid she thinks he’s hotter than you?” He chortled in my ear. “Maybe even better in the sack?”
“Fuck off.”
“At least I’m fucking,” he retorted before veering off after catching sight of Lou perusing the vending machines. I shook my head as I kept going. Sometimes, I cursed the fucking day I agreed to be friends with Jameson Buchanan.
I reached Wren’s room and started to push inside when I stopped. Through the cracked door, I heard a familiar voice speak.
“I’m so sorry,” my best friend pleaded, making my brows rise. Ever McNamara was not one who apologized often. He destroyed my first bike doing stunts when we were kids, and I still hadn’t gotten an apology out of his ass. “Not just for almost getting you killed but for everything.”
“I should have told you,” Wren conceded.
“It doesn’t matter now.” I could almost picture the emphatic shake of Ever’s head. I dared not move to see for myself and risk ruining their little moment. Four and Lou would probably kill me, and I was already high on their shit list. “I understand why you didn’t. I would have done the same if it meant protecting you.”
There was a beat of silence and then, “Nothing has to change. Not if you don’t want it to.”
Willing the ache away, I pressed a hand to my chest. Wren was giving Ever permission to ignore the blood that tied them. It didn’t matter what it would do to him—not as long as Ever was happy. It was hard to believe Wren hated Ever once upon a time.
I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until Ever finally spoke. “I always wanted a brother. It sucked being an only child.”
Something like relief had me sagging against the wall. I walked away before either of them could say more to give them privacy, but I didn’t wander far. Ten minutes later, Ever walked out, and I watched him leave before slipping inside.
“You were right,” I greeted Wren as I watched him spoon pudding from a cup. Pretending I hadn’t been listening to them proved harder than I thought. “You were bait.”
Slowly, he sat down his pudding cup before nodding. “I guess that means your father did us a favor then. There was no other way we could get them all in one place without any of them getting suspicious.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked him.
Setting up his own father? Risking his life? That couldn’t have been an easy choice. I hated my own with every fiber, and I was still having a hard time not backing out. I wondered if that made me weak. Spineless. Jeremy would sure as fuck think so. I could hear him now calling me a pussy.
“First, it was Thirteen, and then it was Exiled. My father spent my entire life choosing them over me. I won’t hesitate for a second to do the same for Lou.”
I nodded, and for some reason, I felt better about what I’d sacrifice for River and Tyra. And I wasn’t just talking about my father. I’d have to live with my decision for the rest of my life. “When are they letting you out of here?”
“A couple of days.”
“And if Crow or Fox shows up before then?”
He paused, seemingly mulling it over before shrugging. “Is Franklin secure?” At my nod, Wren turned his head, appearing grim as he stared out the window. “Then we improvise.”
I was too afraid to know what he meant by that to ask.
Neither Lou nor Jamie made an appearance, so Wren and I spent an hour going over our plan until it was damn near fail-safe. Of course, when it came to fate, there was no such thing. Only when Wren seemed to be losing energy did I finally leave him.
On my way to the bank of elevators, I noticed Tyra’s little boy toy a few feet away, pushing a mop. When our gazes met, he stiffened, his grip tightening on the mop handle as he looked around, ensuring himself that we weren’t alone. We hadn’t been alone when I kicked his ass the first time, but I wouldn’t waste my breath pointing that out. In fact, rather than waltz over to him and issue threats, I stepped onto the elevator. Tyra may not have gotten the message,