to remark on what he said, but my mind is still stuck on what Zay said.
“Mobsters?” I repeat. “Like real ones?”
“No, we’re talking about fake ones.” Zay’s tone seeps with sarcasm. “Of course we’re talking about real ones.”
I glance from him then to Hunter, who’s guzzling his drink like his life depends on it. Then my attention shifts over to Jax, who’s leaning against the bar, facing us, arms resting on the counter top. An empty glass is beside him, his gaze is on me, and his head is slightly angled to the side. He’s assessing me—that much I can tell—but his expression is so blank that I can’t tell much of anything else.
Blinking, I look back at Zay. “Are you messing with me? I mean, is this like … I don’t know. Is this like the bridge thing? I didn’t die, so you decided to screw with me?”
Zay slowly shakes his head, his gaze never wavering from mine. “Nope. And I already told you we never wanted you to die. That we didn’t even expect you to jump."
I’m still not sure I believe him. And I really don’t think I believe the whole mobster thing. I mean … “How is it possible for five main mobster groups to live in Honeyton? The population is, like, nothing.”
“Because a lot of population is part of a group.” Zay takes a sip of his drink. “About twenty-five percent of the town, actually.”
“Oh.” I sink back into the chair as I attempt to process this information. “When you say mobsters, do you mean like a bunch of powerful people that hang out? Or mobsters as in, we drop people into a lake with a brick tied to their feet mobsters?”
“Probably more the latter. Although, I’ve never personally dropped anyone into a lake with a brick tied to their feet.” Zay finishes the rest of his drink then sets the empty glass down on the table.
“No, you just threaten them into jumping into a river,” I joke but I’m still swirling in shock.
Mobsters? Mobsters live here?
Wait. Are they a part of one—
Zay’s nostrils flare as he leans forward, getting in my face. “You know what? I’m really starting to regret jumping in to save you.”
I roll my eyes then place my hand against his chest to push him back, a comeback tickling at my tongue. But the moment my hand comes into contact with his solid chest, I pause.
His heart is racing so fast. Like he’s freaked out of his damn mind. Or on some sort of drug.
Zay takes a shaky breath, his eyelids lowering.
“Little raven,” Hunter says cautiously, “pull your hand away.”
I start to do what he says, when Zay encloses his fingers around my wrist, stopping me. I tense as he then slips his finger underneath my leather bands and grazes the elevated scars. Then his eyelids lift open and he stares at me. He doesn’t react, which makes me wonder if he noticed the scars earlier, like maybe when he saved me. I wonder just how much he saw of them. If he put two and two together. Whatever he knows, I feel the need to defend myself, make up a story about where they came from, because I don’t want him to know about that ugly. The one I put on myself.
But, as my lips part, not a single sound leaves my mouth.
Zay takes a shaky inhale, skimming the pad of his thumb across the scars again. When he repeats the movement, my heart sputters inside my chest.
Touch. There it is again, the thing I had completely forgotten existed.
The warmth. That spark of connection.
But a warning rings in the back of my mind.
Pull away, Raven. Don’t let him read you anymore. Don’t let him see those scars, the ones no one knows about.
But despite my thoughts, I remain frozen, stuck in some sort of trance with my hand against his chest, his heart hammering inside.
Why does he seem so afraid?
What is he hiding?
“Zay.” Jax’s demanding voice slices through the intense moment. “Let her go.”
Zay stares at me for a beat then blinks, jerking away. “I wasn’t going to fucking hurt her,” he mutters then gets up and crosses the room to the bar to pour himself another drink.
A shaky breath eases from my lips. Holy intense.
Maybe one of the most intense moments of my life, which is saying a lot.
Maybe I should be worried about Zay and his intensity toward me. Hunter and Jax sure as hell seem to be.