some shopping done before reaching our destination, or else we won’t be fitting in.”
“Hotel,” I mumble and he easily helps me up. I don’t even bother resisting when he wraps a coat around me and lifts me up against his chest, the French dawn light making my head pulse from the jet lag.
I’ll just close my eyes for a minute. Just a minute.
Blaine
Sloane is still sleeping when we arrive at the villa we rented for the day despite planning to stay only hours. Her rich, dark hair is messy and her face exhausted, a frown marring her brow from what I expect was a bad dream. She’s been having more of those lately. Or maybe they've always been this bad. Either way, I blame fucking Pierce and even Kaden. The fucker needs to stay the fuck away from her.
My cock hardens thinking about the moans that came from the small jet bathroom, making me feel frustrated enough I nearly barged in on them. Why did he get to enjoy her after everything he’d fucking done? Asshole doesn’t deserve her.
I have to admit, I feel betrayed. More so than I thought. I know that loyalty has always been important to me but I’ve gotten so used to Royce and that type of dependability, the fact that I never have to pause to question his motives because I know he always has my back, no matter what. I had actually viewed Kaden as someone I could respect and be friends with, hell after everything we’ve been through together, I thought we were nearly brothers.
“We need to talk.” Kaden speaks as the three of us look at him, all of us without a doubt looking at Sloane like the creeps we definitely are.
“Nothing to talk about,” Royce explains evenly.
“That’s bullshit,” Kaden growls, “you have no fucking right to talk, it’s not like you were honest. Either of you. Hell, if anyone was honest it was Sloane and River.” River offers us a smart-ass smirk before closing his eyes.
“You got us fucking arrested,” I grind out through gritted teeth, my words sounding somehow harsh.
“I saved River’s life and Sloane’s the best way I knew how.” Kaden lays out, his voice breaking just slightly. “If I hadn’t arrested her, Pierce would be doing God knows what to her and River would be fucking dead. Also, my job could have been fucking done the minute those cops stopped us after our last job, when we were trying to get to the hotel. I could’ve shown them my badge, had you three arrested, and taken Sloane with me. I didn’t though. The more I got to know you two assholes the more I knew that there had to be a reason for what you were doing. My plan was to have a meeting with Walker in Seattle and from the moment we got to your house and I learned the real reason behind all of this, I’ve been working on a deal to grant you immunity. I’m sorry for the way it all played out, but things escalated when Sloane’s ex got involved and arresting you all was the easiest and quickest way to get you all out of harm’s way.”
What he’s saying makes sense but I still feel a bit wronged that he didn’t trust us enough to tell us everything once he learned the truth about us. And I tell him that, looking straight into his eyes.
He doesn’t look intimidated as he retorts, “Can you honestly say that you would have reacted this calmly and not put a goddamn bullet in my head?”
Running a hand over my face I sigh. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“Really?” Royce grunts.
I offer my brother a look because frankly, Kaden’s right. We haven’t been honest either and I’m not sure I would have fared better in Kaden’s position. I look back. “You need to pick a side Kaden because you know as well as I do when this is done, we can’t go back to our previous lives.” I have no idea what the hell that means for Sloane and us but I’m not going anywhere she isn’t.
Instead of answering verbally, Kaden nods but shows us the back of his phone where a small listening device sits. He says, “Let’s just get this shit done with and after that … well, we can go from there.”
I search his face and nod because despite not saying it, I have a hunch that Kaden might be on board with not going back. I