It was one thing to be left out of an important loop. But quite another to stick your neck out for someone, and have them repay you with blind insolence. On one hand, Chase had been an asshole going to the bar on his own. Trying to see Killian without me, and not bringing him any money… well, it was as stupid as stupid could be.
On the flip side of the coin though, I knew he did it to protect me. He was trying to figure out a way to stop future attacks from coming, but without putting me at risk. He still thought he could reason with Killian. Maybe appeal to his softer side, and buy some more time.
But Chase was too naive. He didn’t know what type of a man Killian actually was.
Being inside for a while, you got a sense for things like that. Who’s reasonable. Who’s not. How an American showing up in a local bar — without so much as a dime in his pocket — would make Killian look weak in front of his peers. How not bringing him anything would constitute an automatic asskicking.
Chase was lucky that’s all he got. But if I had been there…
You would’ve gotten your ass kicked too.
“Hey,” I heard Chase say. “You gonna eat those, or what? We need to get back to work.”
I looked up from my self-induced trance and noticed Julian had already gone. Madison was scraping plates. Chase’s was already empty.
“Go on,” I said, grabbing my knife. “Get started on the measurements. I’ll meet you out there.”
I squeezed out some syrup, and started cutting the pancakes into bite-sized squares. Now I felt left out of breakfast too. Among other things…
“You need anything else?” Madison smiled. She slid into the seat next to me and propped herself up o
n one elbow.
“I’m good,” I told her. “You look tired, though.”
She yawned on cue. “We were up late.”
“I’ll bet.”
We shared the same secret smirk, curling up at the sides of our mouths.
“We were, uh… celebrating the finishing of the curtain wall.”
“Mmm-hmm,” I mumbled, chowing down.
“Chase got here late last night. Said you had it out with him.”
“I did. He took the truck, and took off.” I sipped at my coffee. “Pretty fucking annoying. I had to get a ride here, from one of the locals.”
“Wanna tell me what it was about?”
I made the mistake of glancing up, and she held me with those damned blue eyes. I was pretty much helpless. She could’ve gotten me to tell her anything.
“Chase crossed someone,” I said carefully. “And he was trying to… uncross the situation.”
Madison frowned, her expression changing to one of concern. “And why did that make you mad?”
“Because he could’ve gotten hurt.”
“He did get hurt.”
I stuffed another three squares of pancake into my mouth. “Not the kind of hurt I’m talking about.”
She waited patiently, until I’d swallowed. Until I was ready to go on.
“He shouldn’t have gone alone,” I said. “That’s all I’m mad about. What he did was sort of necessary, but…”
“But what?”