“So damn sexy,” he says and leans in for a quick kiss. “I’ll show you again how much, later. I’ll get Jax ready. The guys are heading there now.” His brow creases.
“Do you…?” I swallow, fear turning my mouth dry. “Do you think there’s something seriously wrong? More than stress and exhaustion?”
“I wish I knew.” He shakes his head. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.. Don’t worry.”
So much easier said than done.
Maybe it’s not as bad as I fear, I tell myself. Maybe he’s just going through a rough patch, and with a little help from his friends he’ll be back on his feet in no time.
One can only hope.
***
We knock on the door and Dakota opens, looking harried and exhausted, the baby wailing in her arms. It makes me feel really bad for visiting so late in the evening, but at least Audrey called first, so we’re not barging in unannounced.
“Hey, guys.” Dakota gives us a faint smile and lifts the baby upright to pat his tiny back. “Just finished feeding Lee. Come on in.”
Her eyes are ringed with dark circles, and she’s dressed in gray sweats. Her normally wild hair that’s streaked with colors is a tangled mess.
I force my gaze away from her, knowing she’s going through a tough time, and focus instead on her newborn son.
“Ooh, what a cutie! He’s grown so much!” I swear I never got all misty-eyed over babies until I had mine, but now I get excited every single time. It helps that the parents are good friends. “His name is Lee?”
“Emmanuel, actually. From Emma.”
Of course. I knew that. Emma was Zane’s adopted sister who died recently. Honoring her memory in their son’s name is beautiful.
I lead Jax inside by the hand, and he looks around wide-eyed. He hasn’t been at Dakota and Zane’s place many times.
“Can I hold him?” Audrey coos at the baby and at Dakota’s nod, she receives him in her arms.
He really is cute and even though he’s still very small, you can see he has Zane’s pretty, almond-shaped eyes.
Speaking of whom…
“Where’s Z-man?” Asher asks, entering behind me, Scott asleep in his arms. He walks inside the living room, going around the furniture as if expecting to find Zane hiding behind a couch. “Where is he?”
“Ash, calm down,” Tyler mutters, carrying Isa in her travel crib inside and depositing it on the carpet. She’s fast asleep inside, her small fists clenched on either side of her head. “He’s here.”
“Damn right I am,” a deep voice says from the hallway. “It’s my home, fucker.”
Zane appears, coming out of the dark, a scowl twisting his face, dressed in a wrinkled black T-shirt with the Damage Control logo and jeans. Something’s seriously wrong about the way he looks, though, and it takes me a moment to put my finger on it.
His Mohawk. It’s… shorter. Its colors faded. The spikes wilted.
“Holy crap, what happened?” I blurt, and his gaze swings to settle on me, narrow, and angry, and desolate. “Zane…”
“Erin.” God, there’s pain in his eyes, so much pain it hurts my chest. Then he lifts his chin, his gaze going flat, shields slamming into place. “What the fuck are you all doing here? Get out.”
We all freeze.
“What did you say?” Asher whispers. His face has gone white, and his pale eyes glitter.
Audrey makes a gasping sound, and Asher pulls her close. She hides her face against his chest, but not before I see tears on her cheeks.
The same tears I feel burning the back of my throat.
If we weren’t sure something was wrong before, it’s one hundred percent certain now. Zane may need his space and has his quirks and weird moods like the next guy, but the Brotherhood is his life. He cares for these boys, he cares for all of us more than he has ever cared about himself. The fact he is telling us to get out…