“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded.
“I didn’t think it was relevant.”
Cooper slammed his hands down on the table, and I fought off a shiver, even though my own reaction pissed me off. “Jesus, Teagan, he might’ve tried to kill you. Do you understand that? He might have broken into your place and done who knows what to you and when you weren’t there, decided to take his revenge another way. Do you get that?”
“Hey, man, cool it.” Zane touched Cooper’s arm at the same moment Jamie reared to her feet.
“No, he’s right.” I took a slow, deep breath. “I didn’t want to face that he could be involved. I still think it’s unlikely. He didn’t have anything in his past to suggest it.” At Coop’s fiery expression, I held up a hand. “At least that I knew of. Things could change. I might not have the whole picture. I get it, okay? But yelling at me to make me see what you want me to is not a whole hell of a lot different than what I dealt with when I was with Pat.”
“Is that so?” His voice went as cool and expressionless as his face.
Instantly, I regretted my words. “You’re not like him. You’re not. Just don’t shout at me, all right? It sends me back to a bad place.”
He didn’t respond as he slumped into his chair. He also didn’t look at me.
But he was still there. He hadn’t stormed out of the room and left me to face the wolves alone. Not that they were wolves. Far from it. Still, he knew how tough this was for me.
And he was sticking, despite the fact that I’d hurt him. For good reason, because hello, he had no right to yell at me like I was a child. What he did have a right to do—and I loved him for it—was to tell me the truth as he saw it just in case I hadn’t looked at all the angles.
Even if I didn’t like it. At all.
Saying nothing, I reached across the table for his hand, now curled around his unopened soda. He didn’t retreat. Instead, he clasped my fingers tightly in his own.
“That’s better,” Jamie muttered before taking her seat again. “I’m watching you, Dallas.”
“Oh, you scare me, DuCaine.”
Lila cleared her throat. “The last thing we want is anyone to panic. We’re keeping cool heads so we can take the steps we need to in order to ensure everyone’s safety. That means more security.” At the requisite groans, she lifted her brows. “You don’t want to disappoint your many loyal fans, correct? This is the price of admission.”
“And these terms are non-negotiable,” Donovan added, just in case any of us had forgotten his dark, commanding presence looming in the corner.
“We’re open to ideas, but we are also tightening protocols. Having bodyguards will not be optional.” Lila leaned forward. “You aren’t to travel alone any more than necessary for the foreseeable future. Right now, togetherness isn’t just a way to make the band cohesive. It’s a way for you to send a message that you can’t be fucked with. That together, you’re far stronger than you are alone.”
Jamie crossed her legs. “Well, duh.”
“Each of you will be assigned a permanent bodyguard. The only time that assignment will change is in case of illness or an unavoidable conflict.”
“Permanent?” Oz asked. “Forever?”
“Permanent until the threat has been handled, whatever way we deem necessary.” Donovan tucked his hands in his pockets. “We don’t like living with this any more than you do.”
“Wait a second, you mean you guys too?” Lindsey asked.
Lila smiled grimly. “You haven’t lived until you have to tell your six-year-old twins why that strange man is taking them to kindergarten.”
“Ugh, that’s horrible. Your poor girls.”
“Far worse than them is my husband. He actually attempted to put his bodyguard in a headlock on the first night.”
Oz grinned. “Attempted?”
“Yes. He did not succeed, much to his chagrin.” Lila sighed. “So, trust me when I say I want all this to be over just as much as every one of you. Probably more.”
“All of this can’t be Pat’s doing.” When Cooper’s grip tightened on my fingers, I flashed him a look. “I’m not defending him. He just wasn’t that bright.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed. “You’d be surprised the hidden sides people can have.”
Why did it seem like he was fixated on Coop? Who was not paying him any mind.
They’d been in the Rangers together, that much I knew. Cooper had left for an assortment of vague reasons. And he wondered why I hadn’t gone to confession about Pat? He wasn’t exactly Mr. Forthcoming either.
Sometimes I wanted to ask more questions, but mostly, I tried to respect his boundaries. Although what Lindsey had said about his dreams was preying on my mind. I’d kind of expected him to volunteer to crash with me this morning—why, I don’t know, since we’d never slept that close before—but maybe there were reasons he’d wanted his space. Or else he’d been worried about protecting mine.
God, why was everything so complicated all of a sudden? All I knew was that holding his hand felt nice. No one around us seemed to notice or care.
Except for me. I was definitely noticing and starting to wonder if he could tell my palm was damp again, for an entirely different reason this time.
Weirdo. He’s just being a good friend. Don’t make it a thing.
Lila was talking again, but my focus stayed on my fingers locked with Cooper’s. Clearly, I needed more sleep.
Then she mentioned the bus situation.
“We know you enjoy having more room and your current bus arrangements, but we’re making some changes. To keep everyone safe, we’re going to one bus for the band and security and another bus for the crew.”
“One bus? You can’t be serious. Blondie’s hair products take up a cubic mile.”
Lindsey reached behind me
