Priceless (Forbidden Men #8)(40)

She sniffed and glared over her shoulder at me. “I’m really not in the mood for an I-told-you-so.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.” I tried to keep my cool, but I was still upset about seeing her cry and not yet being able to kill the bastard for it...or even know what he’d done to cause it. But I couldn’t keep the sneer from my voice when I muttered, “Excuse me for worrying about you.”

“Well excuse me for wanting to go on a date like a normal, average woman without all the drama of you background checking him, or giving him the third degree, or maybe even threatening him to treat me right.”

God, I hated it when she was right. “I might not have done that.”

Except I totally would have, because she wasn’t a normal, average woman. She was the most precious thing in my life. I knew it was unnatural how much I relied on her to be there for me when I needed a friend, but I didn’t care. Sarah was priceless to me. I couldn’t help but be overprotective of her and snarl at any threat that came near her.

I didn’t know how to tell her any of this, though; she seemed determined to push her crappy mood off onto me.

“That’s exactly what you would’ve done,” she ranted. “You are so f*cking predictable it’s not even funny. I love you for caring, but you take it too far.”

Too far? I hadn’t even done anything! And I really didn’t appreciate receiving the brunt of whatever shittiness Seth had started. He was going to die an extra time for that alone.

Working my jaw, I pulled to the curb in front of her house and tried to calm myself because arguing over what I might or might not have done was getting us nowhere. Spinning toward her as soon as I cut the engine, I demanded, “Will you just tell me what he did already?”

“Screw you.” Shoving open her door, she climbed out and slammed it shut. But she couldn’t go very far. Stomping off to the house wasn’t an option, and she didn’t have the muscle to lift her chair from the bed of my truck.

I stole a second to grip the wheel tight and squeeze my eyes shut. When I jerked open my door and rounded the bed of my truck so I could fetch her chair, she leaned against the side of my truck, waiting impatiently. She hugged herself the entire time and shook like crazy, avoiding all eye contact as she lifted her chin stubbornly.

I flipped open the chair and set it on the sidewalk for her, making sure it was ready for her to sit in.

“Your chariot,” I bit out.

Sparing me a killer glare, she muttered, “Bastard,” and slid down, seating herself.

I snickered. “You’re welcome, by the way. It was simply an honor to save you from your f*cking date.”

Sarah ignored me as she rolled up the driveway without a goodbye, f*ck off, or even a backward glare.

My fingers curled into fists at my sides. Oh, this was so not over. I was not leaving this property until I found out what good ol’ Seth had done.

She must’ve known I’d followed her because once she reached the front door, unlocked it and shoved her way inside, she tried to slam it in my face.

I caught it before it broke my nose and glared at her back as she sped through the front room and past her brother, who was sitting on the couch, watching TV in nothing but some sleep pants.

“What the hell?” he yelped, jumping to his feet and gaping after his sister, who barely spared him a glance on her way through.

“I’m going to bed. Goodnight,” was all she muttered.

Mason slowly turned to pierce me with his confused gaze. “Why are you bringing her home and not—”

“I have no f*cking clue!” I yelled, fed up with this shit. I wanted to hit something. Hard.

But Mason glared and lifted his hand to hush me. “Shh. Reese and the kids are already asleep.”

“Shit.” I braced my hands on my hips and blew out a long, steadying breath. “Sorry. She just...she texted me and asked me to pick her up. Now she won’t tell me what happened, and it’s pissing me the hell off.”

Concern lit Mason’s face. “Something bad happened? With her date?” He turned as if he wanted to follow her to her room and find out the problem for himself, but I jumped forward, not about to let that happen. If he stepped in, I wouldn’t be needed, and there was no f*cking way I was going to be left out of this.

She had contacted me. So here I was.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’ll find out what happened. I got this.”

Mason looked momentarily wary of letting me near his sister, and panic filled my chest. If he said no, what could I do? I couldn’t bulldoze past him and storm into her room regardless. And I had a feeling she wouldn’t open the window for me if I tried getting in that way.

Looking him dead in the eye, I said, “I can get her to talk to me.”

He knew to believe me because I’d managed it before. Mason always knew he could trust me with Sarah, so that was probably why he gave a reluctant nod and shifted as if to let me pass. I hurried into the hall just as he called, “I want to know what this guy did too.”

Unable to promise that, I simply acted as if I hadn’t heard him.

When I reached Sarah’s room, I was relieved to discover she hadn’t locked me out. Slipping inside, I found her already out of her chair and sitting on her bed with her bare feet on the floor and her fingers gripping the edge of the mattress as she scowled at me.