The Men with the Golden Cuffs (Masters and Mercenaries #2)(84)

Chitwood stood, gesturing toward a female uniformed officer. “Leah? Could you escort Ms. Brooks to the bathroom? She shouldn’t be left alone. Check the stalls before she goes in.”

Leah, who was called Officer Nelson from her badge, gave Serena a smile. “Of course. Right this way.” As they walked off, she leaned over, and Jacob could barely hear her words. “I heard you’re a writer. That’s so cool. Hey, do you happen to know Melissa Schroeder? I love her books. What do you write?”

Adam followed the women, planting himself outside the bathroom door.

“So, are you coming out of your pout?” Jake asked because he was really sick of dealing with delicate moods.

“Fuck you, Jake. And yes, I’m coming out of my pout.” He stared at the door. “I don’t know what I’d do if she died. Look, I admit it. I want to run. I don’t think this will work because I don’t think she’s going to let it work, but he torched her house. The least I can do is make sure this * goes down. I owe her that much.”

“You’re not willing to fight?” It was incomprehensible to Jake. How could he just let Serena go? A spark of anger lit him. “You got me into this relationship.”

“And you got us out of it,” Adam spat back.

Ah, there was the real reason. “I said I was sorry. I said a bunch of things I shouldn’t have said. I took everything wrong. I was an *. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to make the mistake of walking away now.”

“I told you. I’m not walking away. I’m here. I’ll do my job.”

“Your job is to love her. It’s both our jobs. Don’t you see how this is going to go? If you both go to your corners, it’s going to fall apart.”

“It already fell apart,” Adam growled his way.

Jake was past frustrated. “Then we f*cking put it back together. Goddamn it, Adam. You know, maybe you’re right. Maybe you should let Liam come back in because if this is the way you’re going to be every time something goes wrong, then I don’t want you in this relationship. I’m going to get her back, and I need a partner, not some whiny * who can’t get over his daddy issues.”

Jake hissed at the sharp shock of pain as Adam reared back and punched him right in the nose. Fuck. He hadn’t forgotten how to hit. And it was the second time that day that someone he gave a shit about had popped him. It was a shitty, shitty f*cking day. He felt his nose.

“I didn’t break it.” Adam leaned against the wall.

“Hey, is there a problem?” A uniformed officer stopped and stared at both of them.

“Yes,” Jake replied, wincing at the pain in his nose. Adam hadn’t broken it, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell. “My partner is an *. But you know what? He’s been that way since we went through basic together. It shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

“Ah, family matter. Well, my partner’s an *, too, but what are you going to do? He’s your brother, man.” The cop walked off, shaking his head.

Adam was his brother. Adam was the only family Jake had left. His parents never thought to call. Jake had to find them if he wanted to talk. His brothers had all moved on. And Jake was Adam’s only family.

“Are you going to forgive me?” Jake had to ask because suddenly he was a little worried about it. What the hell would he do without Adam? Adam had been his best friend for almost all of his adult life. He’d lived with Adam for most of that time. He’d come to just depend on the fact that Adam would always be there.

Adam was the one who planned out their days. Adam did all the little things that allowed Jake to do the big things.

They really were kind of an old married couple. Except without the sex. God, they needed Serena.

But he needed Adam, too. Somehow, someway, Adam had come to be more than just a friend. He was the odd other half of Jacob’s soul.

Adam was just staring as though trying to figure out how to handle him. But Jake was done being handled by everyone. He’d made that bed by being a taciturn son of a bitch and allowing Adam to handle anything even vaguely emotional because Jake didn’t want to deal with it. Adam had taken over with the women they shared. He’d taken over with their friends. All so Jake wouldn’t have to wade into the big, scary-ass emotional ocean. God, he’d been a coward.

“Adam, I don’t know what I would do without you, man. I really hope you can forgive me, because my life would suck ass without you, but I’m going after her with you or without you. You got me into this. You manipulated me until I fell hard for her. And I f*cked up. But I won’t back down. She’s the one. She’s the one for us, but if you’re too chickenshit to try, then she can be the one for me.”

Finally, a little smile curved Adam’s mouth. It was his son-of-a-bitch smile, and Adam always used it when someone was challenging him and he decided to take it up. “You couldn’t get her without me.”

“I don’t even want to try,” Jake admitted. But he would.

“Jake, what happened?” Serena opened the door, and for the first time since he’d f*cked everything up this morning, her eyes were wide with concern. “Your nose.”

“He pissed me off,” Adam admitted.

Serena walked toward him, her hands coming up, her whole body aflutter with soft, feminine concern. “He needs ice. Adam, how could you hit him?”