Chapter 149
We make it back to the Pyramid just before dawn. Yet as Beau pulls the motorcycle into the garage, we see Archer standing near the door into the house with his arms crossed. He’s glaring at us, though he kind of always looks like that.
I wonder when the guy actually sleeps. I’ve never seen him sleeping, but surely he must. Maybe he sleeps in short term intervals when no one is watching. It doesn’t matter, I know. I’m just nervous to see him like this, because it probably means I’m about to be yelled at.
Beau parks the bike in his usual spot and we both hop off. He attaches our helmets to the seat slower than he has before. He likely saw Archer too.
“Whatever he says,” Beau says to me, voice low so Archer couldn’t hear. “It doesn’t change the fun we had tonight.”
“I’m not afraid of him.” It’s a lie. I don’t think he’ll hurt me or anything like that, but I do feel fear that he might have found out where we’ve been. And if he found out where we’ve been, he might try to stop me from becoming a fighter.
“No?” Beau glances at me. “Maybe you should be. A jealous man is a wildfire.”
I snort, off-guard at the suggestion. “No one is jealous of me.”
Beau shrugs like it makes no difference. His persona shifts from serious to glib. He quirks his lips into a smirk. Then he gives me a wink and turns. I follow him toward the door where Archer continues to stand, unmoving.
“Archer,” Beau says and starts to move like he’s going to go past him. Archer sidesteps into his direct path. Beau raises a brow. Archer glowers.
I stop at Beau’s side, unsure.
Archer unhooks his arms, and I realize he’s holding the baby monitor. He holds it out to me. I accept it. I can’t hear Mia, which means she’s likely sound asleep, though she’ll wake up soon wanting breakfast. I’m glad I wasn’t so late as to drop that responsibility on Archer.
I hold the monitor with both hands. I’m still not sure what to do. Archer looks absolutely pissed off, but he’s not even glancing at me. Beau is the target of his wrath this morning.
“Go inside, Chloe,” Archer says. “I need to have a few words with my idiot brother.”
“Well, hello to you, too,” Beau says sharply.
I hesitate. Beau shouldn’t get in trouble because of me. We showed me the underground fighting ring to help me, and I won’t let him take the full blame for it.
Yet, Beau’s voice whispers in the back of my mind, A jealous man is a wildfire.
Perhaps Archer is simply jealous? No, that couldn’t be. There has to be more than that.
“Now, Chloe,” Archer says, adding a bit of a growl to his words. His domineering tone sends a shiver through me. I can’t help my body’s reaction. I always like when he gives me commands.
Still, I keep myself still, not wanting to abandon Beau to Archer’s fury.
But then Beau himself side-eyes me. He nods. It says, everything’s fine. Just go.
I worry my bottom lip with my teeth, but I nod back. Then I turn on my heels and start to head inside. There’s a shirt hallway that curves down to lead to a door that will take me into the Pyramid. I’m nearly to the door when I hear Archer snap.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?”
I nearly trip on my feet, and have to stop to steady myself. My thoughts are wild. Should I go back? If Beau is about to get into an argument with Archer about the fighting ring, then I should –
“Why the fuck are you making the moves on Chloe?” Archer growls.
Just like that, all thoughts fly out of my head. I’m entirely frozen, unable to move.
“Gods, you are the worst when you are like this,” Beau says lightly. “Are you her keeper, Archer? Last time I checked, you stopped fucking her weeks ago.”
“That’s not an invitation for you to start,” Archer says.
“But it’s okay when it was Neil?”
“It wasn’t.”
From where I am, I can’t quite see them because of the curve of the hallway. It’s a terrible fucking idea but I kind of want to know what they look like. So I press my back to the wall, and slink around it until I can just barely catch glimpses of them.
Archer’s back is to me. Beau could probably see me if he looks closely, but he’s too busy giving his asshole-grin to Archer.
Archer curls his hands into fists. “Do I have to remind you about our rule? After that fucked up shit in the past, we vowed never to date the same girl. We’re supposed to treat girls like toys and not get so
