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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Rich

I padded quietly through the manor to the kitchen to brew coffee. It had been closing in on eleven when we finally located Victoria the night before. I hadn't slept, and I could hazard a guess that if any of us got any sleep, it was Joey. I drummed my fingers on the counter while I waited, trying to keep the haze of sleeplessness at bay.

I felt like I could sleep for a week, but the mix of worry, fear, and adrenaline was a powerful stimulant that didn't let go even after I'd tucked the princess in her bed. When I'd stepped out of the room, the boys had nearly been at each other's throats over who would stay with her through the night. Everyone except Az. He'd slunk past the group and headed straight for the stairs after he'd walked in.

I wanted to stay… but that wasn't for me. I knew it, despite how every instinct in me wanted to wrap her up and keep her safe. The only voice I had in the argument was to tell Leighton that he wouldn't be the one to do it. He was still on shaky ground with her, and it wouldn't have been good for her to wake up and wonder what had happened if she didn't remember.

In the end, it was Joey that stayed with her. The flash of jealousy I felt toward my brother had thrown me for a loop, causing me to retreat to the room I'd claimed for my office. Victoria Bristol had sunk her hooks into the others, and I wasstarting to realize as much as I tried to fight it, she'd clawed her way inside my mind, too. I knew better than to dwell on it, but it was getting harder to ignore. Between her adorable acts of defiance and the capacity for understanding, compassion, and strength she'd displayed to keep hitting back through whatever was going on… I wasn't even sure anymore if I had a chance against it.

When she'd turned those pretty brown eyes on me the night before, her pain left a raw spot in my chest that I couldn't work out. But I'd take it a hundred times over the fear and anger that festered before we'd found her. When we walked into the bar, I couldn't decide if I wanted to hug her or put her over my knee and wear her the fuck out for scaring me like that.

When had everything gotten so messy?

I poured a straight black coffee into the largest mug I could find in the cabinets, trying to sort out the threads of emotion so I could examine them and set them aside. Compartmentalizing was in my best interest because doing anything else was likely a road to nowhere. I hadn't been as openly antagonistic toward her, but I'd contributed to her feeling locked up and suffocated. That was going to have to change; many things were going to have to change…

"You didn't sleep, did you?" Craig's voice pulled me out of my reverie; I blinked and focused in on him. I'd been staring into space so hard I hadn't even seen him enter the room. I shook my head and raised my coffee in mock 'cheers.'

"You?"

"Think I dozed a little. Hard to sleep after you spend most of the night all keyed up." He shrugged, moving to the coffee pot. None of us were unfamiliar with a sleepless night or two. We'd live. "Rich, we need to have a family meeting about how things are gonna go now."

"I know. We need more than a family meeting. We need to have a discussion that includes the Princess." I replied.

A few minutes later, Leighton strolled into the kitchen. He looked the worse for wear, with dark bags circling his eyes and sunken cheeks. I couldn't recall seeing him look so bad, not even after the handful of underground fights he had lost. He made his way to the coffee pot, filling himself a cup before settling onto one of the bar stools at the island. The three of us drank our coffee silently until Az entered the kitchen. The tension in the room skyrocketed, and I noticed even Craig tensed up.

"Whatever you guys have to say, just say it," Az muttered. Craig opened his mouth to say something, and I shot him a stern look and shook my head.

"It's too fucking early to pick petty fights," I groaned. The guys fell into an even tenser silence after I spoke.

"You gonna be an Az-hole again today, dick head?" Joey's voice cut through the kitchen no sooner than I was done speaking. "Because, frankly, I've had about enough of it. I don't know if the next time you break that woman, I'll be able to piece her back together. We aren't supposed to be here causing her harm. That wasn't the fucking plan."

"Oh yeah? Was her systematically crawling between the sheets with all of you part of the plan, then, Joey?" Az shot back.

"Watch your fucking mouth." Craig seethed, taking a step toward where Az stood.

"Or what? Gonna lock me out of my phone?"

"I promised her that I'd kill anyone who hurt her. Don't make that include you, Az." Leighton warned, a murderous glint in his eye. "You know, if I come for you, you won't stand a fucking chance."

"Enough!" I slammed my cup down on the counter, stared at it for a second, and grabbed it again, intending to launch it across the room.

Before I could, Victoria stormed into the room. She made a bee-line for Az, cocking her arm back. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as her fist sailed through the air. Her punch connected with his eye, causing his head to snap backward. The room fell into stunned silence as she sidestepped him, pulled a mug out of the cabinet, and started to fix her coffee. Az held his face, mouth agape, as he stared at her.

"That's my girl!" Leighton whooped as he began to clap.

Victoria's head whipped toward Leighton, her eyes narrowing on him. "If you don't quiet the fuck down, you're next."

"Kinky," L replied, lowering his volume and letting his hands fall to his sides.

She rolled her eyes and took a long sip of her coffee. Az gingerly touched his nose, checking to see if it was bleeding. I couldn't stop the smirk, watching him reel from her greeting.

To his credit, he didn't retaliate; he just moved from the entry to the island and pulled out a bottle of Advil before moving toward the coffee pot. Victoria stiffened when he stopped beside her, but if he noticed, he didn't react. He simply opened the bottle of Advil, shook out a few, and handed her two before tossing the ones left in his hand into his mouth.

She took them, huffed softly, and moved to sit at the island across from Leighton. He was still grinning at her like an idiot.

"You deserved that," Craig remarked in amusement as he moved to take a stool next to her. Joey followed suit and sat on her other side.