Page 131 of The Silent Note

GREY

“Why not?” The words wrench out of my cinched throat. Normally, I’d assume Zane is joking around or trying to annoy me, but I’ve never seen such an intense expression on his face.

His lips press together in a thin line, and I spot the heavy inhale that flares his nostrils.

“We caught someone from The Grateful Project sneaking around our house tonight.”

My heart gallops in my chest.

“We picked them up on the surveillance camera,” Zane says, his eyes flicking away from me.

“Did they get in?”

“No, Finn came home and scared them away.”

Thank God.I don’t know what I would have done if they actually tried to hurt one of The Kings. Just because the boys walk around like gods doesn’t make them any less human.

“Are you sure it’s ALL The Kings you’re worried about?”

I glance at Sloane.

“Aren’t you happy nothing happened toZane?”

Maybe.

But I’ll never admit it out loud.

“Babe?” Zane says, his tone a little too casual, too conversational. As if he’s trying not to alert me to how weird it is to wait while I have a conversation with Sloane in my head.

I straighten my back. “Did you get a good look at their face?”

“No. But they’re still out there. That’s why we moved you and Cadey to a hotel room.” He gestures to the suite.

I scrunch my nose. “So… how do you know the thief was with The Grateful Project?”

He smirks, a charming, handsome smile that somehow doesn’t quite ring true. “My bad. The next time someone snoops around the house, I’ll ask for references.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant,” he teases. “But right now, we’re going to assume everything is a threat.”

“Okay. I get that.” I glance up at Sloane who’s watching me with a concerned crinkle between her eyebrows. “It’s fine to move out of the house until we find the burglar, but why can’t I check out the location tonight?”

“The break-in reminded me that we’re dealing with dangerous people. People who could be watching our every move.” He leads me to the edge of the bed and we both sit. “I want you to be safe.”

“I don’t care if I’m safe.”

“Icare.”

“And I appreciate that.”

He chuckles and pushes my hair behind my ear. The stubborn curl pops right back out.

“What if Sloane’s killers see you finding the evidence? How long do you think they’ll let you keep that evidence? They’ll do everything they can to take it from you and then it’ll all be over.We need someone expendable, someone totally removed from us, to pick it up.”

“He has a point,”Sloane says.

I look at her and then back at Zane. “So who would that be…”