Page 123 of Hide and Seek

I catch it and thumb out a piece. “Gum?” I offer Jax.

He smiles and shakes his head.

I toss the pack back to Jace and pop the piece of gum in my mouth.

“I need to call Echo,” I tell Jax. “She has to be freaking out because of the power failure, and I need to tell her about Cipher. I don’t think he’d ever hurt her or put her in danger, but then again, I thought the same thing about me and that turned out to be a giant lie.”

“Come on.” Jace stands and waves for me to follow. “You can use my computer to call her. If my brother can let you go for a few minutes, that is.”

Jax shoots him a flat look but releases me.

“I’m going to go to your dorm to get some of your stuff,” Jax tells me as I stand.

“My stuff?” I ask and head over to Jace’s desk.

“Your phone, some clothes, your toiletries, laptop. Whatever else you need.”

“But…” I look between them.

“You thought Jax was gonna let you go back to your room tonight?” Jace cackles and flops down in his chair. “Hell no, little bro, you’re going to be staying here for the rest of the weekend at minimum. We might know the who what when where and whys of all the shit that’s been going on, but we still have to make sure the threat against you is over and do it in a way that doesn’t bring the whole school down on us.” He pats the seat of Jax’s chair, which is next to his. “Now sit that pretty little butt down and let’s call your friend before she loses her mind.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind if I stay here?” I ask Jace.

“Of course not.” He hands me his spare headset. “It’ll be like having a slumber party. But just a warning, I’m a deep sleeper, but I will react with violence if I get woken up because you two can’t keep your dicks to yourself. If you’re gonna bone while I’m in the room, then be silent, or you’ll have to face my wrath at having my beauty sleep interrupted.”

“You don’t care if we do…thatwhile you’re asleep?”

“Nope, because I won’t know about it if I’m asleep.” He bumps his arm against mine playfully. “Can’t give a shit about something if I don’t know it happened.”

“Is this a twin thing, or a psychopath thing?” I ask. “I can’t fault your logic, but that’s definitely not the position most people would take in your situation.”

He laughs and taps on the space bar to wake up his computer. “Probably both.”

Jax comes up behind me and gives my shoulders a tender squeeze, then leans down to brush a kiss over my sore temple. “Is there anything else you want me to get from your room?” he asks softly.

“No.” I turn my face, eagerly searching out his mouth for a kiss.

He obliges, and I’m grinning like a fool again when he pulls away.

“Here.” Jace slides his keyboard in front of me. “I’ll go grab you some pain meds and ice for that bruise while you talk to your friend.”

“Thanks.”

He shoots me a grin and pats my shoulder as he stands. “It’s over. Just a few more loose ends to tie up, but all this is finally over.”

I nod as the reality of that hits.

It’s over.

After months of turmoil and fear and thinking that it would never be over, it finally is.

“Thank you,” I say to both of them. “For everything.”

“Don’t thank us.” Jace’s smile is soft and full of affection. It’s the same smile he gives Felix, and that warms something inside me. “You don’t thank family for stepping up. That’s just what we do.”

I nod, my throat tight with emotion. I already knew Jace thought of me as family, but after what he did tonight, and hearing him say it now, cements it as truth for me.

Jace gives my shoulder another squeeze and heads away from the desk.