By the time I made it back to Lan’s, it was after dinner, and I had no leads to find Miller. Some would think it’d be easy to find a motherfucker who had a gunshot wound to his hand, but the people I knew—who would do a backyard fix-up—hadn’t seen the dick. I would have stayed out later, but Knife and Beast had to get back home to their girl, Nevaeh. At least I knew there were still a couple of brothers out looking for Miller. The sarge had also gotten back to me and told me without a decent amount of notice, I wouldn’t be able to have time off. Still, he was a good guy because instead of being out in the field, he’d given me some desk duties I could do anywhere with a laptop for a week. Meant while I stayed with Lan at night, I had something to do when sleep wouldn’t come.

I opened Lan’s front door, dropped my bag to the floor, and found Knife and Beast relaxing on the couch. “Nothin’ to worry about?” I asked, after closing the front door behind me. I took the chair off to the right of the couch.

“All good, brother,” Knife said. “Easton checked him out this morning, then Nurse came by this afternoon and took him off the drip. Lan’s still on pain meds, but he’s drinking and eating on his own and can swallow tablets when prompted.”

“He been all right?”

Beast chuckled.

Knife glanced at him, grinning. “Yeah, he’s been as high as a kite.”

Shit. I wasn’t sure if that was good or not. Guessed it depended on what Lan said and if he’d want the brothers to know.

“What’d he say?”

Beast’s lips twitched. Knife said, “Just stuff about his neighbour. I nearly dropped his plate when he mentioned about tasting Easton for the first time.”

Lan was going to kill himself.

I groaned, sat back further and ran a hand over the back of my neck. “You know whatever you hear outta him you gotta keep it to yourself.”

Beast grunted. “Know that,” he said and signed at the same time. Beast became deaf after a motorcycle accident. He learned sign language and how to read lips. Even before the crash, he never used to talk either because of his speech, but since being with Knife, he wasn’t afraid if he fucked up his talking anymore. It was amazing what the right person could do for someone.

Something I’d never wanted. Bitches were too high maintenance.

“Yeah.” Knife nodded. “’Course we do. He ain’t fully with it. It just surprised us. You ever knew he liked dick?”

“Jay,” Beast warned.

“What?” Knife rolled his eyes at Beast’s glare.

“No,” I said.

His brows raised. “Do you care?”

I narrowed my gaze. “You askin’ me if I care Lan had somethin’ with Easton?”

“Yeah, or that he’s into dudes.”

Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on my knees. “Seriously, Knife? Who was it that told you to man up with Beast after you asked me to run a background check on the guy you were jealous over?”

“I… you…. Shit, yeah okay. Stupid question.” He chuckled.

I watched Beast’s hands move over his words and nodded. “Yeah, your guy wanted me to check on that Ben dude.” We both laughed. Knife grumbled under his breath.

“Anyway,” Knife drew out, and I knew he was about to change the subject to get it off him. “Easton seems cool.”

Jesus, he could have picked something else to talk about.

“Thought you two had to get home to your girl?”

Knife chuckled. “Yeah, we do.” We stood. “Pick mentioned you didn’t like Easton much.”

I shrugged. “It’s not that I don’t like him. I don’t trust him, and I don’t know him.”

“Just want to point out how he took the time out today to get to know us. Even after Beast freaked him out and he seemed about to shit himself being around us. He sucked it up and sat down with us.”

“That’s nice for you.”

“Parker—”

“Hey,” was called. We all faced the hallway to see Lan stumbling his way over to us.

“What’re you doin’ up?” I asked, making my way over to Lan and then hooking my arm under his and around his waist.

“Dunno,” he mumbled. “Wanted a walk.”

Yep, he was still high on pain meds.

Beast and Knife chuckled.

“Come on, let’s say goodbye to the brothers, then we’ll see about some food.”

“'Kay.” His smile was a little sloppy. We made it to the door after Knife and Beast had already stepped out and stopped on the front porch.

“Catch you soon,” Knife said. “Think Dallas is out here tomorrow.” Beast sent me a chin lift before climbing on his ride.

“Thanks, brothers,” I called.

“Anytime,” Knife replied.

I waited out there until they were on their way out of the drive. The night had grown colder; it made me want to get Lan back inside since he was only in his boxers. But then a vehicle came down the road, I paused, and Lan looked to where I was. We saw it pull into Easton’s driveway and stop just out the front. Three guys climbed out and made their way towards the house. When the front door opened, Easton stepped out.

I felt Lan tense.

Of fucking course being out in the middle of nowhere with not much traffic or noise for that matter, the voices were easy to hear on a quiet night. I wished Knife and Beast were still there with their rides idling or some shit to drown out what we’d heard.

“East, we brought dinner and your dessert,” someone yelled and then laughed.

“Oliver,” was warned.

“I’m kidding. Or am I?” He paused and then, “Easton Ravel, I’d like you to meet Simon Flagon, your date for the night.”

Shit.

Lan straightened to what he could and clipped loudly, “The fuck?”

All eyes turned our way.

“Lan, let’s go in,” I suggested in a low, rough tone and went to turn him towards the front door, but he didn’t want to move, and since he was damned injured, I couldn’t exactly pick him up and carry him outta there.

“Excuse me?” someone called.

“Oliver, leave it,” Easton ordered.

“I will not. Who do they think they’re talking to? And looking at us like we’re scum.” He snorted. “Especially when they’re huddled close like—”

“Oliver,” Easton snapped.

“It’s fine. Everything’s fine,” I called.

“Like fuck it’s fine,” Lan called. He stumbled out of my hold and down to the end of the porch, closer to Easton’s house.

“Lan,” I grumbled low at his back. “Get the hell inside.”

He gripped the railing and shook his head slightly. “Not until that dickhead leaves. He’ll not—”

“What dickhead?” Oliver yelled harshly, taking a few steps our way.

“Oliver,” a new voice said calmly.

“Jesus,” I rattled off.

“What happened to you?” Oliver asked as he got closer to the fence.

“You,” Lan went to point at the Simon guy, but I grabbed his arm and shoved it down. He winced, and I regretted it.

“Parker, get him inside,” Easton called.

“I’m trying,” I bit out. “How about you move your party inside?”

“Who are they?” Oliver asked.

Lan cursed. “Easton, don’t fuckin’ think you can—”

“Lan Davis, not another word,” Easton growled.

Oliver made a noise in the back of his throat. “Lan Davis? The Lan Davis?”

“Oliver. Inside now.”

“But, honey, that’s—”

“Oliver,” Easton warned.

Oliver glanced back to Lan and took him in slowly from head to toe. “I can see why—”

“Ollie, I swear to God, if you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll kick your arse,” Easton hissed, and ran a hand over his head in frustration.

“Fine. Okay.” With a final look, he spun and walked back towards the entrance. “We’d better eat anyway before it goes cold.” He moved out of sight. I heard the front door open, and then the other two men followed him into the house while Easton dropped his head, sighed, and then mumbled something under his breath before coming our way.

“It’s getting cold. He should be inside,” he mentioned, as if I didn’t know it already.

“We were just sayin’ goodbye to people when your friends rocked up. Then Lan didn’t want to go in.”

“He is just standing here.” Lan grinned at us both. Lan was a dick for that scene, but an amusing one. Never seen him jealous. It was a different side to him, and it made me wonder what made Easton so special to gain that reaction from Lan.

Actually, scratch that, I didn’t care either way.

“Then let’s get the fuck inside,” I grumbled.

He shook his head and faced Easton. “You datin’ that guy?”

Easton’s jaw clenched. “It’s none of your business, Lan.”

“Bullshit,” Lan clipped. “I’m not leavin’ this porch until you tell me.”

Silence.

“East,” Lan growled low.

He shook his head. “I’ve just met him.”

“Good,” Lan clipped, then added, “so you’ll not touch him.”

This certainly felt awkward. Still, I kept my mouth shut and pretended I didn’t hear shit.

Easton’s face screwed up. “You don’t have a right to tell me what to do.”

“Then I guess I’ll be stayin’ right here.” Lan managed to straighten and cross his arms loosely over his chest.

“Just go in,” Easton bit out.

“Nope.”

Lan was just that stubborn he would wait outside until Easton agreed. Though somehow, I knew Lan would win. Easton was… fuck, I couldn’t believe I even thought it, but he was a kinda okay guy, and I knew he wouldn’t let Lan suffer in the cold for much longer. The way he dropped his head back and looked to the sky, I figured he was about to give.

He brought his gaze back to Lan. “Fine,” he snapped. “I won’t touch him.”

“And he can’t touch you.”

Easton threw his hands up in the air. “It’s not like you’d know—”

Lan dropped his hands back onto the railing. “Don’t make me come over there. The pain meds are wearing off, but I’d still come over to make sure nothin’ happens.”

“You’re an annoying arsehole.”

I couldn’t contain the snort. They both looked to me while I leaned my butt against the railing with my ankles crossed, like my arms were over my chest watching the show. They’d forgotten I was there, but I had to be in case Lan ended up on his face from exhaustion. His body tensed even more, and then he cringed. Yeah, he was telling the truth, the pain meds were wearing off for him.

Easton turned and started for his front door.

“East,” Lan called. When he didn’t get a reply, Lan added, “I’m coming over—”

“No!” Easton spun back, his hands fisted at his sides. “Nothing will happen. We’ll all eat dinner and then they’ll leave.”

Lan smiled. “Okay.”

Easton threw up his hands again and stomped the rest of the way inside. Even slammed his door in the process.

“You ready to go inside now?” I asked, my lips twitching, amused by the scene.

Lan slowly turned to me. “You’re going to have to help me. My body’s fuckin’ killing me.”

I chuckled, shook my head and went to his side. I wrapped an arm around his back while he placed one around my shoulders. “Would you have gone over there?” I knew the answer, but I wanted to be sure I was right in my thinking.

He grunted when we started walking. “Yes,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Fuck, Lan, did you even take the meds on your bedside table before comin’ out?” I asked, making our way into the house.

“I was sick of feelin’ fuzzy, and when I got up, I was still high a bit, so I thought I’d be fine.”

“Well, you’re fuckin’ not.”

“Know that, dick.”

I got him back to the room and lowered him to sit on the side of the bed. I grabbed the water and pills, then handed them to him. “Take ’em.”

He did and then placed the glass back on the bedside table. He gently moved back and pulled his feet up on the bed. I flung the blanket over him. He smirked. “You make a good house nurse.”

“Shut up.”

He laughed and winced, laying his arm across his gut.

“I’ll get some food before you crash,” I told him, and when he said nothing but nodded, I went back out into the kitchen. As I heated some food I found in the fridge, my thoughts drifted to the scene outside. Lan had obviously had it bad for Easton to demand shit from him like that. Even after, from what I gathered, Lan hurt him, I was surprised Easton listened. But then it came back to my previous thought about Easton being an okay guy.

Still, I didn’t trust him fully.