All the guests had left, and as far as I knew, none of them knew what had happened just above their heads. Easton sat in the corner of the room with Darlene and Prisha talking to the police. I’d already given them my statement, along with all the information we had. Darlene lied for us, saying she had found the emails since we hadn’t had a warrant to even look through his computer.

Liam stepped up beside me. Thank fuck he’d been there. When I thought Andrew had shot Easton, Mr Khatri had tried to escape. Liam had taken him to the ground, and with the one punch Liam delivered, he’d been out like a light.

“Mrs Khatri has come through. She’s over the moon happy to hear her daughter is safe and will stay that way with the information on her husband to put him away.” He smiled.

I chuckled. “You got that information?”

He nodded. “In front of the police. I’m about to inform Mr Khatri he will be arrested for abuse, but also laundering money through a lot of his businesses. He’ll be serving a lot of jail time.”

“Good. Let me know if Prisha and her mum need a safe place to lay low.”

“Thank you, I will.” He turned, took a step and then spun back around. “Easton,” he said.

“What about him?”

“Knife told me there was some hate and tension between you and Easton. At first, I was worried about it, until I saw that kiss.”

I stiffened. “You were supposed to be watchin’ the other people.”

He chuckled. “I just happened to look back at the right moment.”

I shrugged. “It was nothin’.” It hadn’t been really. My head was still stuck on repeat of, What in the fuck did you do? I couldn’t understand what had come over me, maybe relief he was alive and only had a scrape. But shit, it had scared the fuck out of me. When I saw Easton drop to his knees, it took years off my damn life. Fucking years.

“I’m sure it was. He hasn’t stopped looking at you.”

I clenched my jaw. “I don’t care.”

Liam’s lips twitched. “Of course you don’t.” He nodded, turned, and walked over to the cop who stood in front of Amit, Andrew, who had pissed himself when I’d fired my shot just above his head, and Mr Khatri. I started for the women and Easton.

Pulling up beside another cop, I said, “Think it’ll be better if we get these people outta the room.”

“Why?”

“No!” we heard snarled. “You have no right.” Mr Khatri tried to stand, but the cop knocked him to the floor even while he kept ranting loudly over and over.

“Right. Is there another room where we can finish this?” the cop asked Darlene.

Even though the questioning had taken a damn long time, Darlene, Prisha, and Easton had wanted to get it over and done with. It saved them the trip down to the station the next day. With the evidence stacked against Easton’s father, there was no doubt he’d see time behind bars, and none of it had anything to do with his son. So Easton would be allowed to leave Queensland and head back to Victoria. Only he would still have to come back for the trial. The cop also doubted they’d be granted bail. I fucking hoped so. If they did, I’d told him they’d better find someplace safe for Darlene, Jewel, Prisha, and her mum, who was travelling to Australia, to get away from her sons. I’d told them I had Easton covered in Victoria.

As they’d been finishing, I’d been sitting on a couch with my head back, pretending to sleep. My eyes felt grainy since it was damn near close to 5:00 a.m.

People left, the room grew quiet, but I could still sense someone close by, heard a rustling of clothes every now and then, but I wasn’t ready to open my eyes until Liam came in and told me when our flight home would be. He’d gone off earlier to organise that and other things.

Someone entered the room again. “Is he your boyfriend?” I heard whispered. My ears pricked up at the question.

Easton coughed and then laughed. “No. No, he’s not.”

It’d been Easton in the room with me.

Huh.

“But that kiss—”

“I don’t know what that was about, Darlene.”

“Oh, um, okay.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “It seemed like it was nice.”

Holy fuck.

Would he answer?

Why did I want to hear his answer?

My chest ached with the waiting because my stupid organ beat wildly.

Why wasn’t he answering?

Goddamn it.

“It was,” he admitted quietly.

“Good. Anyway, I have poor Prisha in a room close to mine. Would you like to stay here and sleep for a few hours? You can go back to the hotel before you fly out, but Mr Michaels said he couldn’t get a flight out for the three of you until late this afternoon.”

“I would love that, Darlene. It’ll also give me some time with Jewel.”

“Great. There’s a couple of rooms just down the hall here that you and Detective Wilding can use. I’ve also already shown Mr Michaels to one.” A pause and then she offered, “Try and get some sleep, Easton.” I heard her start to walk off, until Easton called her name. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry about… him.” It seemed he wouldn’t say his name or call him his father. Not that I could blame him for it.

I heard her step closer Easton’s way. “None of it is your fault, just like you told me it wasn’t mine. I got played by a bad man. I’ll learn and grow stronger from it.” She sniffed. “It hurts. A lot, but I know I’ll be okay because Jewel will be safe from him.”

“She will be, and so will you.”

“Yes. So will I. Even though we’re still in the process of getting to know one another, Easton, I feel a great deal for you.” Another sniff.

“I feel the same for you and Jewel. Neither of you are to be strangers in my life. We’ll talk all the time on the phone, and I’ll be back soon for the trials. You’re stuck with me now.”

She laughed, but her breath hitched too. “I’m glad we are.” Her footsteps told me she left the room. I didn’t know why I still faked sleep.

“Craptastic night,” Easton muttered. “Except for….”

What?

Except for what?

He sighed. “Hey, Lan,” I heard him say, must be into the phone. “Yeah, sorry I only got to text you earlier. We’re all done now.”

I’d called Lan a while ago and told him what went down. All of it. Okay, I only left out the kiss because it hadn’t meant anything. He’d told me to get Easton to call him and thanked me again for going over.

“Liam said he was going to call.” He paused to listen. “That’s right. I’ll see you tonight, yes? Good. I can’t wait to be home.” Another pause. “He never said what he had of Mum’s, but Darlene said she’s going to search everywhere. Though, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was nothing in the end. Yes. I’ll get a couple of hours I hope. All right, see you then. Bye, Lan.”

Easton sighed again, probably from exhaustion. Next, I jolted up, opening my eyes and sitting straighter when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I rubbed a hand over my face.

“Sorry to wake you,” Easton said, hovering over me. “There’s a bed down the hall that would be more comfortable to sleep in. Liam has flights ready for us late in the afternoon.”

I nodded, stood, and stretched. Of course I looked to see if Easton was watching me. He was, down low, near my hips. I realised my tee had ridden up.

Fuck. Why was I looking to see if he was looking?

Wait, why did I care? Why did I like he looked? Why did my body react and my gut flip?

That shit was just weird.

Easton cleared his throat. “Liam dropped your bag there.” He pointed to the floor next to the entrance of the room. “I’ll, um, ah, show you to a room.” He stalked out the door like I was chasing him. My lips lifted on their own. I found his nervousness cute.

Shit.

Following him, I picked up my bag on the way out and went down the hall until Easton stopped outside a door. He opened it. “Here. Uh, sleep well.” He nodded, then thumbed over his shoulder. “I’ll be in the next room. Um…” He raked his bottom lip with his top teeth. “Liam is over there.” He pointed to another room, but I didn’t look. Easton gulped. Then chuckled and scratched at his cheek. “So, yeah, ah, thanks for coming to help. Lan mentioned in his text why it was you and not him, and I’m glad you all talked Lan out of it. That made sense. That he didn’t come, and, ah, you did instead.” He nodded again. “Um, goodnight. Well, good morning really, but… yeah.” He nodded and then spun, walking to the room next to mine.

I could have gone easy on him and said something, but I found myself liking the way he’d acted all shy and nervous.

Shit.

Shaking my head, I went into the room and shut the door behind me. For a rich house, the walls were thin; I heard Easton shut his door as well.

I pulled off my tee, kicked off my boots, and dragged my jeans off. I needed sleep, and maybe with some shut-eye, I’d forget or even put it in the back of my mind how I felt about not one, but two men’s lips on mine.

What in the hell was I doing?

Yanking back the comforter and sheets, I slipped into the soft bed and pulled the sheets back up to my waist. Lying flat, I put my hands behind my head and stared at the ceiling. There was a dim light already shining behind the curtains’ edges. I wasn’t sure I’d find sleep at all, even though I had to have it.

Groaning low, I rolled to my side and closed my eyes. That was when I heard it. Pacing. Easton was pacing in his room. Fucking hell, couldn’t he just sleep? Or maybe his mind was running over the night. He could be worried about nightmares, but he’d proven himself to be a badarse when he’d gone after his father. Really, he shouldn’t be awake worrying about it all.

Still, it wasn’t every day a person heard their own father had committed crimes. One that would have led to the murder of a woman.

Yeah, that shit would have eaten at me if I wasn’t used to extreme situations.

I would have got sleep eventually, after I blocked lips from my head, but it was useless to try when I heard each step he took.

Hell, maybe it was me overhearing shit.

Whatever it was it made me pissed.

Throwing back the sheets, I stormed to the room and to his door, where I threw it open.

Easton, in his boxers with tape across his side, let out a noise as he spun towards the door. He froze, both hands to his chest. I stalked in and stopped just before him, ordering, “Get in the fuckin’ bed.”

“W-what?”

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair. The tie rolled out and dropped to the floor. I ignored it, and my hair fell around my shoulders. “I can hear your pacing, and it’s driving me crazy. You need sleep. I need sleep. It’s damn time to sleep.”

He licked his lips, glanced to the floor, to the door, and then to me. “But… I can’t.”

Grumbling under my breath, I asked, “Why the hell not?”

He threw his hands up in the air. “I don’t know. I keep thinking what happens if the cops decide to let him go. He’ll come here and hurt Jewel and Darlene and then maybe even me before I can do anything. I can’t do anything if I’m sleeping.”

I gentled my tone. “He’s not gettin’ out.”

“What happens if he does? Or Andrew?”

“East, you’re safe. Darlene and Jewel are safe. You need to switch off and get some sleep.”

He shook his head and crossed his arms. “I will when I get out of this town. When I get home.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. We both needed sleep, and I was damn sure going to get it. Turning, I went to the door, shut it, and spun back around to find Easton’s eyes had widened. I walked back to him. I’d never taken in a man’s body in the way I was then, in appreciation of his fucking fit body. That ink. That damn ink on his darker skin.

Christ. Stop.

Thinning my lips, I detoured to the bed instead of him and got in the other side from where the blankets had already been disturbed.

“P-Parker?”

“Sleep. With the two of us in here, one will hear something first and warn the other.”

“Ah….”

“East, I swear to fuckin’ God, if you don’t go to sleep, I’ll be the one harmin’ you.”

He said nothing, but I heard him approaching the bed. It dipped when he climbed in. I felt the separation between us as he lay down. Only since I had my back to him, I didn’t know if he was on his back, stomach, or side… or if he faced me or the other way.

Bloody hell, I felt like I wanted to roll over to find out.

But I refused to. Instead, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing my body. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept in the same bed with someone. Fucking… yes, but I’d kick whoever it was out after.

This was different.

Fuck me, but it felt like more, even though we weren’t touching or looking at each other.

“Thank you,” Easton whispered.

“Sleep,” I ordered gruffly and then heard him chuckle.

My mouth tugged up into a smile, and that was how I fell asleep.