Caged

18

I shrugged my arm out of Ethan's grip and took a step back so he acted as a sort of shield from everyone's eyes. Now, my back was pressed against the steel door and I felt like I had an escape.

I saw the surprise pass through Kaiden's features and his brows furrowed in confusion as he took us in.

I quickly averted my gaze and took in everyone else who was scattered around the room. I recognized Judah and Sean also standing next to where Kaiden was leaning against the edge of the table.

The other two men were standing across them and they looked tense. Their conversation halted when we entered and now everyone had gone silent.

Kaiden cut the silence.

"What is this?"

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Ethan glance at me before he answered. "I found her at the bar alone," Ethan replied calmly.

Judah spoke up, but he only looked surprised as he blinked at the two of us. "Alone?"

Ethan nodded, and he smiled at me sarcastically.

"Mhm. Don't know how she got in, but luckily I was around when Nora called me telling me that our little sister was parading around one of our club's all by herself."

My head snapped up and my lips parted slightly in shock.

Ethan noticed and chuckled. "What? Did you think she was your friend? Didn't realize that everything she was doing was an act?" He asked, and I bristled at his patronizing tone.

For all her talk earlier about not wanting to be a part of this, she'd put on an awful good show in front of me.

I guessed I was the naive one for thinking that someone who worked for my brothers wouldn't take their side and call them. 

"She called the second you stepped past the bouncers," Ethan finished, smirking.

I rolled my eyes, looking away.

My eyes found Kaiden's and he was still watching me quietly, and I had no idea what his reaction would be. I couldn't tell if he was pissed off, disappointed or something else.

Sean leaned close to Kaiden and said something to him I didn't catch. I watched, still halfway hidden behind Ethan, as Sean and Judah led the other two men who were with them out of the room.

The door closed behind them with a loud click, and the silence in the room was almost suffocating as Ethan, Kaiden and I stood unmoving.

"Ethan, you can leave too. I'll handle this," Kaiden finally spoke up, his tone sounding cool and collected.

He didn't sound angry, but I knew him well enough to realize that he was putting up a front. I found the courage to look him in the eye, and his were still unreadable. It was unsettling and it was proving difficult to maintain eye contact with him. But I held it.

Ethan left without another word, but I saw the faint smile he threw me before the door shut after him.

I was not going to be the first one to speak, so Kaiden and I remained in silence for a few moments. He broke it first.

"Come sit," he said, walking around the table and pulling out the one chair that was in the room.

"No thanks," I scoffed.

His face remained impassive. "I'm not asking."

I decided it would be easier to just get this conversation over with, so I pushed myself off the door and rolled my eyes again as I took a seat. I knew he saw, but he ignored it.