Ethan froze. He held the phone to his ear, listening to the single word Damien had just said. "Speak."
And that wasn't like Damien. Not really. Not when they were alone. He was trying to be formal.
Ethan's mind shifted in an instant. He didn't say anything at first, buying himself a second or two of silence to think.
Damien was never careless. Which meant this clipped command, was a signal. An indication. Someone was listening.
And Ethan had a damn good guess who it was.
"Put it on speaker," Chloe said, arms crossed tight over her chest.
"Chloe, what's the meaning of this?" Damien grunted.
"I just want to know, that's all. I want to know I'm not crazy for feeling like something's off."
"You don't trust me?"
"I'm trying to," she said, stepping forward. "But you're making it hard."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air was thick with tension. Damien looked down at the phone still in his hand, Ethan's name glowing on the screen, then back up at Chloe.
