Twenty-Four
Oz
“You got in late,” Bane said as he walked into the kitchen while I was making a sub for lunch.
I glanced back at him, then went back to putting the mustard on my bread. What was he, my fucking dad now? He had a kid. It wasn’t me.
“What were you up to until after three?”
I didn’t look at him this time, but picked up the deli cheese instead. “I wasn’t aware I needed to check in with you.”
“You don’t. I was just putting Hawks back to bed and saw your door closed. Figured if it wasn’t family business, it was a woman.”
Leave it alone, Bane.
He walked over and leaned back against the counter I was working on, crossing his arms and studying me, so I had no choice but to look at him.
“What?” I asked. The annoyance in my tone wasn’t hidden.
“Nothing.”
I clenched my teeth. Damn him and his nosy shit.
“Please tell me that Wilma made us something for lunch,” Forge said as he walked into the kitchen, dressed in dirt-coated jeans, a shirt that had been white this morning but no longer was, and his boots.
“No,” I replied, looking from Bane to my brother. “You been trying to break that quarter Kash sent to us?” I asked him, putting the two sides of my sub together and picking up my plate.
“Yeah. No wonder he sent it to us. It thinks it’s a fucking bull. I swear to God I haven’t been tossed that many times in my life.”
My baby brother, Kash, had moved to the Alabama branch of the family when he turned twenty-one. Originally, it was for a girl, but that was a story with a tragic ending. However, he had stayed there. Found his place. Dad and Kash had never seen eye to eye. Mom had spoiled him too, which just made it worse.
“I hadn’t gotten on him yet. Planned on it later today. Ransom needed some help at the distillery this morning.”
Bane was still watching me. I could feel his eyes follow me as I took my lunch and went to sit down on a stool at the bar.
Why was what I was doing with Winslet so fucking interesting to him? When he had been sneaking his ass upstairs to sleep with Halo, I hadn’t said one damn word. I’d let him make his own choices. I’d appreciate the same.
Forge went over to the refrigerator and opened it up. “Why was your knife in the passenger seat of my truck?”
Fuck. Because I’d been preoccupied, thinking about how Winslet had looked sleeping. My eyes, of their own accord, went to Bane. He cocked an eyebrow at me.
Dammit, Forge, can you not keep your mouth shut?!
I cut my eyes to my brother as he pulled out leftover pizza. “I forgot it.”
That wasn’t what he had been asking. He wanted to know why I had been in his truck. It was black and inconspicuous. Easier to be overlooked, parked on the side of the road. My Hummer stood out more.
Taking a bite of my sub, I held my brother’s gaze, daring him to question me. Not that Forge feared me in the least. He was the middle child and had been creating chaos since he’d entered the world. Which meant my reaction had piqued his curiosity.
“All right. What did you do? Who did you slice up?” he asked me.
I chewed, then swallowed before answering, “No one.”
He gave me a smirk that said he didn’t believe me. “Bullshit. You took my truck, so I need to know what crime it’s gonna look like I committed.”
As if he was worried. Had I taken my knife to someone, he knew there would be no traces left behind. I had both sets of eyes on me now. They weren’t going to let me enjoy my fucking lunch.
Setting it down, I sighed. “I slashed the sidewalls of a cocksucker’s tires. Your truck is easier to blend in than my Hummer. Can I eat now?”
Forge let out a laugh. “Who the hell pissed you off?”
“My guess is, it was the Mr. Rogers clone,” Bane drawled.
I shot him a scowl.
“Who?” Forge asked, looking confused.
“Mr. Rogers—that weird guy that did that kids’ show back in the ’80s or whenever,” Bane explained.
“I know who the fuck Mr. Rogers is. I mean, who is his clone?” Forge replied.
I let out a heavy sigh and put my elbows on the counter. “Can the two of you find another topic?” I asked.
Forge shook his head. “My truck was involved without my permission. I get the details. It’s only fair.”
Jesus H. Christ. I should have gone with Ransom to get wings.
“Winslet was with a coworker at the Corn Husk Festival on Saturday,” I said with disgust. “And he’s been driving by her apartment in the evenings several times slow.” That was why the tires had been slashed. I’d had enough of his creepy behavior.
Forge continued looking at me, waiting for more. “Winslet—is that Perry Gerard’s sister, the one you abducted, right? Or am I getting the name wrong?”
“That’s her,” Bane said with a smirk I would have wiped off any other fucker’s face.
Forge narrowed his eyes. “I thought you hadn’t fucked her. Did that change?”
My hands fisted. He could not shut the hell up.
“I didn’t fuck her. I am just keeping an eye on her. Someone needs to. Her brother is in prison, and she needs someone to watch over her,” I said. “Not that Perry could do it properly—or did,” I added.
Forge let out a laugh and threw his head back. I was rethinking my don’t beat the shit out of your brother rule. It seemed to be expiring rapidly.
“Okay, wait,” he said, holding up a hand. “You are stalking a woman and slashing the tires of a man she went out with, who is also stalking her?” he said incredulously. “I think I need to sit down.”
I glowered at him.
“If I stand up from this stool, your ass had better run to Momma,” I warned him.
He laughed some more. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just…dude, come on. Do you not think this is the least bit funny?” he asked, his gaze swinging to Bane.
Bane pressed his lips together—at least trying to smother his amusement—and shook his head.
“Yes, you fucking do.” Forge pointed at him and laughed some more.
That was it. I was over this bullshit. I shoved my stool back.
“Run,” Bane told him.
Forge was still grinning. “I haven’t eaten yet. At least let me eat.”
“THEN, SHUT THE FUCK UP!” I snarled at him.
He didn’t even cower. Dickhead.
“Fine. I’ll stop.”
I started to sit back down.
“But, like, how far has this stalking thing gone? Are you following her around all the time? Is that where you’ve been disappearing to at night? And she’s got two stalkers? Can I see a picture of her again? I must have miss—”
When I shot up from the stool this time, Bane let out a shout of laughter as Forge took off at a sprint toward the door.
“I was kidding!” he called out over his shoulder. “Just let me get something to eat!”