“You didn’t have experience sharing her with me and Mike before either, and yet here you are,” I reminded him, doing so gently. When it came to the man beside me, you never knewwhat could set him off. That darkness in him… he liked to think he had it under wraps, but that was the thing: if you kept something chained that tightly, for that long, sooner or later it was bound to break free and wreak all kinds of chaos.
“True,” he admitted, meeting my gaze for only a few seconds. “Still can’t say I’m too happy about that, though. But you both have proven that you’d do anything for her, and she’s made it clear where her heart is, so.” He shrugged.
“And what if your father would do anything for her?”
He scoffed at me. “They barely know each other.”
“Sometimes,” I said, “that’s all it takes.”
Kieran looked out the window again, pensive and slightly brooding.
“I’m only saying that, maybe, it’s not as big of a deal as you think it is.” Now it was my turn to shrug. “It’s merely as big of a deal as you make it, and it doesn’t have to be.”
He chuckled quietly. “Sounds like you want her to bang my old man, you freak.”
“I’m not as… how do I put this? Dangerously possessive as you, no. She should be free to be with whoever she wants, whether that includes banging or not.” I so hated to use that word, but I had to use it to reference what he just said.
Kieran turned away from the window, leaning his side on the trim as he stared squarely at me and deadpanned, “Sometimes I wonder what kinds of thoughts are running through that strange head of yours. This is not one of those times.”
I grinned at him, flashing him my metal fangs. “You should think on it, Kieran. My… openness was what drew her to me in the first place. Perhaps you and Mike could both learn a little something from me, as weird and strange as I am.”
He wasn’t the first person to call me such things, and he wouldn’t be the last. His digs at me meant absolutely nothing.He was merely lashing out during a stressful time; I wouldn’t hold it against him.
Kieran was once again his old self, deflecting the seriousness of the conversation by glancing down at my teeth. “It suddenly occurs to me I’ve never asked you how you got those teeth. I assume you didn’t tear your way out of your mother’s womb like that, but if I’ve learned anything lately, it’s that stranger things have happened.”
“My brother likes to tear, I like to bite. Call it a family quirk. My natural teeth weren’t as… useful as these are.”
“So you pulled out your own teeth and shoved those in your mouth instead?”
I nodded once.
“Shit, man. That’s… ten different kinds of weird. I’m sorry I asked.” He walked away from me after that, and I let him.
It was okay. I wasn’t sorry he asked. The simple fact that he could have a conversation with me, even though he tried to insult me during half of it, meant he was getting used to this whole arrangement. Slowly but surely.
I wasn’t a fortune-teller, so I didn’t know what was going to happen, but Laina had us. We might not all get along, but we were still here for her. That much would never change.
Chapter Twenty – Jason
I was familiar with the house. Laina had been here many times before. Lola, the so-called queen of the city, lived here. I assumed with what happened, Lola had pulled some strings, and that was why Laina was here.
Vance Hawkins was dead. When I heard the news, I had a few thoughts, but my first thought was Laina and how she was handling it. Then I thought about who could’ve done it, and my mind settled on one person in particular, the same person everyone in that house probably thought was responsible.
When I pulled up to the house, there were other cars in the driveway. Some were parked in front of the closed garage doors, while others were stationed near the front door. I didn’t need to guess to know who those vehicles belonged to; there was only a small group of people who would be gathered here at a time like this.
I got out of my car and headed straight for the door. It was unlocked, so I strolled right in. I heard voices talking in a room not far from the front vestibule, and I followed those voices until I came upon a living room, where a good majority of the people in this house must’ve been. Thanks to my time here in the city, thanks to the past few months of tailing Laina and getting to know her and her friends, I was able to recognize all of them.
Lola. Maddox Luciano. A man with snake tattoos known as Viper. A rather tall man who put my frame to shame—one of Laina’s boyfriends, Mike. The one who had a metal studio in a not-so-good part of the city, Fang.
And, of course, my son, who muttered as soon as he saw me walk in, “Oh, good. You’re here. Yay.” He, clearly, could not be less enthused, and I didn’t blame him. Things between us had been… strained.
Yes, I’d kidnapped his girlfriend. Yes, I’d had a talk with her alone. Yes, I believed Tessa’s lies without question. I didn’t need to be reminded of any of that; I was well aware of the mistakes I’d made.
Lola checked me out, though she didn’t get up. “Damn, you are a fine-looking guy, aren’t cha?” Beside her, she received two glares from the men surrounding her, which didn’t seem to affect her in the slightest.
I chose not to address her comment, instead saying, “I’m Jason, but I assume you already knew that.”
“Yeah,” Maddox huffed as he put an arm around Lola’s shoulders and hugged her close. “We knew that.” A possessive gesture that was meant to warn me away from his woman—a gesture I didn’t need. Lola was beautiful, but it took more than a beautiful face to lure me in.
