“To the death.” Yours. That’s a promise.
“I’m glad I don’t have to.” He leans back, smirking. “Isn’t life grand?”
***
“Maximus is out today. You have a secret lair, and you’re in here punching a bag until your knuckles are bloody.” Taylor leans against the doorway.
“It isn’t a secret lair.” It really is, and Max Rage is out.
“Just like your knuckles aren’t bloody. Have fun explaining that to your mother when you get home.”
Dad will take care of Mom. But if I weren’t doing this, I’d be out there hunting Canyon down like the pig he is. “Who even invited you to my secret lair?”
“You did.”
“Not for another half hour.” That should give me enough time to work off this frustration and shower before everyone comes.
“What can I say? I like to be prompt when invited to fun meetings. And I have a feeling this one is going to be interesting. Why don’t you take pity on that bag and stop before you break it?”
“You volunteering to take its place?” Sparring with Taylor would be way more cathartic.
“Nope. I like the bones in my face exactly where they are.”
I snort and slam my fist into the bag. “What if I promise to not break all of them?”
He laughs. “Yeah, you couldn’t promise that right now. Who are you currently trying not to kill?”
“You know the woman I was talking about before?”
“The one you’re going to marry?”
“She’s dating someone.”
Taylor laughs. “Your control is impressive. I would think he’d be buried in the ground by now.”
“He’s a friend. Sort of.”
“Oh. Oh, that’s bad.”
Don’t I know it.
“What are you going to do? The right thing would be to walk away.”
My hand smashes so hard it reverberates back up my body.
“That’s obviously not an answer. She’s the one, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.” She’s the one.
“I can help with the body if you like.”
“And make Maddox mad at the both of us?”
Taylor shrugs.
There’s something off. Something in the back of my mind, but I haven’t figured out what it is yet. “I might take you up on that offer.”
“Preferably before you break both your fists, and it’s me explaining to your parents why I had to drive you to the hospital.”
