Merit sent him a meaningful glare that bordered somewhere between sulky and outraged.
“So, you were wrong.” I took another bite of my tiramisu and wallowed in the decadent coffee-chocolate wonderfulness, as well as my anticipated apology from Creed. They were few and far between. It wasn’t with a small amount of joy that I gloated. “So, fuck ya.”
“Was I?” Creed raised his eyebrows in my direction.
“Yep. He’s the best guy I’ve ever been with.”
“Tolerating you for more than three days isn’t much of a recommendation.” Creed leaned back in his seat and shoved the rest of his dessert toward Merit, who let out a happy hum and took it. “I’m a psych, not a psychic, although I’d say it’s preemptive to call me wrong this early in the game.”
“You’re a fuck,” Merit said around his mouthful of food. “Stop shitting on him.”
All this talk about Angel made me wish I’d bought him dinner to drop off at his apartment. Maybe he’d invite me inside. Maybe he’d give me a little kiss. Then I’d blow him.Well, it probably won’t escalate that quickly, but I can hope.I dragged my phone out of my pocket. Maybe I still would go over to his place. Merit and Creed were bickering back and forth, and I let them go at it. They had to get the saltiness out of their systems before they’d be worth hanging around with. There wasn’t an argument they didn’t relish having with each other.
You okay, little brother?I tapped Send and waited with excitement gathering in my gut. I really did miss him already.
“Oh, I love the chocolate oolong, by the way. Thank you,” Creed said, and I glanced up at him. He gave me a rare sweet smile that made my heart hiccup. I loved it when he toned it down and was just himself.
“Sure thing.”
“Why did he send you that?” Merit asked, giving me the stink-eye.
“Obviously, I’m building my harem, one tea bag at a time,” I said.
Merit scowled.
Creed chuckled. “Points for double entendre, but I’m not that cheap.”
I went back to ignoring them when my phone vibrated.
Cutie:No.
My stomach twisted into a knot. I fired back a message.Need your Big Brother?
Cutie:No, I need Casey, not pretend time. I don’t have a pretend fucking problem. I don’t know what the fuck to do. I guess I need help.
I called him as soon as I was done reading his short rant. What could have happened in the few hours since I’d seen him? The line picked up, but I could already hear Angel swearing like a sailor in a storm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ugh,” he screeched, and I held the phone away from my ear. “I have no fucking idea how to fix this!”
Frustration didn’t cover the stab of immediate anger that overtook me. “This what? Is your dad out or something? I thought they wouldn’t let him free before he saw the judge because of his priors. You’re not with him alone, are you?” I didn’t mean to sound so upset, but there was no stopping it.
“Oh, he’s still in fucking jail.”
With a long exhale, I tried to relax. Then this wasn’t that kind of problem.Good.“Swearing, little brother.”
Creed and Merit both turned to look at me and then cracked up while elbowing each other. I scowled at them.
“Fuck that right now. Do you know anything about water pipes?”
“Uh… that’s a no from me. Mer, talk to Angel. Angel, tell Merit. He’ll know.”
Merit looked up with his mouth crammed full of cake and mumbled “wha?” as I handed him the phone. Creed snickered while Merit did his best to swallow his food without choking and dying. Merit put the phone to his ear and his eyebrows shot up. I could hear Angel yelling rather than talking and winced.
Merit groped for his beer bottle and used what was left to wash down the last of his food. He cleared his throat. “We’re coming. Casey knows the address? No? Text it.”
I growled. Why did he need us to go to him? “What’s going on with—”
