“I know. Now shutup.” I grabbed a cloth and blotted the mess on the tiles, leaving his bare arms to blister. “Why are you in here anyway? I said I had dinner covered.”
“And I said I’d help.” River slid the tray of potatoes into the oven. “Ma didn’t raise me to let my sister cook dinner for sixteen people by herself.”
Our mother was dead. But I couldn’t deny she’d left a legacy of awesome men behind. Men who cooked, cleaned, andmostlytook care of their own chores.
If only she’d taught them how to be selfish. My gaze drifted to the window and the vacant spot where Nash’s V-Rod should’ve been, but he wasn’t here. Wherever he’d gone with Rubi and Folk that morning, he wasn’t back yet. And Locke was gone too. To see his kids, I assumed. It was the only reason he ever rode out alone.
Shouldn’t be riding alone.
Gripping the knife tighter, I sliced the crackling from the pork and tossed it back in the oven to get crunchy. I covered the meat with foil and watched my little brother hack up cabbage as if it had been the sentient being to plant a bomb in the rusty Defender our dad used to take fishing. But River did everything like that when Rubi wasn’t around to force contentment on him, and I was annoyed enough by his terrifying curse theory to leave him to it.
I wandered out of the tiny chapel kitchen, halfway to where Cam was crouched by a loose drainpipe before I realised I’d brought the knife with me.
Didn’t take it back, though. Instead, I marched across the yard to my biggest brother and dodged his grabby hands as he rose to disarm me. I wasn’t scared of big men.
You like big men.
Uh-huh. I evaded Cam again. “Fuck off. I need it for the dinner.”
“Why are you out here with it then?”
“I came to see if you knew where Nash is.”
“He’s going to be late.”
“He waslatehours ago.”
Cam winced. “I know.”
“You’re not going to tell me where he is?”
Silence. I waved my knife, then saw Embry crossing the yard and thought better of it. I didn’t care if I pissed Cam off. It was my birthright. But Embry didn’t need to see the glint of a blade in the late evening sun. “You’re annoying,” I growled instead. “And tell River to stop harping on about that fucking curse. It’s pissing me off.”
“When has that ever stopped River doing anything? You could try not reacting to every little thing.”
“That’syouradvice? Really? Mr Overreacts to Everything?”
Cam opened his mouth to respond.
Saint stepped between us and swiped my knife. He turned his back on Cam and held my gaze for a long second before he found his words. “Will you come somewhere with me?”
“Now?”
“It’s close.”
Well, all right then. Saint didn’t ask much of me in return for the love he didn’t give any other woman. If he wanted me to accompany him to Dublin and back before dinner, I’d do it. “Let me check on River.”
“I’ll do it.” Cam took the knife from Saint. “Don’t get lost, yeah? I need you here.”
Saint. Not me.
Charming. I waited for them to get bored with mooning at each other. Then I took Saint’s arm and let him lead me to Alexei’s SUV. “We’re not riding?”
He shook his head. “Shopping.”
“What for?”
He didn’t answer. Just slid behind the wheel of the white F-PACE and started it up.
