“Smart. Go on.”
“Casen kept talking about it. I could tell he liked the idea. Next thing I know, he called Brielle and asked if she wanted to come over.”
“So, she did and then you two…what? Stripped off your clothes and hopped into bed?”
“No,” he bit out. “We played video games for a while. Casen started kissing her, and he told her that I thought she was pretty. Then I admitted that watching them was hot. Casen asked Brielle if she wanted me to kiss her. She blushed, but she said yes. So…I kissed her. And…we just went from there.”
“So what now?” Beck asked, brow arched. “You going to be the third in their relationship?”
“No… Maybe. I don’t know. Since you barged in, we didn’t really have a chance to talk about what’s next.”
“If you three are smart, you’ll be one and done. None of you are emotionally mature enough to handle this.”
Hudson mulishly pressed his lips together. “Are you going to tell my dad?”
“Yes.”
“Why? What’s the big deal? He knows I have a sex life.”
“Because we don’t keep secrets in this family. Your father needs to know what the hell you’re up to.”
Hudson’s face flushed with anger. “You can’t?—”
“I can, and I will.” Beck straightened and pushed away from the doorjamb. “Listen, you may not have had a father before, but now you have two. And if Seth needs backup handling discipline and reminding you that you’re still a minor, I’m happy to help.”
The teenager opened his mouth to argue, but something—probably Beck’s expression—stopped him.
“Good. Now lemme tell you how this is going to work,” he continued, his voice deadly calm. “You’re going to stay in this room and think about the choices you made tonight, decide if they were worth the consequences. And tomorrow, when Seth wakes up, we’re all going to have a nice, long conversation about boundaries and expectations.”
“Ugh. Jesus…”
Beck flashed him an acidic smile and moved toward the door. “Oh, and one more thing. If you think I don’t have the balls to enforce the rules in this house, you’re mistaken. Don’t test me.”
He left Hudson standing there, mouth agape, and headed upstairs to set the house alarm. Seth was paranoid about security. Tonight, that paranoia would not only keep them safe, but if Hudson tried to sneak out, Beck would know immediately. And there’d be hell to pay.
Once he’d armed the system, he pulled out his phone, sighed, and texted Seth.
Need to talk when you get a chance. We have a problem.
He stared at the screen for a moment, then added:
Hudson’s fine, but there’s something you need to know.
Beck pocketed his phone, headed to the kitchen, and poured himself a whiskey. He didn’t expect to hear back from Seth during his stakeout. But as he settled into his chair and lifted the glass to his lips, his phone buzzed with an incoming message.
As Seth read Beck’s text, dread settled like a stone in his gut. What the hell had happened with Hudson?
He responded immediately.
My targets haven't shown up yet, and it's getting late. I'm pretty sure they're no-shows, so I'll be home in ten. Anything you want to tell me now?
Beck’s reply came quickly.
Better to talk in person.
“Fuck,” Seth muttered under his breath, his dread expanding as he quickly broke down his surveillance equipment and packed it away. Whatever Hudson had done, it was bad enough that Beck didn’t want to discuss it over text.
During the drive home, Seth’s mind raced with possibilities, none of them good. Clearly, Hudson had pulled some shit the minute his back was turned. He’d dealt with BS, sneakiness, and crappy behavior when he’d been a father figure to his younger brothers, so discipline was nothing new. But he hadn’t expected to have to open a can of whoop-ass on his son this soon.
