The heavy door clicks shut behind her.I tense when I hear the distinct squeaking of Wyatt’s chair.
He throws his pen down on the pile of papers in front of him.“Reid, what is really up with you?We’re alone now, so talk.”
I force a grin.“Nothing.I like doing the extra work.”
He scoffs, his eyebrows pulling together in annoyance.“This isn’t extra fucking work, Reid.This is us making you pick up the slack you missed after taking half the day to hook up with a neighbour from the house we were clearing.”
I slam the next box down with a heavy thud.“Fuck off, Wyatt.You and I both know we were basically standing around for the next hour waiting for the truck to get back.I was back before you left.”
“By the skin of your teeth.You don’t know any of these women, and I don’t need to point out it’s our name you wear on your uniform.As it is, we’re already dealing with the consequences of that review left on the site.You fucking your way through clients and now neighbours, doesn’t make us look good.”
“You told me not to fuck the clients.The neighbours were never mentioned.”
He slams his fists down on the table, his face red as he roars, “Stop being a dick, Reid.We are under a microscope right now.The police are sniffing around, asking questions about Black’s whereabouts.We don’t need to deal with them thinking you are a gigolo on top of that.”
“Shut the fuck up with your double standards.Not too long ago, before you guys shacked up with your women, you were doing the same thing.What is it really about?Their pussies not magic enough for you now so you’re pissed at the rest of us?”
He bursts out laughing, making the anger within me grow.“You have no fucking clue.You can happily keep fucking your way through women, hopefully dodging one STD from the next, but do it in your own time.You don’t want a relationship?Fine.Don’t have one.But for Heaven’s sake, grow the fuck up.”
He picks up his phone, glancing at it quickly.“Don’t tell me, it’s Evie asking where you are?”I snidely remark.
He gets up, making the chair slam into the brick wall behind him.“Say that again!”
I walk to meet him halfway, only for the door to fly open, the bang echoing off the factory walls.“Step the fuck away from each other,” Jaxon warns.
“No.This little fuck needs to be taught a lesson.”
I grin, puckering my lips at Wyatt.“Ooh, are you going to spank me?”
“Reid, cut the fucking shit,” Jaxon yells, grabbing me by my T-shirt and bringing me close, only to shove me away.My side hits the desk behind me, and I grimace as I straighten myself.“Now, before I get into why I’m here, you’re going to fucking tell me what is up your arse and you aren’t leaving here until you do.You got your act together and then suddenly you’re back to your old ways.I’m getting fucking sick of this now.I’m your brother, not your dad.And, brother, as much as you drive me mad, I love you and I’m worried.Now fucking talk because we have enough shit to deal with.I can’t...I can’t keep doing this.I’ll fight for this family, but I can’t do that if I’m fighting you all the goddamn time.”
I drop my head, my anger dissipating from his words.I blow out a breath, sitting on the edge of the desk as I prepare to tell them the truth.Keeping it from them has done nothing but grow tension between us.Jaxon is right; we can’t be fighting each other right now.“The review—it’s because of me.Someone has filed a sexual harassment claim against me.”I let out a bitter laugh.“Fucking anonymously.It’s on my file but no charges have been pressed.I thought...I thought...”I lower my head, wishing the ground would swallow me up.
“You thought you had something to prove by fucking every pussy who begged you for it.”
“I’m not a predator,” I growl.“I think of Mina and what she went through...Fuck, even Charlotte Carter.I could never—”
Wyatt slams his hand down on my shoulder and I look up.“We know that.Even the women who have fucked you once, who pretend to hate you, will say the same thing.”
“Did you stop to think this is another one of Black’s plays?”Jaxon asks.
“He’s long gone,” I scoff.“It was my first thought, but then I realised out of everything he could do, he chooses to do that?Seems too petty.”
“Not if his daughter has taken over,” he replies heatedly.
“The Katherine bitch?”I ask.
He nods.“I’ve just been speaking to the new neighbours over at the party.One of them, who I’m assuming is the cousin to the Addison sisters, works for Katherine.Katherine has asked her to put together as much information as she can about the farm and details about the family, unaware that she lives there.”
“And you’ve left her alone with Paisley and Evie?”Wyatt growls.
“Calm down.She hates her as much as we do.I’m going to call Liam because between us, the family of sisters have skeletons they'd kill to keep in the closet.My guess is, they know it’s good enough for the Blacks to use as leverage to take their farm.I’ve said we will help them.”
“What happened to the ‘we’ve got enough shit going on’ crap you were spouting five minutes ago?”I question.
“What do you think they’ll do with that land other than make it hell for us to keep using our own land?And need I remind you how close the property line is to our burial ground.Someone’s back garden could look out over it.I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to visit Dad with a bunch of strangers gawking out their windows.”
“Fuck!”I hiss.
