The waitress came over and dropped menus on thetable for them to check. Once the waitress had taken their order, she disappeared into the back.
“Are you sure you only want a salad and steamed vegetables for lunch? Aren’t you hungry?” Marcus asked, leaning back in his chair and giving him a perplexed look.
“I’m actually a vegetarian.”
Marcus’s mouth stiffened. “A what?”
“A vegetarian.”
Marcus shook his head. “A veg…?”
Frustrated, Gavin let out a breath. “It’s when a person doesn’t eat meat. They value life and don’t want to consume animal carcasses.”
Marcus began to chuckle. “I know what a vegetarian is, preachy.”
Gavin’s eyes narrowed. The man was infuriating.
The elderly couple sitting next to them turned and gawked at Gavin.
“Sorry, my friend here is a little passionate about Bambi. I’ll try to keep his preachiness under control,” Marcus whispered to the elderly couple.
“You’re still an ass,” Gavin noted.
Marcus shrugged.
5
MARCUS
Because nothing is ever secret when it comes to the Shadow Vipers, Marcus wasn’t surprised to see Lucas and Ace sitting on the front steps when he and Gavin pulled into his driveway.
Throwing the car into park, Marcus let out a growl as if that would chase off the pests currently lingering around, trying to act all innocent and not like theNosy Housewives of Baton, New Mexico.
“What are you idiots doing here?” Marcus asked as he opened the car door and stepped out.
Ace looked up, startled, as if he hadn’t noticed the gray, beat-up car that had just pulled up into the driveway of his old house.
“Oh! Hey, big brother. What are you doing home? I thought you had… oh!” Ace stood and slapped his forehead as if he had just remembered something. “I forgot, you had the thing… with the guy… in the place.”
Rounding the car, Marcus nodded at his idiotic brother and the ever-smiling little elf currently standing behind Ace.
“Gavin, this is Ace, my nosy gay brother, and his sidekick,Sir Sucks Dick-a-Lot.”
“Also known as Lucas,” Lucas said, stepping forward and offering his hand. “Is it true you're going to be staying with this ogre for the foreseeable future?” Lucas asked, still keeping Ace a safe distance between him and Marcus.
“And also, why am I introduced as the ‘gay’ brother?” Ace asked as if he were annoyed by the colorful introduction.
Marcus walked past Ace and Lucas, nodding for Gavin to follow him.
“Oh, I accused him of being homophobic earlier, so he’s trying to prove to me that he does in fact have a gay brother, and a gay brother's gay best friend, and a whole other queer ensemble.”
Ace chuckled. “Please. Once, someone called me a faggot in high school, and Marcus and his friends kicked the shit out of the guy. Did he tell you I’m married to one of his best friends?” Ace asked, throwing his arm around Gavin’s shoulder while Lucas linked his arm through Gavin’s. The three walked up the walkway, looking like theLollipop Guildon its way to visit Dorothy.
“And I told him how much I want to shoot Blade in theface, which has nothing to do with the dick-sucking,” Marcus grumbled as he entered the house.
“He’s still adjusting to the whole ‘friend fucking his little bro’ thing,” he heard Ace say to Gavin outside.
“Can you please get inside before someone sees you. You’re supposed to be hiding out, remember?” Marcus barked.
