Page 52 of Tango

“Suck it, sucker. You’re it.” She gave me a devilish twinkle and raced off as everyone in the room broke out in laughter. Even Liam raced out of the house so fast he was a blur.

I glanced at John, Mark, and Cole, who all had laughed as she scurried off.

“I see…” I felt the warmth that ran through the room with the knowledge that Shadows was in full swing of a new prank mode. I flipped them the finger and went to find Olivia again. I knew she would at the very least fill me in on what the hell I was now a part of.

* * *

Punch, punch, punch.

I ducked, hit, and bounced my way through a boxing lesson. Olivia had given me the scoop on the giant game of tag the house was in on. I was already in strategy mode on how to make the next move. She’d shown me the board, and I’d seen who the last person was that needed to be tagged. I might just win this game.

I felt the need to clear my head before I settled in to watch my house in Mexico.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ivy quietly speaking to Mike about something.

“Keep your head with me,” the instructor ordered. He probably thought I was checking her out. Ivy was beautiful, but she was much too young for someone like me. Besides, I knew who she belonged to.

“Give me a moment.” I dropped my arms and shook out my shoulders as I moved to the ropes. “Hey, Ivy, can I bother you for a second?”

“Sure.” She waved at Mike then headed toward me. “What can I do you for?”

“I was hoping you and I’d have a chance to talk later.”

“About anything in particular?” She tilted her head, and I could almost feel her energy as she studied me. “Or are you hoping to win Ty over through me?” She raised an eyebrow with a ghost of a smile.

“Am I that easy to read?”

“No, John just mentioned it upstairs.” She chuckled.

“Hilarious,” I rolled my eyes and leaned some of my weight on the ropes, “but I need his trust, and right now I don’t think I have it.”

“And you think gaining mine would help convince him?”

“It’s a worth a try.”

The subject of our conversation stepped in the side door at that moment and came up behind Ivy to plant a kiss on her temple. He took a quick glance at me, and I moved my weight back off the ropes.

“Hey,” he greeted her warmly, “I was lookin’ for you.”

I was uneasy about how our conversation might have looked to him and took a step back.

“How was training?” She sagged into him lovingly, and I remembered how Talya used to do that with me. “You were out there early.”

“It was great, and the guys are in good form. Ray did a great job. They’re ready.”

“Like you had nothing to do with it.” She laughed. “Any steam left in that body?” She lifted both her brows, and I suddenly felt awkward standing there. Ty pulled her into him.

“Always.”

“Good.” She pulled back and nodded toward me. “Why don’t you hop in the ring and show Paul here what you got?”

“What?” His face fell.

“That’s not what I meant, Ivy.” I shook my head.

“Look,” she held up a hand, “since I arrived, all I’ve heard about is how Shadows is the best because you’re all the best. This is supposed to be a brotherhood. If there’s mistrust or hard feelings, there’s no brotherhood. You can’t fight out there if you’re not okay in here. So,” she took Ty’s bag from his hand, “get in the ring, and you two duke out your shit and move on. I’ll not be part of the generation that screws up this house.”

“Can we clap for that?” Mark stood from the bench. “Because I’m clapping for that.” He started to clap, and Mike joined him. I saw John put down a weight and move closer.

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