Page 21 of Hitched

In the interest of proving the son of a bitch wrong, I follow him to his office. The second I arrive, I know I’ve been had. “Gotcha.” He says, closing the door, trapping me inside. The phone on his desk immediately beeps, and I know what’s coming next.

“You fucking swine!” I shout, lifting my hand to punch him in the face. He catches my fist before it hits him, and he locks my arm under his armpit, effectively making me immobile. But I’m stronger than he is, and I get out of it quick enough, but not before our other brother Declan storms in.

“Okay, boys, break it up!” He says, pulling us apart, with our cousin Malcolm in tow. Malcolm towers over all of us. He’s a fourth-degree black belt and is not one to fuck with. Malcolm pulls me away from Ethan, while Declan takes Ethan off to the side.

“He’s a fucking liar and an asshole!” I shout, as Malcolm kicks the door closed, like that will make all the difference.

“I don’t care what he is, you can’t kill him.” Declan declares, standing in front of Ethan, while Ethan tries to dodge him.

“Why the fuck not? He’s asking for it, the lying prick!” I bellow.

Malcolm stands in front of me. His voice is low. I swear he’s the white version of Michael Clarke Duncan, the actor from The Green Mile, as he speaks to me in a Barry White-like voice. “Why do you let him get under your skin, man? You know he loves to get a rise out of you, and that’s why he picks on you.”

“Hey, fuckhead!” Ethan calls. “I am right here, you know. Stop talking as if I’m not.”

“When are you going to grow the hell up, Ethan? Jesus Christ, you’re still pulling the same goddamn pranks you’ve been pulling on Caleb since you were in junior high. What is wrong with you?”

“He walked right into it.” Ethan chuckles. “Literally.” He pulls out of Declan’s grip, and I pull out of Malcolm’s as we both smooth out our clothes, and I pull myself together.

“Why’d you lie to me? Why’d you tell me that da was so pissed off at me that he punched a hole in your office wall?”

Ethan frowns and shrugs. “Just wanted to see if you believed me. You know that da’s got a temper. And I know that Laney’s got you by the balls, in that she’d never take you as a husband.”

“Well, you’re half right, jerkwad.” I tell him, deciding how much I want to tell him. “She doesn’t have me by the balls.”

“But she’d never take you as a husband.” He checks, adding in a certain snark in his voice that I’d love to smack out of him.

Declan folds his arms over his chest and frowns. “What, did you propose to her or something?” He asks, concerned.

“No, but I did tell her about da’s plan.”

Malcolm interjects. “What’s going on with the murder investigation? Do we need to hire a better legal team? I’m not sure how you even got mixed up in that.”

My head is starting to swim. I’m not even sure where to start or how much I should be sharing. “I think it’s fine. They didn’t make an arrest, and from what I understand, the evidence that they had is fucked.”

“And what about your alibi?” Declan asks.

I scoff, unimpressed. “She won’t confirm that she was with me. She’s married.”

“Nice going, slick.” Ethan sneers.

“Fuck you. At least I get laid.”

“Yeah, by some sad, married lass.”

“Yeah, well, I can get unmarried lasses, too, loser.”

“Sure.” He snorts, fueling the flame inside my chest.

“Shows how much you know. I might not have gotten Laney to be my wife, but I’m halfway there.”

Satisfaction comes to my bones as I see his gaze turn dark. “What do you mean?”

I lift my chin indignantly. “I went to her office and fucked her earlier, and that’s the fucking truth.”

“Bullshit.” He whines.

Even Malcolm squirms, like he doesn’t believe me.

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