Page 62 of Three Reckless Words

“I would’ve settled for a fender bender,” I say, grabbing the closest chair. “You really want to know, Rina dropped by.”

“Oh, shit.” Dex drops his pen. “Rina as in…Rina-Rina?”

“Rina as in my ex-wife from Satan’s Express Rina, yes.” I eye the screen, which shows a picture of a high-rise in what I’m guessing is St. Louis.

“Whoa.” Pat lets his chair hit the ground, leveling himself out. “Don’t think you’re getting away without talking about this, Bro. Rina? What the fuck?”

“Mom mentioned she was back in town,” Dexter says. It’s so unexpected, I stare at him. He wrinkles his nose. “Rina visited her yesterday, I guess. I heard about it this morning.”

“Mom?” My throat goes dry.

That suspicion I had earlier tastes like burning bile.

“Guess she wants something,” Patton says. “What did she ask you?”

“She wants more time with Colt.”

Dexter frowns. “No money? She’s not dying, is she?”

I snort, though the idea crossed my mind. Next time I talk to her, I need to do some fishing. See if I can find out if she’s come down with a terminal illness or some shit.

“You guys need to talk, even if you’re on shitty terms,” Pat announces. “This book I read says it’s all about communication. You just need the right place and time—uh, maybe a mediator in your case.”

“Fucking hell, dude. Just because you’re happily married doesn’t make you a shrink.” I nod at the screen. “Any new info for us?”

“I’ve got some options out east, yes,” Dexter says. “But we were still talking about you.”

Damn them.

I drag a hand over my face.

Who knows if they’re trying to help out or if they’re just crapping on me for entertainment.

“Don’t you start too,” I growl.

“You were late over it, dude,” Patton reminds me. “OverRina.”

Actually, the reason I was late wasn’t because I was thinking about Rina. Sure, her storming back into my life was annoying, but it’s Winnie who’s crashed my day.

Miss Sugarbee keeps crowding my head like a weed.

The way she looked at me, all dewy eyes and heat and longing, like shewantedto be in my arms. Maybe she wanted more, the same hunger I sensed back at Solitude, when I held her too long and pressed her too close for common sense.

And fuck, maybe I wanted more, if I’m being brutally honest.

For an insane minute, I forgot who the fuck I was.

I forgot whoshewas and what we were doing.

If there’s any silver lining to Hurricane Rina, it’s that. My ex-wife reminds me how much I’ve already paid for woman trouble.

But I promised Winnie I’d talk to my brothers about her plight, and here I am. I tap the table. “Let’s talk about St. Louis.”

After groaning his disappointment, Dex presents his findings.

He suggests working our next place into a thriving green zone for people in the city center. Renewable energy, plants and flowers in the building itself, a smoothie and juice bar like the one Salem suggested in our Kansas City property.

We’re eyeing a property outside an older part of the city, a concrete wasteland lacking a lot of parks and well-lit spaces.

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