Page 28 of Deceit & Desire

I wrapped my arms around Zoe, pulling her tighter against me, keeping my body firmly between him and Zo.

Michael’s glacial blue eyes took on a vicious, manic gleam. “That sack of shit right there was fucking them both, and when perfect little Princess Zoe found out about it, it cost my sister her life. You really expect me to believe it wasn’t one of them who killed her?”

Cody shook his head sadly and blew out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what you should believe, Michael. All I know right now is you attacked my boss’s daughter in broad daylight on her own front porch, and you need to leave before you make shit worse for yourself.”

Michael tried one more time to lunge at us, but Cody held him back, giving him a rough shove that sent Michael flying off the porch. My mouth dropped open and Zoe stifled a squeak of shock as Michael landed on his back so hard it knocked the breath out of him.

Wide eyed and stunned, Michael glared up at us and wheezed, coughing violently as he struggled to suck in a breath. He shoved up on his elbows, glaring up at Cody, his lip curled in a disgusted snarl.

“I can’t believe you’re siding with them over me, Cody. I thought we were friends, man. That should mean more to you than finally nailing some high and mighty piece of ass… especially when that piece of ass is the reason my sister is dead.”

I saw red and dropped my hold on Zoe, ready to dive off the porch on top of Michael and cave his fucking face in with my fists.

Zoe clutched my shirt hard, not letting go. “No, Rome. Don’t let him bait you. Let’s go inside. I’ll call Deputy Blackwell to come get Mr. Carter?—”

Cody cleared his throat and shook his head. “That won’t be necessary, Miss Brandt. Either Michael is about to get back in his truck and leave of his own free will, or I’ll hogtie his ass and give him a ride home if he wants to be difficult, but there’s no need to bring the law into this mess.”

Zoe gave a curt, jerky nod. “If you have to hogtie him, call a towing service to remove his truck, too. I don’t want him to have a reason to come back here.”

“Yes ma’am, Miss Brandt.” Cody offered her a salute.

Zoe tried to tug me toward the front door, but I stood with my boots firmly planted on the porch and pointed a finger at Michael Carter.

“Let’s get something straight right now, asshole. You only think you know what pain is, but you don’t know shit. Not yet. But I can promise you’ll get well acquainted with it if you continue to threaten what’s mine. If you ever threaten Zoe again, I’ll skin you alive and make you beg me to kill you. You understand me?”

Michael barked out a ragged laugh and grinned, his expression one of challenge and feral glee. The blood from the split lip Zoe gave him trickled down his chin and had smeared across his straight, white teeth. Between that and the crazed gleam in his blue eyes, it left him looking like a coyote, cornered and defending a fresh kill. A chill ripped down my spine, and I shuddered as Michael turned his gaze to lock eyes with Cody.

“You really expect me to believe that a man who says things like that didn’t have anything to do with killing my little sister when she threatened what was his?”

Fuck me, fuck my temper, and fuck my big mouth. God damn it.

Zoe tugged on my shirt again, harder this time. “Come on, big guy. I think we’ve had more than enough of his bullshit for one day, don’t you?”

I blew out a sigh and nodded, letting her drag me inside. I shut the door behind us and locked the deadbolt, then turned to face Zoe.

She stood there, arms crossed and green eyes blazing like hellfire as she stared me down. “Is it true?”

I winced, my shoulders slumping with the weight of the inquisition I could feel coming. “Is what true?”

Zoe got right up in my face, her beautiful lips twisted in a predatory snarl. “Don’t pull that fucking deflection bullshit with me, Roman. Is what Michael said true? Were you fucking Missy, too?”

I looked away, unable to hold her haunted gaze, knowing that fire inside her could burn me down where I stood. “I used her, but not like that.”

Zoe planted both hands in the middle of my chest and shoved hard, slamming my back against the front door. “Look at me, goddamn it! What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

I scrubbed my hands over my face in frustration, but forced myself to meet her gaze, even though the accusation in it made my heart drop to my feet. “I don’t know if I can have this conversation with you today. Missy is the last thing in the world I want to talk to you about.”

Zoe jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the open door of the downstairs bathroom. “Yeah? Well, I didn’t want to clean the bathroom my mom died in, either, but it looks like what we want doesn’t much figure into how things are going to go today.”

I reached up to cup her cheek, and she swatted my hand away, her eyes brimming with tears. She refused to blink, refused to let them fall, refused to back down.

I slid down the door and sat on the floor, resting my arms on my knees and hanging my head for a second before I looked back up at her. “Fuck. This isn’t how I wanted our life together to start, Zoe.”

Zoe crouched, so we were eye-to-eye again. “Me, either, but let’s hear it. What exactly did you mean when you said that you were using Missy, but not like that?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out, so I blew out a sigh and shook my head. “I can’t?—”

Zoe held up her left hand then and tapped the engagement ring I bought for her before she ever left to go to Miami. “Tell me right fucking now, Roman, and don’t you dare lie to me, or I’ll take this ring off my finger and I’ll figure shit out by myself.”

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