Page 3 of The Fall Guy

CHAPTER 1

KADEN

After my phonerings for the twentieth time, I realise my ringtone is annoying as fuck. The constant jingling is nauseating, and the smug smile on the screen is just as bad. I should just switch the damn thing off.

I take a swig of my beer while staring at my phone on the makeshift coffee table. It’s a bunch of pallets my roommate took from his work. We painted them light blue to go with the faux red leather sofas we stole from a house clearance.

“Technology may be improving, but they still don’t answer themselves,” Brad says, then gulps his drink.

The skinny blonde on his knee nuzzles into his neck, and he sits back, making the couch squeak. I look away. PDA is almost as sickening as my phone noise.

“I don’t want to talk to the person who’s calling,” I say, switching the ringer to silent.

“Is it an ex-girlfriend?” the blonde says. Her tits are spilling out of her top. I love my roommate, but I wish his women were more modest.

Brad laughs. “Kaden doesn’t do girlfriends.”

“A lover then?” she says, pouting her lips.

None of the Cyclones have regular partners; it’s safer for everyone that way. A couple of months ago, Crow took a bullet while out collecting a debt. He got the money but had to be patched up and was out of action for a month. Everyone knows the risks of living this life. That said, we don’t bring people we care about into it.

“Kaden’s hand gets more action than anyone else,” Brad says with another chuckle.

“Fuck off.” I flip him the bird.

He thinks he’s so funny, but he’s forgetting the blonde is a sure thing. He doesn’t need to show he has a sense of humour to get her to spread her legs. So what if I’ve been celibate for a while? I’ve just not been feeling it.

“You’re irritable tonight. Maybe you should just get some. Callie does this thing with her tongue. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind showing you.” Brad pushes her to the edge of his knee, and she smiles eagerly.

My dick would soften further if it were possible. I’m a twenty-five-year-old red-blooded Englishman, but that doesn’t mean I’ll sink into any hole offered to me. Lately, no women seem to be doing it for me. Maybe I need a break from all the bullshit around me. Our house can sometimes get crowded, and finding peace can be challenging.

Averting my gaze, I grab my phone off the table and head down the hall and up the stairs to my bedroom. The device vibrates in my hand and against my better judgement, I connect the call holding it up in front of me.

“What?” I ask, with venom laced in my voice.

“Not the best way to greet your older brother,” Kai says as his face appears on the screen.

“Ten minutes hardly counts. What do you want?” My tone softens slightly, but only enough that my twin would notice. We haven’t seen each other for a while but he still understands mebetter than anyone else. He’s my biggest critic and a pain in my ass.

“Okay, we don’t need to play nice. You said you’d show up for Mum’s birthday. We’ve been sat waiting for you to arrive for thirty minutes. I told her you wouldn’t come, but you made a promise. I’m sick of listening to how much she misses you and your bullshit excuses. Everyone has problems, Kaden. You aren’t any different. Now get your ass over here.” The vein in his head pulses.

Calmly, I take another sip of my beer, savouring the bitter taste.

“Fine.”

Before he can whine anymore, I hang up.

It was a few weeks ago when he initially asked me. He caught me off guard when I agreed to a family dinner. Guilt isn’t something I usually buy into. Now, I’m paying for my moment of weakness. I hate sit-down meals and family gatherings, but I’ll have to get this one over with. Throwing my phone down on the bed, I pull on my combat boots before shoving a few paper notes and my keys into my back pocket.

“I’m heading out,” I shout to Brad on my way through the house.

He’s getting his fix of the blonde and doesn’t even look up. Ignoring the sexual activity going on in my living room, I go outside toward the garage.

Starting my motorbike, I pull onto the main road, letting my need for speed take over my thoughts. The wind blows through my hair as the streets blur. It’s a thirty-minute drive to the place where I grew up.

The spray paint, broken windows, and boarded-up pubs fade as the big country houses come into my field of vision. To most people, the view would be beautiful, but it makes me itchy to turn back around so I can leave.

A few curtains twitch as I park up on my mum’s drive. The old bats probably think they need to lock their daughters up to protect their ovaries. They’d be wrong. I’m not interested in corrupting any posh tarts.

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