Page 10 of Dare to Embrace
Kody hissed out a breath. “I don’t think we should. But you may want to call Christine.”
I stopped at the crossroads outside the Maxwell estate, shaking my head at no one. “Marcus?”
“How did you know?”
“I’ll tell you when I get there.” I ended the call then banged on the steering wheel.
The boy was probably going to be the death of me.
I pressed on the gas a little too hard, as I turned left toward Ashford. Within fifteen minutes, I was walking into The Cave and to a scene that had my stomach in knots and my hands balled into fists at my sides.
Kody led me over to the stage, pointing at a sight that would make Christine croak.
Marcus was passed out with not one, not two, but three bottles of hard liquor next to him.
Kody set his blue gaze on me. “I didn’t want to wake him.”
Fuck that.
My feet pounded a little too hard on the wood floor before climbing up on stage. I was surprised the boy hadn’t drowned in his own puke because his gray T-shirt was soaked in it.
I squatted down and slapped him on the face, not hard, but enough to jar him awake. “Marcus.”
The boy didn’t move. The only saving grace was that I could see his chest moving.
I tapped his face a bit harder. “Man, wake up.”
Groaning, he swatted at me. “Go away.”
I slid the bottles of liquor out of the way. “Kody, can you get some water?”
“I have something better than that,” Kody said as he walked away.
“Marcus, get your ass up,” I commanded in a tone that was scary even to me.
He groaned.
I seriously needed to rethink my position on kids and a big family. If Marcus’s rebellious nature was any indication of what I had in store, then maybe Lacey should play ball until she was forty.
My heart went out to Christine even though I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Marcus. The woman was a young widow with eight kids, and five of them were teenagers.Whoa!
Kody returned with a bucket in his hand.
I popped to my feet to get out of the way of what was about to happen.
Kody stood over Marcus and emptied the bucket of crushed ice on top of him.
Like lightning, Marcus sat straight up. His blue eyes were wide. His mouth was hanging open, and he was seething with a look that could kill Kody in an instant.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Get your ass up,” I commanded harshly.
He threw me the middle finger as his eyes surveyed me then Kody. “Fuck off.”
Kody went to grab Marcus by the collar, but I held up my hand.
“Kody, can you call the cops and let them know we’ve had a break-in?”
Tough love was how my old man had taught us. When the triplets had gotten out of hand, especially when Kross and Kody had retaliated against one of our enemies in high school, he’d sent the triplets off to a private school.
