Page 24 of Legacy of Smoke
“He’s fine. Where did he sleep the night before last?”
“Oh, in the maid’s quarters under the stairs. Sprout messed up the RV he was in and offered him a place until he can get on his feet. I …uh…”
“Let me guess, he never asked you first.”
She sighed. “It’s okay, really.”
No, it wasn’t. Danielle didn’t need big dumb bikers making decisions that intruded on her privacy like that. Sprout was now also on my shit list. Bad enough, the house was overrun with bikers most weekends or whenever they got a bug up their ass and wanted to get insanely drunk at poor Danielle’s house.But to have one sleeping there full time? I covered the little microphone hole and told Sprout, “You’re an asshole.”
He smiled like I’d just said something completely different. I turned back to the conversation at hand. “So, from when to when was this decision sprung on you.”
“Tuesday, through the night before last. His things are still here. Did you know everything he owns fits in one duffel bag?”
And everything Lily owned or wanted fit in a grocery bag. Damn it.
“Yeah, he hasn’t had much time to put down roots yet. Thank you for letting me bug you like this. I’m going to hand the phone back to Sprout now.” And I did, with a muttered, “You owe that woman.”
“I know. Hey babe…” He walked around Austin to take the conversation with his wife outside.
“I didn’t sleep with your sister.” Austin crossed his arms and waited for me to apologize. Which I should. But…
“She’s not that good of a liar. She honestly thinks she slept with you. Who am I supposed to believe?” Not only that, but she nailed the dick size as well. Quite a few men mistake six inches for nine, but I guarantee no woman wouldeverdo that. We’re smart enough to look at a ruler once in a while.
He bit his lip. “I know it looks bad.”
“Looks bad? Try…” I couldn’t find a word heinous enough to describe how awful this was. “She thinks I slept with you to take you away from her.”
“Really? Ew.”
“Stop it, you sound like Sprout.”
He shrugged. I picked up the fish again.
“Ten seconds… nine...” I cocked my arm back, ready to fling it at his head.
“Andrew.”
“What?”
“Remember my brother? My twin brother? Identical twin? The asshole?”
Oh God. It was a long time ago, but I remembered the jerky identical twin that followed Austin and Sprout around at parties. Until he discovered looking up skirts. More than once, he laid the blame on Austin for it. The fight went right out of me. “Let me guess, he knows you’re out?”
“That’s what Sprout thinks. Jackson says they sometimes notify the victim. So…”
I set the fish back where it belonged. “If this were a TV show, I would not believe this. What are the odds?”
“Yeah. Listen, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For last night.”
Was he serious? I gave him my… well,that. And he was sorry? I needed something heavier than that damn fish. Maybe the pizza stone? No, that thing cost a fortune. My mixer was heavy. Also… expensive. Knives were out. I wanted to maim, not dismember.
Ignorant to my inner thoughts, Austin picked up his apology and continued. “I’m sorry it ended the way it did. We should have had a nice breakfast, kissed before work, I’d have ridden behind your car all the way to the job site, and after work today, taken you out for another ride.”
His voice was right behind me. “I told you not to move.”
