Page 99 of Rise of the King (Checkmate 5)

“He’s not your brother! I’m your brother, you asshole.”

“The girls are a package deal, Jay. Where one goes, the other goes. Where the twink goes, Angelo follows. You’re gonna have to get on board with that.”

“He’s not your bro. I’m your bro, and you only get one.”

“You’re so fuckin’ petty.” Laughing, he slaps my back and pushes me toward the door. “And good job on the eleven-hundred-yard shots. That’s so good.”

“Four and a half seconds,” I gloat. “And a breeze! Motherfucker, I almost jumped to my feet and did the Tarzan holler. I wasthisclose to texting you, but figured a text from the grave might freak you out a little.”

Chuckling, he pulls me close until our heads smack together. “It would’ve been a little weird. But now we gotta talk. About everything. You’re not leaving my sight until I get all the details.”

“I already live across the street,” I laugh. “Oh, and you gotta get better about putting your trash out. Sophia’s gonna murder me if I continue to do it for you and risk blowing my cover.”

Stopping, he turns and looks into my eyes. He stares for a long minute; his brows pull close, then, blowing his breath through his nose, he shakes his head and swings the door wide. “My trash. You’ve been fucking up my security and scaring the street cats because you wanted to take my trash out. Guys!” Lifting his chin and waiting for the staff of the large Checkmate office to come to attention, Kane smiles like he’s a kid all over again and we hit our first targets. “He’s home.”

My eyes naturally zing across the open plan office space in search of my sweet Sophia, but it takes only a moment to locate her sitting in an office chair with a mouthful of burger while the blonde twins and Andi surround her. My stomach drops from hunger, and my heart breaks when Soph pushes the last mouthful in and leaves me none.

But then she smiles and lifts a second paper bag and shakes it. “I got you one too, handsome.”

“Yes!” Walking away from my brother, I make a beeline for the desk of women and snatch the paper bag from Soph’s hands. Leaning between the twins, I place a fast kiss on Soph’s lips and laugh when they make the “awww” sound. “I’m so fuckin’ hungry, my hungry is hungry, Soph.”

“I’ve got your back, babe. We haven’t eaten in an hour, so I knew your blood sugar would be dropping fast.”

“Got it from Franky’s diner,” Eric volunteers. “They make a good burger up at Franky’s.”

Tearing the bag open, because manners are far less important to me than my appetite right in this moment, I peel the paper back, then take a large bite as Kane and his men create a semi-circle around us and smile.

Grabbing Soph’s hand, I yank her up and pull her into my side. “Guys,” burger crumbs fall onto my shirt as I speak, “this is Sophia Solomon the Wise and Peaceful. She’s fresh outta peace, but she’s smart as fuck, so that kinda makes up for it. She’s mine; she holds a mean grudge; she dances like an angel, and she’s probably gonna stab you or shoot you at some point. Definitely don’t touch her food. But her heart is pure gold, so get the fuck on board and welcome her into the family.”

Eric is the first to bound forward. He’s older than the rest of us, though not by a lot; he’s in the second half of his thirties rather than the first half. He steps forward with a goofy grin and pulls Soph in for a hug while I slam half my burger down in one go.

“You’re in. Welcome to the family, Sophia.”

As we work through the crowd, the girls say hello, and Spence has to be pulled off Soph before he gets himself shot. Angelo steps forward, and though he’s not as loud as the others, he’s also not particularly shy.

Stopping two feet in front of us, he pulls his blonde into his side and mirrors me, then he extends a hand. “Angelo Alesi.”

“I know who you are.” Nodding toward his hair, I add, “I like your haircut.”

“Really?” Grinning, his eyes dart to Soph for a beat, then back to me. “Thanks, man. It was a big change for me, but–”

“I’m kidding, Alesi. It’s fuckin’ ugly. You’re ugly. Get the fuck outta my space and don’t come back. I’m here now, so you can skedaddle. Kane doesn’t need his rebound bro when he’s got the real thing right here.”

“Alrighty.” Barging forward with a laugh, Kane moves Ang back and replaces the couple with himself and Jess. “You need to be cool to him, Jay. He’s blood in, and he’s savage. Don’t pick fights you can’t finish.” Extending a hand toward Soph, Kane turns sheepish. “Ah… so… Hi, Sophia. I’d like it if we could start over. My name’s Kane Bishop. You’re dating my baby brother, and since he told me you’re his, and it’s real, I believe that makes you family. I don’t wanna fight with my sister. In fact, we’re probably gonna hug in a sec, then tomorrow, I’ll create a nickname for you. Then we’ll drink together and compete in karaoke, and thus, will form unbreakable bonds.”

I want to laugh at my idiot brother’s speech, because he never used to be this silly. The right girl will do that to you, I guess, and I’ve never seen him so happy. But I can’t laugh, because my heart feels like it’s caught inside a clamp. It squeezes and squeezes and squeezes the longer she stares at his hand.

But then she takes it.

Relief swamps my body until I can barely catch my breath, though she wouldn’t be Sophia Solomon if she let shit go so easily. “Hi, Kane Bishop. I’m probably a better singer than you; I can dance, and sex sells. Also, I moonlight as a stripper, so you’re gonna lose if you challenge me to any kind of stage performance. I’m here for the long haul, because Jay loves me more than he loves you…” She hesitates. “Probably. We can be friends, so long as you don’t step on me, but the moment you start stomping, I intend to tie you to a wall and cut your nuts out. I’ll use pliers so I don’t have to touch your ding dong.”

Wide-eyed and tight-lipped, Kane turns to the group behind him and lifts a brow.

Spence wipes a thick hand over his chin and shakes his head. “Our new leader has spoken. Which reminds me, we’ve still got that asshole in the tank. Can we get to him already?”

* * *

“Let’s talk.” Kane pulls a chair from behind a desk, sits down with a grunt, and pulls Jess into his lap. Picking up a desk phone, he dials his receptionist in the front. “Dolly. We’re in lockdown for real. Shut us down; lock us up. You don’t even have to answer the phones until I give you the green. Nobody comes in here until we’re done.”

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