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Emily turns her nose in the air. “Enjoy the marriage while you still look young-ish.”

Grady looks to the sky and takes a deep breath, like he knows his daughter is going to speak that way to the wrong woman one day and get herself killed.

Skyla gives her a saccharine smile. “Well, there is an appeal to older women.”

“Pension checks?” Emily’s tone is sharp.

Smirking, Skyla eyes her like she’s nothing more than a child. “We don’t have to chase men who are already taken, and we don’t need to run around sleeping with whoever is willing.”

Grady’s face turns a deep shade of red as Emily turns and walks away, muttering under her breath.

As Grady swipes a hand down his face, I know I’m probably going to get a phone call about this later tonight, but I don’t care. It’s worth it to see Emily put in her place for once.

My fingers skim along Skyla’s bare shoulder blade as I press a hand to her back.

I clear my throat. “We should get dinner sometime soon, Grady. I’ve been interested in upping the amount of product I’m receiving.”

It’s enough to placate him for the time being.

He nods before taking off after Emily, no doubt going to tell her that sooner or later, I’ll leave Skyla, and she can have me.

Like I’m nothing more than a piece of meat. Or a status symbol.

But even if the cost of letting go of Skyla wasn’t having to deal with Emily, I’m having too much fun trying to learn who the woman beside me is.

Sighing, I turn to Skyla. “You know, you didn’t have to go there with her.”

“She started it. If she wants to play with the big kids, she better learn how to take what she thinks she’s dishing out.”

“I’m going to get a drink. Try not to make more of a mess of my work life before I get back.”

As I weave through the people and over to the bar, I do my best to look happy and relaxed even though Skyla has me on edge.

She’s unpredictable at best.

I should’ve put more thought into who I was going to pretend to be married to. If I had, I might not be trapped with her psychotic but delicious ass. Then again, I would be stuck with Emily.

And as psychotic as Skyla may be, there is something about her that keeps calling to me, and apparently I’m too weak to just walk away from her.

I approach the bar and order one of the specialty cocktails her sisters planned for the event. While I wait, I look around at the people gathered.

My eyes stubbornly insist on going back to the corner where I left Skyla.

And Logan and Bella are with her now.

He’s late, which is no surprise.

What is surprising is that his hand goes to Skyla’s throat, and he shoves her out of view of everyone else.

Bella scurries away with her head down like she doesn’t see anything, a fresh bruise on her bicep.

I stride away from the bar, hurrying to where Logan just took Skyla. I don’t know who he thinks he is, but he’s going to pay for putting his hands on my wife.

I may have thought about wringing her neck more than once, but that is my neck to touch, not his.

“You fucking bastard,” Skyla says, venom in her voice before there’s the sound of flesh hitting flesh. “Fucking touch me again, and I’ll kill you.”

I round the corner to see her standing above him, her hand still clenched in a fist, and Logan glowering at her.

He lunges, and as he does, she ducks out of his reach and slams her fist into his stomach, knocking the air from him.

All right, no fist fights with my wife.

Before he can reach for her again, her fist is crashing into his nose, the sickening crunch of cartilage and his low moan filling the air.

He stumbles backward, his hand over his nose and blood dripping from between his fingers.

I lean against the wall of the building beside us, gaze connecting with Skyla’s as the corner of my mouth twitches. “Got everything handled here?”

She shakes out her hand and shrugs. “Not sure yet. He’s exceptionally stupid.”

Logan glowers at her before spitting out a mouthful of blood at her feet. “You stupid bitch.”

I grab him by the shoulder and slam my foot into the back of his knee.

He crumples to the ground as anger courses through my veins.

I look at her with a smile. “Honey, please go make sure everyone is having a good time.”

For once, she doesn’t argue with me. She stabs the stiletto heel into the hand Logan has on the ground before rounding the corner and heading off to entertain the guests.

Logan gets to his feet and glares at me. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Need some help?” Royce appears at my side with Aiden just behind him. “Because I know this jackass wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to ruin my sister’s wedding reception.”

Pride wants me to tell them to go away and let me handle this, but I need them on my side, at least a little. When this thing between me and Skyla ends, I don’t want them to come after me and kill me.

“Help me take him out of here.”

Royce and Aiden each take an arm, lifting Logan up.

Logan tries to kick Royce and is rewarded with a sharp jab to the kidney.

My brother groans, his head dropping. “You stupid fucking bastard. I’m going to put away your entire family. When I’m done with you, your sisters are all going to be rotting in jail.”

Aiden looks at me with an eyebrow raised. “This is what you put up with from the people on your payroll?”

“No.” I nod to the next alley over. “Take him there.”

Logan thrashes, trying to break free. “You took what was mine, Joshua. You think this is going to end well for you? Skyla is nothing but a whore.”

Aiden and Royce throw Logan to the ground.

My foot is on his chest in the next instant, and I press down. “You’re going to keep my wife’s name out of your mouth, you sniveling piece of shit. I should kill you right now.”

Laughing, Logan shoves at my foot, trying to get me to move and let him up. “You would be nothing without me. I’m the one keeping you protected from the DEA.”

Aiden leans against the wall, gaze boring into me as I shift my position.

If there was ever anything that felt like a test, this was it.

I have nothing to prove to either of them but having them on my side could prove useful in the future.

Not that Logan is going to be forgiven for this either way.

I crouch with my foot still on his chest, taking out the gun hidden on my calf. I press it against his temple. “The second you’re done being useful to me, you’re dead.”