Page 98 of Five

“What are you doing here?” Sari asks Uri with his arms crossed over his chest. He looks…upset? Don’t know what’s with him tonight.

“That fucker came after you again. That’s why I told you to stay!” I hear Bez’s raspy voice first, then he jumps down from the van, wearing a pair of worn jeans, black boots, a gray t-shirt that makes his eyes pops, and that sexy beanie.

“And I told you, I’m not a dog,” I retort, as he stops in front of me. His scent makes me relax instantaneously. “Did you follow me?”

“No. Serena did,” he says, without an ounce of shame.

“Don’t get all goblin-y on him. In his defense, Gabe has Serena on you every time you set a foot out of his apartment.” Rami smirks, happy to have gotten his brother in trouble.

“What the fuck! I thought I’ve been clear enough with you two, I don’t need a bloody knight. I can take care of myself.” I push on his chest. He’s lucky I have Wednesday and I don’t want to jostle her, otherwise, I’d have jumped on him and had him in a headlock in two seconds flat.

“I know,” Gabe replies, his condescending answer is getting old.

Self-assertive, patronizing, high and mighty, overbearing dick!

“No, you don’t!” I poke his pec now.

“Show them who’s the boss!” Rami cheers.I’ll get him later.

“What were you doing here?” It’s Bez again.

“I’ve never heard them switch like this.” Sari’s voice is filled with awe.

“If you think I’ll answer to your tosser coalition against me…” I start replying to Gabe and Bez, but Clover cuts me off, adding himself to tonight’s archenemy list.

“Lori almost killed us driving us here after he lured the bartender from Crimson with the pretense of a date. The stalker encounter was purely accidental.”

I can hear Gabe’s teeth cracking as his icy eyes turn to hellfire—Bez again—as they notice my sexy attire. “The fuuuuck!” he roars, but before he can grab me, I spin around and stomp my way to the bar.

Like they can tell me what to do and where to go. If I need to show them what I’m made of, I’ll bloody do it. Right the fuck now! I want to be part of their family business, and I will. I always get what I want. Always!

The bar door suddenly bangs open, and out comes the bartender with his bushy eyebrows. “Hey, curly. I was looking for—” His words stop as his eyes fall on Wednesday screeching in my arms. Then they jump up to my face and stop on something behind me.

I hear a threatening growl. Bez. Fuck! It makes the bartender take a step back before he turns and runs to his car.

“Great! Look what you’ve done!” I scold him. The bartender jumps in his tiny car and turns on the engine when Hunter’s herculean body appears in front of the car. He raises his heavy booted foot and kicks the hood with his heel. A deafening bang resounds in the street followed by the pop of the airbag going off, hitting Caterpillar Brows gloriously in the face.

I’m frozen on the sidewalk. Stunned. “That was fucking brilliant!”

“That’s my grizzly!” Rami is clapping, running to his boyfriend. “You’ll get a reward for this,” he adds suggestively.

The bartender’s body is limp on top of the steering wheel.

“It’s not a reward if it’s already mine.” Hunter’s gruff voice is followed by the sound of a loud kiss.

“Tom Cruise has nothing on us!” Clover declares.

“He’ll have a major headache when he wakes up,” Sari comments, looking at the bartender with a scrunched-up expression.

“I’m hyped! Lori, you promised me a drink and a dance,” Clover reminds me.

“We need to interrogate him. Both of them,” Gabe says from behind me, his monotone voice has a slight angry hiss to it. I want to vent my fury so damn much. I’ve been looking forward to entering the FUNS room, but not like this. I want Gabe and Bez next to me as equals. To seemeas an equal, not a frail thing that needs to be monitored.

Ahhhhh!

I’m still fuming at Clover for throwing me under the bus before, but I’m more enraged with Gabe and Bez and the way they join forces against me. “You do that, we’ll go have fun, and if you arses try to stop me, I swear I’ll move out.” I look at Gabe straight in the eyes to let them both know I mean it.

Again, Bez’s snarl comes out. I can almost see the inner fight my boys are having.