Page 25 of Hell of a Mess

Twenty-One

Luther

Linc was sitting at the table, watching Stevie and Maui wrestle around on the floor.

A smile tugged at his lips as she giggled until his gaze swung up to see me.

Then he was scowling. Not that I gave a fuck.

It wasn’t like he had anything to be pissed at me about.

He didn’t know that I’d shot my load on Lace’s bare tits, like some horny teenager.

If he did, then I’d understand the scowl.

“Morning,” Jayda called out as she took biscuits from the oven.

“Mornin’,” I replied and went to my chair as Maui left Stevie to come rub against me with his own greeting.

“Watch, Luther! I can make him roll over, just like you,” she said excitedly.

She lay down on the floor to roll over herself. Sure enough, the dog fell to the ground and mimicked her.

“That’s one way to do it,” I replied.

“What’s up your ass?” I asked Linc as Jayda set a cup of coffee in front of me.

He cut his eyes at his daughter, as if she hadn’t heard us curse before, then back at me.

“Halsten. He’s demanding a meeting with us.

He’s claiming she’s his and still calling her by the sister’s name.

We need to know why he’s calling her by a name that isn’t hers and where that sister is.

Arun Al-Bahrani hasn’t said a word or even attempted to contact any of us.

He’s gone silent. Left the country. Also, from a source at the Sovereign, he’s not a straight man. He has a lover.”

That was too much shit before I had my coffee. I downed more than normal, burning my throat in the process.

“And here I thought, this was about Mal wanting Lace to move to his house,” I said with a grunt.

“There’s that too,” Linc said. “Have you tried to talk to her about that?”

Oh, I’d tried. Unsuccessfully.

“Not exactly,” I told him.

“What does that mean?” he asked.

I shrugged and leaned back in the chair. “She won’t go. She wants to stay here.”

Linc’s brows snapped together. “Why? Doesn’t she want to get to know her father? She is a Bowen. She belongs with them.”

I didn’t like the way that sounded. Belongs with them. It was true, but I still didn’t like it.

“Getting to know and movin’ in are two different things,” I replied.

“Is it because she feels comfortable with Jayda here?”

Nope. That wasn’t it.

I shook my head. “It’s not Jayda she doesn’t want to leave.”

He put his elbows on the table and leaned toward me, narrowing his eyes. “You’d better not be telling me it’s you.”

Eh, he needed to calm down.

“She’s Mal’s daughter,” he said yet again, as if I needed reminding.

“I’m aware of her parentage. We’ve gone over that a few times.”

“She is moving to Mal’s. I’ve got enough shit to deal with, and I don’t need family drama on top of it.”

If he thought he was making her move, then he’d have fucking drama.

“She doesn’t want to go,” I repeated.

“She doesn’t get a choice.”

He was pushing past annoying me, and I didn’t want to put a fist in his face with the kid in the room.

“Yes, she does.”

“Luther, whatever shit you started stops now,” he said under his breath so Stevie couldn’t hear him.

He had no idea the shit I’d started, but I’d stopped that already.

“She is staying here,” I repeated. “She needs me.”

Linc’s eyes heated as he glared at me, and for a moment, I prepared to dodge his swing. But Stevie let out a round of giggles that I was sure saved me the trouble.

“Mal will fucking kill you. I won’t have to.”

Reaching for my cup, I took another drink before responding. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “She has information we need about her sister. I’m the one she trusts. I can get the answers. Why don’t you stop trying to micromanage every fucking decision and let me handle that?”

Linc looked as if he was mulling that over.

“You’re the last one of us anyone needs to fucking trust,” he hissed.

I shrugged. “Hey, I tried to tell her that. She refuses to listen.”

“Good morning, Lace!” Jayda said with exaggerated enthusiasm that was meant to get our attention.

My gaze swung to see her walking into the kitchen. Damn, she was beautiful. The bruising on her face was fading, and the swelling was gone. It seemed like, every day, the woman got more breathtaking. Which sucked for me because I liked pretty things. With cunts.

Stevie instantly began chattering about Maui’s new trick and was telling Lace to watch. I tore my gaze off her before Linc got ideas in his head and started in on her moving again. I was done with that conversation.

“Get her to talk,” Linc said under his breath. “Then she goes to Mal’s.”

I ignored his comment.

“Two boiled eggs and berries with whipped cream?” Jayda asked her.

I turned my head back in her direction to watch her respond.

She hesitated, then glanced at me before nodding. “Yes, please.”

“Add a slice of buttered toast,” I told Jayda, and Lace tensed but only for a moment.

“Why are you ordering her food?” Linc asked me accusingly.

“She has food issues,” I whispered, giving him a pointed look.

He wanted to ask more. I could see it on his face, but he didn’t.

My plans today had changed, it seemed. When I’d left my room, I had made up my mind to stay the hell away from Lace. But we needed her to explain her father’s insistence that she was someone else. And I sure as fuck wasn’t letting anyone drill her with questions.

“You can sit, Lace,” I told her when she didn’t make a move toward the table. “Linc is harmless.”

She glanced warily at him, then back at me, and I gave her a reassuring nod.

As if there were fucking strings attached to her and I was the one holding them, she came over and sat down, still looking at me, as if waiting on my cue as to what to do next.

She was an obedient little thing. It was hot, but the reasons why she was so obedient were messing with my head.

I wanted answers about her life. Even though I already knew I wasn’t going to like them.