Page 188 of Remiss

“What’s new about that?” Devon spat. “She’s been weird for fucking months now.”

“Hey, asshole, who the fuck asked you?” Ryan demanded.

Devon thrust his chin toward Mattie. “She did. She asked me to be here.”

“Her mistake,” CJ said flatly. “So get the fuck up and go. You obviously don’t give a fuck about what happens to Harley.”

“I don’t.”

“That shit’s getting old, Dev,” Grant said with disapproval. “She pissed us off. We get it. It’s over. Even if it wasn’t, she belongs to us. If someone’s hurting her, we defend her.”

Glaring at Ryan, Devon got to his feet and walked out.

CJ studied Ryan for the briefest second. Instead of an assholey reply, Ryan couldn’t meet CJ’s gaze.

Interesting. He almost seemed…guilty.Mattie refrained from pointing out that observation. She wanted to help Harley, not reignite a war between CJ and Ryan.

“Uh, Harley is so jumpy,” she blurted, not thinking about her words. “And so very sad. Just like I was when I had to deal with Wallace, Billy, and Eric.”

They all snapped their gazes to her, but she immediately regretted her words at the combination of anguish and anger blooming on her beloved brother’s face.

Stones dropped into her belly, and she lowered her lashes. Her lower lip trembled but she swallowed, hard, like she was forcing down a ball of popcorn overflowing with half-popped kernels.

“Come here, Mattie,” Grant instructed softly, drawing her attention. His gentle smile eased her pain and humiliation. He patted the spot next to him, where he sat on the sofa, the only one to do so.

Stiffening her backbone, she walked over and plopped next to him, locking her knees together and sitting ramrod straight, tension humming through her body.

“No one blames you, Mattie,” CJ said.

“Not about Wallace, Eric, or Billy,” Ryan told her without sympathy or hostility. He was just him. “They were motherfuckers.”

Getting up from his spot on the floor, close to the coffee table, but near where CJ sat on a chair, Rory came to her, forcing Mattie to slide over. The moment she brushed against Grant, he slid over, too.

Her brother hugged her. “Did you ever tell Mom the entire story?”

She laid her head on her brother’s shoulder. “No,” she whispered.

“Mom would know what to do.”

“I’m scared to tell her. I don’t want her to blame herself and she’s dealing with enough right now.”

“What about Aunt Meggie?” Ryan asked. “Or my mom?”

“I’ll think about it,” Mattie promised, disentangling herself from Rory and sighing. “But this isn’t about me. My problems have been taken care of. Harley’s hasn’t.”

“Ifshe has a problem,” Ryan said. “Maybe she just wants attention.”

“I hate to agree with Ryan,” Rory started. “He’s right, though. Lately, Harley has done everything she can think of to disrupt our lives.”

“Not on purpose,” Mattie argued. “She’s been going through stuff.”

“Yeah, Matt, mean bitchiness,” Ryan said, snickering. He smirked at CJ. “Makes for an awesome bed partner. Oops. I forgot you don’t know anything about fucking beyond a single blowjob.”

“And you don’t know anything about loyalty beyond…” CJ drew his brows together in mock consideration, then snapped his fingers. “Fuckingnever.”

Anger blanketed Ryan’s face.

“Shut the fuck up, Ryan—”