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W hat was happening right now? Lance was really Lucy and my girlfriend now, the Barons were changing everything, and something was going on with Neco.

We all hid when Lucy opened the door and he didn’t immediately storm off.

And yeah, we totally eavesdropped because everyone wanted Neco back.

Lucy wanted him back, too, she just couldn’t see it because she was so hurt he left in the first place.

And yeah, Neco was right. Mom would be mad if she saw us hungover, but she would tear us new arseholes if we were rude in her presence.

Mom was elegant and all about manners. If she didn’t have dark skin and come from the Jagged Key Isles, she’d be living it up in the fancy part of town with a title.

Except she hated those people, so even if they asked, she’d tell them to get fucked, so she had her little slice of life in the brothel.

I grew up here, so I knew exactly how to sneak in and out without getting caught. I checked the hall and told Neco and Ronan it was clear.

“It’s cute you think the Madame doesn’t know every single time you come and go when you think you’re being sneaky,” Neco chuckled.

“He’s pretty much got you,” Ronan said as I unlocked my door.

“You can’t be a traitor if you’re going to be belching in my flat.”

“I didn’t know the three of you were with Lance, but why did you get so drunk he went to see his father? You had no idea they were going to change the rules. His father is an ass. He was more likely to send Lance away because he thought he doesn’t know how to throw a punch.”

I fell out laughing.

“I get Lance getting the jump on you once because he’s fast, but he completely fucked your face up.”

“Shut up,” Neco growled. “I let him hit me since I broke his nose and then he came back with a head butt.”

And Lucy probably didn’t follow it up by completely maiming his nuts because Neco thought she was Lance, so he’d have no problem throwing her through a wall.

She had to be crazy breaking his nose in the first place.

I was pretty sure she hadn’t thus far because Neco got giant and trained with my uncle.

“Lance has been wanting to break your nose since you broke his, but it’s pretty obvious why he hasn’t,” I said.

“Lance also has a temper, so what did you do that he picked a fight with you?” Ronan asked.

“I tried to help him when I realized he wasn’t my brother.”

Neco could be the most confusing man sometimes. Lucy and Autar knew each other, but they were a few years apart, so they weren’t all that close. Well, they were now that they found out they shared a father. Argent kids usually bonded over hating their father, especially if they shared one.

Neco was insanely protective of Rowena and some of that wasn’t just because she was a girl.

Neco taught her how to protect herself and he took care of it when she couldn’t, like when their father was involved.

I could see Neco forgiving Lucy and wanting to help her if they were siblings, but not why he’d stick his neck out after finding out they weren’t.

“Oh!” Ronan said. “I get it now.”

“I don’t. Tell me.”

“No way. Neco kills people. I’m not spilling his secrets.”

“Neco has a code. He’s not going to slit your throat for telling me.”

“Neco is sitting right here,” Neco said dryly. “It was complicated before and now it’s not.”

Oh! I got it now, too. A whole bunch of stuff was just fine in Guttertown, but not that.

It was kind of fucked up. Guttertown was fine with most things sexually as long as everyone consented, but family was off limits.

The fancy people outside of Guttertown would jump me if they saw me holding hands with Ollie or Ronan, but they thought marrying family was more acceptable than marrying a poor person.

Gross.

“Why did you turn it into this whole feud instead of just asking?”

“It was easier,” Neco grunted.

On behalf of all men, we were really stupid sometimes.

It was not easier on either of them. And Neco wasn’t going to have an easy time with Lucy, either, because she was stubborn.

If he’d spoken to her right after their fight, they could have both apologized.

She could have told him they weren’t siblings and our whole group wouldn’t have been fractured.

“Have you met Lance Argent, Neco? You broke his nose and completely cut him out of your life. You got into screaming fights any time you were in the same room. That wasn’t easy on either of you. And if you think getting back into his life is going to be easy, then you don’t know Lance Argent.”

“I do know Lance. That’s why I let him fuck up my face.”

Ronan and I looked at Neco like he was insane. I mean, yeah, he was killing people, so probably part of him was. He had no way of knowing Lucy’s secret, but it didn’t work like that with guys, either. Maybe your mates if you were drunk, but not men you had feelings for.

“No offense, since you can sneak in my room and kill me, but you’re a fucking moron,” Ronan said.

“I can’t worry about any of that. You’re all with Lance. Keep him out of the Ghoul task since he won’t listen to me.”

I didn’t think it was possible to look at Neco like he’d lost his mind even harder, but I think we all did.

“Caitrin is the only person who can tell Lance what to do and if it comes down to protecting Caitrin, then Lance isn’t going to listen,” I said.

“Lance was like that when we were kids,” Ronan pointed out. “He didn’t grow out of it. Caitrin would have rather died than have Lance go to his father, and he went anyway because he wouldn’t allow it.”

I couldn’t smack Ronan without giving it away to Neco that he was saying things that could give away her secret. The only reason Neco wasn’t fishing more about why we shut down the tavern and got drunk was because he was trying to figure out how to keep Lucy out of danger.

“Well, yeah. His father is Folcard. He’s the worst of them.

He said terrible things to Lance because he doesn’t ooze masculinity.

If he hadn’t changed the rules, he would have just let Caitrin die because he thought Lance couldn’t handle the military.

The two of you don’t know what it’s like. It’s not safe for him.”

“Um, I work outside of Guttertown all the time,” Ronan said. “It’s the only way to get paid work. Lance knows how to keep his head down and mind his business. If you’re that worried, work with him instead of excluding him. You’re going to have to do some serious groveling and this could help.”

Neco threw up his hands and started pacing.

“I can’t catch a serial killer while an angry man who wants to maim my nuts is with me. That’s how mistakes get made.”

“You’re going to have to because if anything happens and Caitrin dies, he’s going to blame you. And you’d do the same if you were in his shoes,” Ronan said.

Neco just grunted, but it was the best idea. Neco and Lucy might be explosive together, but Folcard would find any loophole to screw her over. She couldn’t sit out and let Neco do it for her.

And I trusted Neco to have her back the best.