Page 63 of Tangled Lies

“I wouldn’t say that,” I said, because I wouldn’t.

I hated the way they looked at me as they both sat down.

“Look, we can back off. It doesn’t matter what any of us feel, not if it’s going to tear you—” Knox didn’t get to finish. I cut them him with a water bottle to his head.

“It’s not that. Fuck. I don’t even know. It’s. Shit.”

Talon seemed to finish my thoughts.

“It’s that she’s fucking perfect and she is supposed to be a tool?”

Yeah. That summed shit up.

“She does seem to get us,” Knox said. “I expected her to run screaming when Jett ran in there. Fucker needs patience.”

I cracked my neck.

“The engagement was called off, we all swore that we would never allow it again. Nothing would come between us. Nothing.” I was simply repeating the conversation that we’d had the night we found out my arranged marriage's fate. Relief. The worst thing that could happen to the four of us was ever being separated.

All we had in this family was the family, but really, it was the four of us. We all slept with one eye open, but maybe it was just a little easier when you shared the burden.

Jett’s father had crossed Barone years ago. His mother was sent to a remote family vineyard because she was the sister of Barone, but even she wasn’t really unscathed. Knox’s mom fucked her way through the ranks until she pissed off one too many of the brothers. Knox wasn’t much better than me in this family. A bastard.

“Boys, what do you think?” I asked.

Finally my lungs stopped burning and I felt almost human, depending on what that actually could be defined as.

“She’s entertaining, that’s for sure,” Talon said.

I looked to Knox for something profound to make me not get up and just slit her throat.

“I know that look, Roe. Don’t. She’s the first woman that intrigues me as much as she catches your attention. I say we use her until she no longer has use. Maybe we’ll be bored by then.”

My hands already itched to hold her again even before he said the words.

“Fine. She stays for now. As long as she has use.” I took off the gloves, my knuckles still bruised and abused regardless. Even the pain couldn’t make me forget the way she tasted or how she looked as I sank into her tight pussy.

Fuck.

I rubbed at my chest. What if we didn’t grow tired?

“I’m going to shower.”

Talon and Knox remained sitting on the floor.

“Sure. And while you’re at it, make sure Jett is still alive,” Knox said, his voice flat and serious.

But as I walked away, an ache settled inside me and I wondered if Jett was the only fucking concern.

The thoughts flying through my mind clouded my judgement. The idea of Carrow touching her brought irrational anger.. The idea of anyone touching her, no. Not anyone, but almost anyone. The idea she was safe in Jett’s arms right now seemed to calm the ache I couldn’t identify.

I ran my hand over my sweat-slicked face.

In this family it was better to have more eyes on something you wanted protected. Nothing was out of reach for Barone. We’d fought tooth and nail to make our place among the family and even that didn’t mean our things were safe. It’s why we were who we were. We watched each other's backs.

I paused outside my room; the door wasn’t even closed. Jett never hid a damn thing from us. Maybe it was his way of checking me. If I wanted to go psycho, he wasn’t going to stop me.

I wouldn’t though, not on him. He was my brother by choice.