Page 125 of Terror Tuesday

Nick, who’s annoyingly always near me.

“Hey, Olivia,” Nick greets smoothly as I enter, the smile on his face polished to a gleam.

Ryan slaps Nick’s back, jostling him. “He’s been asking about you all week.”

Snickering from the table, Aiden sips two fingers of bourbon. Dad is seemingly unshaken, his nose tucked into a book near the fire. Glancing up, his blue eyes scan the room with a calculated gaze.

I force my face not to look like I feel, folding my arms defensively. “Wonderful.”

At least Ryan’s appointed, Pippi, is here. Maybe she’ll be able to distract my brother from the setup that thisclearlyis.

Mom bumps my shoulder with hers. “Nick’scute,” she whispers as she passes me on her way to the kitchen to finish setting the table.

“No, he’s not,” I tell her. “Where’s Alice?”

“Cheerleading camp this weekend. They aren’t getting back until later tonight.”

One less person to place between my seat at the dining table and Nick, who hurriedly takes up the spot Alice normally would.

“So, about that date, babe,” Nick murmurs low as he leans closer, and my skin itches as he does. “How about next weekend? We could take my father’s yacht somewhere…”

The mention of a yacht? It almost makes me lose my appetite. And I can smell that Dad cooked his pot roast, one of my favorite comfort foods. As if he understood the mission, Dad slyly slides me a full glass of red wine. Even tops it off with a careful gaze into my eyes.

“Thanks,” I say, giving him a grateful smile.

Then, he pours one for himself and Mom. Ryan pops open a beer for him and one for Pippi. Nick takes the passed dish and serves himself, then scoots even closer to me on the bench. When he opens his mouth to speak, he’s interrupted.

“IsOmegaready for Wicked Wednesday? I heard it’s going to be a blowout this year. At least…that’s what my brother, Oz, says,” Pippi asks, as if she’s starting a war at the dinner table.

All three of my brothers’ shoulders stiffen, even Nick’s do for a moment. It’s then that I realize exactly what she’s doing. Her light-brown eyes hold my face in a tight stare.

“Oh, yeah? They say the house always wins…” I flirt with danger, goading theThetasinto an argument before shoveling in a big bite.

“FuckDelta!” Henry shouts, dropping his fork onto his bowl.

“Henry! None of that at the table,” my mom casually says, as if she only half means it.

“No, he’s right, Mom. Fuck them. They’re going to try to use their hackers to rig the games…Not this year.” Ryan laughs.

Pippi smiles sweetly and bounces in her seat like her causing the ruckus was just a little innocent game. I think I fall for my future sister-in-law right there.

My brothers continue arguing about who’s better, Nick joining in among them to pipe up aboutThetasuperiority, while Pippi winks at me.

Oh, yeah…she’sValen’s cousin. I wonder if she knows anything about his whereabouts or about him and me. Surely not. It seems Valen has kept things close to his chest.

Finally, the meal is over, and Dad rubs my shoulders for a moment before asking his eternal question. “You okay?”

“Yes.”

“You’d tell me if you weren’t, right?”

As the boys clear the table, I face my father and meet his steel-blue gaze. “You’d tell me if I were appointed, right?”

His chest expands as he takes a deep inhale and carefully lowers his voice. “I believe your Viscount wanted to do the honor himself.”

“He told me a little about it... Then he said you had something he wanted.”

Dad’s expression softens, and he hums. “Yes.You. And he struck a good bargain for your hand.”