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“Oh, you mean your father-in-law?”
Derek’s head snaps back, his face screwing up in confusion. “Yeah, what about it?”
Theo shakes his head and clicks his tongue, tsking him. “You weren’t acting like a married man in there.”
“Like I said, what about it?” Derek scoffs, looking at me like he expects me to agree this is all too ridiculous. “You disappear off the face of the earth and let everybody think you’re dead all this time, and now you’re judging me in my own club? You always were a self-righteous prick, you know that?”
“That’s not very nice of you.” Theo clicks his tongue again, his nostrils flared, his eyes two deadly slits. “Just like it’s not nice to leave your wife sitting at home while you fuck your way through your employee list.”
“Oh! Is that what this is about?” The stupid son of a bitch throws his head back and laughs loud and hard, the sound echoing off the brick walls around us. “I should’ve known! You always did care a little too much about her, didn’t you? What, you think I didn’t notice?” he adds with a laugh. “Your boss sure did, didn’t he?”
That’s what does it. That’s what brings the Glock out from underneath Theo’s jacket, a suppressor already attached to the barrel to avoid shots drawing attention. “You really should have your guys pat down your guests or at least use metal detectors,” he murmurs, aiming for Derek’s head. When Derek tries to duck back inside, he finds me guarding the door.
“Is this some kind of joke? Am I supposed to be scared? What,” he barks, “did my loving wife call you in tears? She probably knew you were alive this whole time, didn’t she? Well, let me tell you something . . .” Through gritted teeth, he snaps, “If the bitch would give it up every once in a while, I wouldn’t need to stick my dick in all this pussy.”
“No!” I snap when Theo lunges like he’s about to attack with his fists. “Come on. Get it over with. We have to get out of here.” I pull my gun out, preparing to step in but wanting to give my brother the chance of doing it himself. I know he wants to. This is personal.
“Yeah, big man,” Derek taunts. “This pussy runs away and plays dead, and I’m supposed to be intimidated?”
“I want you to know something.” Theo wears a grim smile, his aim steady and true. “It was Sophia who put me up to this. This was her idea.”
Derek barely has time to react before the bullet between his eyes makes him drop like a sack of meat, which is pretty much what he was anyway.
“This already took too long.” When Theo doesn’t make a move, I take him by the arm and pull him out of the alley, carefully staying in the surveillance camera’s blind spots, before emerging behind the club and the businesses to either side. He’s breathing hard, heavy, like a bull still waiting to charge.
Neither of us says a word until we’re back in the truck, this time with me behind the wheel. Theo looks like he’d crash the car just to vent his anger.
“It’s done. I’m sure you made a lot of people happy tonight,” I offer while turning out of the garage and onto a packed street where we can easily blend in with the traffic.
“That slimy, smirking fuck.” I feel the rage leaking from his pores, spewing from his mouth with every word he speaks.
“He won’t be doing that anymore.”
“It feels like it’s not enough. I wanna go back and do it again.”
I have to say it. “Just how serious were you and Sophia back in the day? Because you always made it sound like you were fucking and that was it.” I’ve always suspected there was more. It seemed too risky just to be about sex.
“I’m not going into it with you, so don’t bother trying.”
“I’m curious, that’s all. The guy was obviously a piece of shit,” I allow, snickering. “You were ready to rip his head off the second you laid eyes on him. It’s okay to admit you cared about her. It’s not like I’ll think less of you.”
“It’s moments like this I wish I never let you know I was still alive,” he mutters. “And it’s pretty fucking funny to hear you talk this way, considering what you’re doing right now.”
“What does that mean?”
“Give me a fucking break. You know what I mean. What would you have done to get into that masquerade ball if we didn’t have Sophia to fall back on? You don’t even have an answer, do you?” he demands before I have the chance to say a word.
“I’d have come up with something, with a bit of time to think.”
“Don’t waste your breath,” he scoffs. “We both know your head isn’t completely in this, because your other head is too busy. Tell me I’m wrong. I dare you.”
When he’s in a mood like this? I wouldn’t be that ballsy unless I felt like risking my life. “I’m sleeping with her. But that’s as far as it goes, so you can keep your thoughts to yourself.”
“Oh, that’s as far as it goes? You know you sound like a lying sack of shit, right?” He meets my eyes warily. “I just wonder which one of us you’re lying to.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
June
