“Well, that’s too damn bad, because—” Raven’s cheeks are red.
“I’ll look after Raven. She’s my sister,” Maddox pipes up, trying to defuse the situation.
I can feel my scales rub. I’m trying not to clench my hands. This isn’t my argument. It isn’t my place. I have to bite my tongue.
Raven puts her hands on her hips. “I can take care of myself. I’m a grown woman who is older than the two of you.” Her eyes haze over with hurt. “If it’s okay, I’d like to stay with you?” She locks eyes with me.
“Fuck that!” West snarls. “This asshole has a hard-on for you.” He looks at me like he wants to tear my head off.
My hands are tight knots at my side. I’m clenching my teeth so hard I might crack a molar. I want to get right up in his face and tell him where the hell he can get off, but I stay right where I am. This isn’t my fight. As she pointed out, Raven is a grown woman, perfectly capable of standing up for herself.
“You’re acting like a jealous asshole!” she shouts at West.
“I’m not! I’m trying to protect you.” His voice softens. The calm doesn’t last. “He wants in your panties.” West points at me, and I have to hold back a snarl. “How is it you can’t see that?”
My lip curls in a silent growl. I think I might have popped a few scales on my chest.
“So what if he does? It’s no business of yours or anyone else’s who I sleep with.”
West’s eyes go comically wide. “You can’t mean that!”
“I do.” She looks at me. “I’ll wait outside.” Then back at West. “This conversation is over.”
“It isn’t!” West speaks softly. “I’m not giving up on you.”
Raven looks crestfallen for a second. Then she sighs. “I wish you would.” Then she walks away.
As soon as the door to the diner closes, West points his finger at my face. “If you lay so much as a—” he starts. His eyes are narrowed on mine.
Maddox puts a hand on his chest. “Drop it!” he says, giving West a push.
“I need to warn this asshole,” West snarls, “about what will happen to him if…”
I bristle at his words. I know that if I retaliate too harshly, this will blow up. I’m not afraid of West, but the last thing we need right now is a brawl. Sometimes saying nothing is more difficult than speaking your mind. I’m not sure how, but I keep my lips zipped.
“I’ll go with Raven,” Maddox says. “She’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.” He gives me a hard stare but looks away before it can become uncomfortable.
“She will if she stays away from that mother—” His finger is back up and pointing at my face.
“Don’t!” I say. “You were right when you said you don’t know me. You don’t! Not well enough to call me names, at any rate. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but I don’t like being pulled into it.” I hold both my hands up.
“If you keep your hands off her, we’re okay. If not—”
I let my arms fall to my sides. “Don’t threaten me.” I keep my voice even.
Jarrod puts his hand on my chest in much the same way Maddox did to West earlier. I realize that I’ve taken a step forward. “Stay out of it, bro,” Jarrod warns.
“That’s good advice,” West snarls.
A choice ‘Fuck you!’ is on the tip of my tongue, but I hold back. I think he can read it in my eyes because he adds, “I suggest you listen to your brother.”
“You should try listening to Raven sometime,” I bite out.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” West takes a step towards me; that damned finger of his coming up yet again. I want to break it.
“My boss is threatening to call the cops,” a timid voice pipes up from behind us. It’s Avery.
“Shit!” I mutter. “Sorry! Let’s go and take care of the check. We’re leaving now; no need to involve the police,” I assure her as I pick up the bill folder. My back is to West and Maddox. I can hear Maddox trying to talk some sense into West. Trying to calm him down. He’s ushering him out of the diner. Jarrod stays with me.
“He’s a loose cannon,” I whisper as soon as we’re out of earshot.
The door clicks shut as Maddox and West go outside. They are still arguing.
“Please don’t go there,” Jarrod says. “For the love of god, stay away from Raven.”
“Because that bozo told me to?” I fight to keep from snarling.
“Because it’s clearly a mess you don’t want to get caught up in,” Jarrod warns.
“It seems to me that whatever they had is long over.”
“Or she’s going to use you to get to him.” Jarrod pulls in a breath. “Right now, it seems to be working.”
“I don’t think that’s it.” I shake my head.
“Don’t be so sure. Raven pulled you right into that.” He pauses before going on. “Why did she specifically have to stay with you?”
“I’m cuter than you,” I say, smirking.
Jarrod chokes out a laugh. “Like hell you are.” We’re identical twins. Two peas in a pod. It’s freaky how alike we are.
I push out a breath. “She has my ability.” I don’t like to call what I have a gift. I don’t see it as a gift.
Jarrod frowns heavily. “She can see the future?” I can hear the shock laced in his voice.
I nod. “Looks that way.” I should tell him about her vision about me, but I don’t. We’re out of time. I put some money in the folder, including a hefty tip, and hand it to Avery as we reach the cash register. “Keep the change. Sorry things got heated.”
“That guy seems to have a chip on his shoulder.” Avery is looking outside at West, who is still arguing with Maddox. He doesn’t let up.
“We all have our issues,” I say as we walk away. There’s something going on with that guy. People aren’t that angry all the time.
“To think I get to spend some quality time with that asshole,” Jarrod says as we walk towards the exit. “Thanks for that. I can’t wait to share a house with him. Um…about their car,” he lowers his voice and stops walking.
“What about it?”
“The transmission is shot to hell.”
“That’s not a small, inexpensive part.” I keep the volume down even though my voice is animated. “That’s major repairs.”
“I know.” He shrugs. “I’ll take care of it. They seemed to need the help. I didn’t think they’d take too kindly to a handout. It’s going to take time to get the parts,” he adds. “I wasn’t lying about that part of the equation. Given what we’ve heard, it might be a good idea to get to know them. Maybe tell the others at some point. I mean, Zale is Bolt’s half-brother. Same with Maddox and Rage. Let’s face it, Barrett is related to Forge without a doubt.”
I nod. “Without a shadow of a doubt.” I push out a breath. “Can we trust them, though?”
“That’s the problem,” my brother says. “I didn’t tell Forge anything…not yet, anyway. He thinks I brought in a friend’s car. He doesn’t have a clue about these guys.”