I frowned at that. “I had a realtor come in with my assistant and me and walk the place. Take some pictures. His name was Gary Sharp. Works for Bricks and Stones Realty.”
“What?” Cole demanded. “You let some fuck we didn’t know into the house? I thought you did all those pictures.”
I ignored him as Malachi spoke again.
“How long ago?” Malachi asked.
“It wasn’t long ago. A few weeks at most. The place is just sitting there. I was thinking it was time to sell,” I muttered. “Cole decided he wanted it, so I signed it over, and the house didn’t go to market.” E and I hadn’t told him about looking at houses. It didn’t seem like the right time to do such things, considering Cole was barely holding on.
“Why the fuck would you let some scrub into our house?” Cole asked. “Huh? Without discussing it with any of us? That’swhere we had a family! That’s where Fox and Rosebud were happy together with us!”
“Cole, not now,” I said, rubbing my eyes.
“Yes, now, motherfucker! What is the matter with you? You can’t just go and do shit without consulting us!”
“It was my fucking house!” I shouted at him. “My name was on it. It’s yours now. I fucking gave it to you. Didn’t even cash the check.”
Cole scowled at me. “Doesn’t change things, dick.”
I sighed, knowing he was right. He’d picked it out with me, E, and Fox. We’d gone over so many homes, wanting the perfect one for Rosalie, and that was the one we settled on. I knew I should have talked to him about it before trying to sell it, but it really was his now. I ripped up his check.
“You guys ever look into therapy?” Malachi asked. “I think you need it.”
“Fuck you,” Cole mumbled.
Malachi chuckled as he pulled his phone out. I watched as he dialed someone. The line rang once before someone answered without so much as a hello.
“Gary Sharp. Bricks and Stone Realty. Have him collected for a short vacation to our paradise,” Malachi said into the phone.
The line disconnected, and Malachi smiled at us. “That was the queen.”
I swallowed hard. I’d never spoken to their girl, but I knew she ran things. The queen of the underground. Silent as a grave and twice as deadly.
I’d been in the room with her one time, and that was when Cole and I made the deal with Church, and she’d simply sat staring at me from her chair, her colorful eyes filled with violent promises. I’d heard the stories of her and her hatchet. She was insanely beautiful, but I knew she was deadly.
She’d sat silently, and when Church looked to her for confirmation of our deal, she’d simply slid her gaze from us to him.
And that was it.
She determined the fate of those around her. It looked like she would determine it again.
“Is there anything else you’d like to divulge? Anyone you’re fucking I should know about? Jealous girlfriends that may have it out for Bishop or… one of you guys?” Malachi looked at each of us in turn. “Talking to anyone? New guys? New females?”
“We’re not seeing anyone,” I said. “We haven’t, either.”
Malachi looked to Cole, who shook his head, his irritation clear on his face.
“Ethan?” Malachi asked.
E glanced at us for a moment. “I’m not.”
“Are you sure?” Sinclair pressed. “You’re guarding your phone awfully tightly.”
I glanced to where E was clutching his phone in his hand.
“Give it,” Malachi said.
E’s eyes widened, and he got to his feet.
