Page 17 of Wilde About You

"What? They asked for a threesome." He smiled at Colin. "Who was I to turn them down?"

"Ah then, that's different," I said. "Nope, you're still a pig."

Ace came out to the patio, yanked out a chair, sat down, then pulled out a second one to prop his feet on.

I stared down at his bare feet. "I'm eating here."

"My feet are clean." Ace reached over and snatched a piece of bacon off my plate. "What the hell is going on, Sadie? Why was that UFC fighter chasing after you?"

I shot a gee-thanks-big-mouth look at Colin. At least I hope that was what my scowl portrayed.

"Uh in my defense, I only just learned that you were Ace's sister. I told him the story about the sweatshirt thief and hiding her from Gregor before I knew who you were. And come to think of it, when we were sitting on the couch last night, why did it never come up?"

I shrugged and smiled. "You're so cute when you get all defensive, and it didn't come up because it wasn't really important."

"Thanks," Ace said as he munched the bacon. "So, what kind of trouble are you in, Sadie? And don't tell me you're not because you are always in some kind of trouble."

"Bullshit and this isn't any of your damn business."

"Oh yeah, well, I'm gonna make it my business because this time it seems you're in danger, and if you want to stay without Dad knowing you're here, then I want to hear everything."

The two women joined us on the patio. Between the two of them, they'd managed to make some coffee. The one with the T-shirt smiled broadly as she placed a cup in front of my brother. "One for the champ," she giggled.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"What does a UFC heavyweight fighter want with my little sister?" Ace was being especially persistent.

I looked around at all the faces at the table and then back at him to let him know it wasn't the time or place. In fact, there was no time or place.

"Right, well you'll tell me later when we're alone, otherwise I've got the old man on speed dial."

I looked at Colin. "See, you're not the only one with an infamous dad. Only something tells me your dad doesn't wear cardigan sweaters and leather loafers."

Colin and Ace laughed at that statement.

"Not quite," Colin said.

"It's so strange you're bringing up UFC," the woman who knew how to make coffee said. "My brother's big into the sport, so I know a bit about it. We're really close," she added.

I gave Ace a sickly-sweet smile.

"Anyhow, yesterday when we were on the beach, the fighter they call Buck, I think Buck Finch is his name, came up to us for a chat, then he walked off. Never saw him again."

I was already sitting up at attention. My heart was flip-flopping around in my chest. "What did he chat about?" I asked, trying not to sound anxious. It didn't work.

Ace sat up straighter now. "Don't tell me Buck is after you, too? What the fuck have you done, Sadie?"

"I never said that. I'm sure he was just strolling on the beach," I said.

"Actually, he wasn't really dressed for the beach," the woman said, unhelpfully.

"We're going to have that talk soon," Ace said. I hated it when he tried to mimic our dad.

"Don't act all protective now, Ace. You never gave a shit before."

Ace smacked the table. "Girls, it was lovely, but I think we need to call an end to the party. Maybe we can meet again soon."

The insulted looks on their faces told me that wasn't going to happen.