Page 34 of Overkill

“Leave it, son.” Top stopped him. “If it’s her problem, she needs her own solution. Not our monkey. Not our circus.”

Griff grunted.

Melody was not a monkey. Nor was her situation a fucking circus.

“Hmm,” Daria said loudly. “Wait! Before you go, I need you to show me around the barn. I’m not sleeping in the cabin with these two anymore.” She pointed at the newlyweds, Griff and Taz. “Too depressing! And she screams.”

“Hey!” Taz slapped her arm.

“It’s true.”

“I didn’t need to know that.” I wiped my face.

Growing up, my mother didn’t allow us to speak to the heathens and devil worshipers outside our gates, so until I got on the bus to Basic, the only people I knew were my blood relatives. It had meant I’d thankfully skipped the unique experience of my family making me look like a complete asshole in front of the girl I liked.

Unfortunately, it seemed my friends—the closest thing I had to family—were making sure I didn’t miss out.

“She’s just jealous.” Taz shot back. Oh, boy. This was getting juicy. Even Melody lifted her head to watch the verbal brawl. “We ran into Riley today, and she about face-planted outside the bar.”

“Riley Lyons?” Melody asked me. I nodded. I didn’t know any other Riley.

“I don’t know who you mean.” Daria’s cute Ukrainian accent made me snicker.

“Why the hell were you talking to Riley?” Griff strode to his wife, pulled her into him with a look like he was ready to devour her, then gave her a deep, wet and disgustingly slobbery kiss.

I tried not to gag; It was like watching my brother and sister make out.

When Taz finally pulled away and caught her breath, she looked at her possessive husband and laughed. “We were getting lunch, and he just happened to be there.”

“Happened to be there?”

Oh, right… “I forgot that he and Taz went on a few dates.”

Melody’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know that!”

“We had dinner a couple of times!” Taz said defensively.

“He’s a really good guy. I’ve known him since elementary school. He was a sixth grader when I was in first.”

“Is that right?” Suddenly, I was the one getting jealous. “Anything ever happen between you two?”

Captain Lyons was a good-looking guy. Young. Clean-cut. The kind of guy I would have wanted to be if I weren’t living in a sleeping bag.

Melody shook her head. “Just friends…if even that. Maybe more like acquaintances?”

She shrugged in a way that told me she didn’t have many friends. But it wasn’t a flaw to me. If anything, it made me want to be one of the few.

Daria shot Taz a look I didn’t understand.

“You don’t need to sleep in the barn, Daria. We’ve got a perfectly good guest room.” Mamma Mack looked confused, as if ready to ask why she’d want to stay in the barn while off from their agency work. “Greg doesn’t even have a couch yet for you to crash on.”

Daria gave me the flirtiest fake smile, which I returned with a warning look. She rolled her eyes.

She didn’t mean it. She could read the room. Flirting with me wasn’t something serious for her; it was just a way to yank my damn chain and make me uncomfortable. She was one of those little tornadoes that just thrived on keeping everyone on their toes.

“Ugh, fine!” Daria said. “Greg, I’d like some tampons, and I know you keep some in your medicine cabinet.”

Melody stiffened in my arms. I groaned. Taz scoffed.