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“And serious Mayet is back,” he chuckles. He glances across as Aubree, Fletch, and Seraphina move through the door and head inside the bar. Then he brings his attention back to me. Unhurried. Lazy. “You hungry?”
I nod, small and uncommitted. “My blood sugar’s a tad low. But I don’t want to spend my night with all these other people, either.”
“Perfect.” Sliding his hand down to mine, he links our fingers and gently tugs me away from the wall. When people from inside the bar pass through the door and clear out of our way, Archer leads me into the heat. The noise. The flashing lights and inebriated drinkers, despite the early hour. “Let’s order, eat really fucking fast so you don’t bottom out, then I wanna take you somewhere.”
“You do?” I raise my voice to be heard over the noise. “Where?”
“Somewhere you’ll love.” He tugs me closer and throws his arm across my shoulders so we walk hip to hip, then he presses a kiss to my temple and leads me to our friends by the bar.
“Tim?” he calls the moment we’re close enough.
The oldest Malone is an easy six feet tall, with somewhat shaggy hair atop his head but a perfectly maintained beard that stops just an inch below his jaw. His eyes are harder than Archer’s. Meaner. And his life inside the Malone mafia family means he’s taken lives and hurt people I hope were never innocent.
I don’t ask. He doesn’t tell.
But if, someday, the vigilante’s identity becomes public knowledge and my brother-in-law finds out, I imagine we’ll sit across from each other and know we’ve both killed. We’ve both committed crimes we can never come back from.
“Hey, Mayet.” The never-verbose Malone comes to our end of the bar and leans across to drop a kiss on my cheek. It’s quick. It’s dry. But it surprises the hell out of me… and perhaps everyone else we associate with. “You need food.”
“I do.” I speak loud enough for him to hear. “How’d you know?”
“‘Cause you’re too pale.” He glances to Aubree. “You want a burger too?”
She nods. Short. Sweet. Flushed enough to make his eyes zoom in and notice. “Yes please.”
To break up the tension, Archer loudly clears his throat.
Finally, dragging his gaze away from her, Tim looks to our third. “Seraphina Lewis?”
Suspicious, she reaches her hand across the bar and takes his to shake. “Have we met?”
“No. But I make a habit of knowing who my people associate with. You want a burger?”
“Um…” She looks from Aubree, to Archer, to me. Then she glances back at Tim. “Salad?”
“Diet?” Then he leans across the bar and studies her with a slow, almost physical slide of his eyes along her body.
Beside me, Aubree growls, and beside her, Fletch does the same.
Once he’s done, Tim stands tall again and shakes his head. “You look fine. Have a burger.”
“Uh, no,” she bites out. “I’m vegetarian, and it’s not polite to dismiss a person’s request purely becauseyouthink they should conform to social norms of burgers in a bar.”
“You’re a vegetarian?” Fletch exclaims, stunned as he leans his elbow on the bar and turns back to stare at her. “You don’t eat meat?”
“I prefer not to.” She glares across at Tim and firms her lips. “I’m not all that hungry, so don’t bother about me. I’ll eat when I get home.”
“I’m notnotfeeding you. Will sweet potato fries and a leafy salad do? No dismissal.”
Music blares around us. Body warmth, and Fletch’s seesawing grin and growl make me smile. Archer’s hand on my hip, and his chest pressed to my back make this the most comfortable, uncomfortable stare-off I’ve ever seen.
Because it’s a war of Timothy Malone the Third and the fastidious Seraphina Lewis.
Finally, when he refuses to back down, Seraphina releases the tension she holds in her thin body and drops her chin by way of a nod. “That works. Thank you.”
“Got it.”
He takes a step back from the bar and turns to point toward the woman at the other end. She has boobs for days, and denim shorts that cover less than my boy-leg underwear. “That’s Daisy,” he tells us all. “Be nice to her. Stop giving her the stink-eye every time she passes.” Then leaning closer again, so his fists press to the counter and his shoulders grow with a fight, he meets Aubree’s glare with one of his own. “Stop thinking the worst, Emeri. It’ll give you frown lines.” Finally, he taps the bar with his knuckles and walks away. “I’ll start your food.”
