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“Sadie is the type of woman to never love a guy. She’s always going to want them on the hook though. Benson and I are both older and wiser to her game nowadays. I can assure you that he never intended for anything at all to happen between them,” he tells me.
I eye him like I’m suspicious of him, and he shrugs.
“Why’d he send you? Of all people?”
“No one else was brave enough to deal with your brothers, apparently.”
I almost laugh. Almost.
“And I really want to make amends with my brother. It’s been nine years. I miss him,” he adds.
I couldn’t imagine going nine years without my brothers. They’d kill someone if I was out of their lives for more than a few weeks. They had to visit me almost every other weekend when I was living in Seattle.
I think half the establishments there still have a poster of their faces to warn employees to never let them in again.
“What’s your last name?” I ask.
“Calbert,” he says reflexively, then slaps a hand over his mouth as though he didn’t mean to say that.
I grin, knowing Benson must have told him not to tell me.
“Shit,” he groans. “Don’t tell him I told you. Does that mean you’re considering forgiving him? Because really, this is all just one massive, slightly confusing, certainly understandable, misunderstanding.”
I hear the sound of a Jeep pulling up behind my house, and a small smirk forms on my lips.
“I’ll consider it. But he’s probably going to have to work harder than this. I mean, it’s not very manly to send his brother over because he’s scared of my brothers.”
He rolls his eyes.
“He’s not scared of them; he just knew they’d make it impossible to speak to you. He knew they’d be keeping an eye on him. So he went into town, and then got your friend to draw them out. She’s under the impression you’re denying your feelings.”
I don’t tell him how much I already miss my best friend/boyfriend. His groveling game needs to be a little stronger than this if he really wants me back.
My smirk grows. “He’s right. My brothers never would have left if he’d been right across the lake. But the problem now is that they just got back. And they’re being really quiet. That’s never good.”
He looks around, seemingly unconcerned.
“I’m not really scared of two guys. I mean, I did see them wailing in pain after you finished with them.”
It’s positively adorable how clueless he is.
“No one has explained the four corners of the Wild Ones, have they?” I ask, amused.
He shakes his head slowly.
“The what?” he asks.
“First rule of family: brothers don’t hit sisters. They take their beatings, because sisters only beat them when they deserve it.”
I start backing up, closing the door in the process. “Good luck, Deacon. You’re going to need it. You’re about to learn what the Wild Ones really are.”
He snorts, still unconcerned, and I listen for the first—
“Motherfucker!” I hear him roar, seconds before a series of loud pops ring out.
Then the whistle of a firework sounds as a scream pierces the air. I glance out the window to see Deacon running with his ass on fire, leaping into the lake on purpose as more fireworks shoot off in his direction.
I laugh to myself, knowing he deserves at least that much, even though I should probably thank him.
I guess Benson forgot to warn him my brother’s don’t always fight fair.
Eh. What the hell.
He’ll survive.
Chapter 21
Wild Ones Tip #100
Don’t try to understand why we are the way we are.
You’ll just get a headache and no answers.
BENSON
“Explain the Wild Ones to me,” my brother says, hissing out a breath as he slides on a pair of pants.
I have to give it to him; he still wants to help me even after the brothers shot fireworks at him and lit his ass on fire with a homemade blow torch. He had to jump in that cold water to keep from getting seriously injured. As it is, it just left him with a little burn no worse than sunburn.
“At a metaphorical four corners of the lake, you have a different family representing a Wild family. Wild Ones are not allowed to date each other. They’re not allowed to all be in one place at one time. At most, only two Wild One families can be in the same place at the same time. Never more. With the exception of certain circumstances.”
His eyebrows are at his hairline.
“And this is normal to you?” he asks dubiously.
I smirk. “You grow used to it. The Vincents—Lilah included—are part of the Wild Ones. This is their corner. The Vincent brothers, as you’ve learned, can be ruthless. Usually they’re harmless and only destructive to inanimate objects. Unless you piss them off.”
“And the cops do nothing?”
“There’s one cop. There’re a lot of Wild Ones. Unless someone presses charges, there’s no reason for police. And no one is stupid enough to press charges against anyone, because all the Wild Ones will come after you until they drive you out of town. The Vincents were the youngest addition. Lilah’s father and mother made their name notorious, and the brothers and Lilah expanded on that.”
