AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I want to talk to you about something.”
“I’m sure you do.” He leaned against the counter in a casual, relaxed stance, but she wasn’t fooled.
“I want to start by saying that I’m an adult and capable of making my own decisions.”
“I’ve never doubted that.” His flat, even tone through her off.
“And there’s nothing you can do to interfere with my life.”
“Agreed.”
Why wasn’t he arguing with her, reminding her of everything he did for the family and how much he’d sacrificed? Very weird. Very unnerving.
“I haven’t been visiting a high school friend in Laughlin these last few weeks.”
“Yes, I know that too.”
She cocked her head and furrowed her brow. “You do?”
“Mm-hmm.” He mashed his lips together as he nodded his head. “You’ve been going down there to see Mamba.”
“How long have you known?”
“Since the second week.” Ajax’s matter-of-fact attitude freaked her out.
“Blaze told you?”
Ajax huffed out a laugh. “He’s a fool.” He pushed off the counter and closed the distance between them until he was looming over her, his dark eyes pinned to hers. “He couldn’t wait to tell me what he’d found out, but as usual, I was ten steps ahead of him.”
“Did he also mention that I kicked him in the balls last night?”
His jaw ticked. “No, he didn’t.”
“You can tell him that if he ever puts hands on me again, the next time will be worse.”
“Looks like this Serpent is giving you courage.”
“Or he made me realize that I’m a grown woman, and I don’t have to put up with bullshit anymore.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see about that.”
Mandy gripped her coffee cup with both hands. She’d seen the calm before Ajax’s storm many times before. He’d never struck her, but his volatile reactions shook her to her core.
“I can’t believe my sister would go behind my back, sneak around with a known enemy, then lie to me week after week.” He placed his coffee mug on the table with a definite crack. “But I’ve decided to handle the situation my way.”
“What are you talking about? Handle the situation.”
“Just like you, little sister, I can keep secrets too.”
Mandy pushed her cup aside and jumped from her seat. “Tell me what you mean?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
She gripped his forearm. “Tell me.”
“Not a nice feeling being left in the dark by family, people you should trust, is it?”
He turned away from her, and she grabbed his shoulder. “If you do anything to hurt Mamba, I will never forgive you. I’ll never talk to you again.”
