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SEVEN
I reach for the Colt 1911 that’s permanently under my pillow, raising it before I even open my eyes. I’m so used to the dark that it only takes seconds for my vision to adjust and make out the figure standing over my bed. The very same figure who is presently on the wrong end of my barrel.
“Uncle Josh? What the fuck are you doing sneaking in here? Are you trying to get yourself shot?” I ask before lowering the gun.
“Get up. We’re having breakfast,” he orders, then pivots on his heel and storms out of the room.
Fuck. Being woken up by Uncle Josh is like being woken up by the Grim-fucking-Reaper. No nightmare I ever had as a kid could compare. Worse yet is having to deal with a grumpy, moody-ass McKinley. Which is exactly the state I’ll find him in if I don’t get my ass out of bed and over to the breakfast table.
It’s not unusual for my uncle to drop in and check in on me. It is unusual for him to not call and make arrangements first, though. I throw the blankets off and climb out of bed, walking my naked ass into the closet, where I pull on a pair of grey sweats and a black shirt. Before I go in search of the man in question. When I reach the dining room, I find Uncle Josh and Bree sitting at my dining table. Groaning, I head for the coffee pot and pour myself a huge mug before dropping down next to my cousin.
“Is there a reason for this early-morning visit, or did you just miss me?” I ask Uncle Josh.
“I was in town visiting Bree, so imagine my surprise when I found out my one and only nephew has lost his fucking mind and is stalking the daughter of Gerry Christianson,” he grunts.
My eyes narrow in on Bree. “You told him?”
“Nope, wasn’t me,” she says with a smirk.
“Wait, you knew about this?” My uncle turns his glare on his daughter this time.
“I know nothing, Dad,” Bree says, that smirk gone and her expression now stoic.
“You’re lying, but I can’t fault you for your loyalty to your cousin,” Uncle Josh tells her.
“Okay, first of all, I’m not fucking stalking anyone,” I deny, knowing full well what I’m doingcouldbe classified as stalking. I guess. If you want to get technical about it.
“Dominic, the disappearance of a Christianson child will not go unnoticed,” Uncle Josh says like I need a lesson on Lucy’s lineage.
Disappearance? What the fuck is he talking about?
And then it clicks. “Wait. You think I’m going to do something to her?” I ask him.
“I know you better than you know yourself. Tell me you haven’t thought about getting rid of her,” he says.
I open my mouth to argue with him, but then I think about all the fantasies I’ve had, all the ways I’ve envisioned ending her life by my hands. The many times I’ve stood over her sleeping form and thought about what it would feel like to wrap my palm around her throat and watch her struggle beneath my grasp…
“I’m right, aren’t I?” Uncle Josh pushes.
“I’ve thought about it. I would never actually do it though.” I shrug.
“Why not?” Bree asks from where she’s still seated beside me.
“Because the urge to protect her is stronger than the urge to hurt her,” I tell them simply.
Uncle Josh stares at me. It’s like he’s waiting for me to crack. Waiting to see if I’m lying or not. “Okay,” he says finally. “But there are only so many bodies I can make disappear for you, Dom. And they are beginning to pile up down here.”
“I haven’t done anything to anyone who hasn’t deserved it,” I’m quick to counter.
“Okay, so tell me, what were their crimes, exactly?” He lifts a brow in question.
“They looked at her… They touched her… They thought about looking at or touching her…”
“Holy shit, you’re fucking insane, Dom. You can’t go around killing dudes because they just so happen to look Lucy’s way. Have you seen her? God, if I weren’t with Ash, even I’d shoot my shot,” Bree says.
“Breanna, language,” my uncle scolds before turning to me. “Dominic, you need to rein in your shit. I’m not going to be the one consoling your mother when you end up behind bars.”
I grin. As if a McKinley would ever end up behind bars. Our reach is far too wide for that to ever happen. “Okay,” I tell him. I mean, I’d say anything to get this breakfast over with.
