I turn on the ignition and revel in the way the car beneath me comes to life. I'm in love with this fucking car. I didn't deserve this gift. I still don't. But Luke had insisted and so had Malyssa, while Denver just rolled his eyes and told me I'd get used to it. I would never. No one in my entire life has ever given me something on my birthday that was anything of much consequence. Albeit aside from the baseball bat my mother had given me one birthday. That was it. We were just too broke.

When Dani and I were together I had insisted she not buy me anything, told her I didn't celebrate birthdays. I never have. My birth wasn't anything of much consequence to anyone really, let alone celebrating the day.

I shift gears and reverse backward and then shift again before turning out onto the road. With another shift I accelerate.

"We have something for you." I arched a brow at that but Luke just jerked his head to the door. "Come see." I followed as the other two came up beside me as we made our way to the door. He cocked his head back before opening the door with, "happy birthday, Brooks."

Then there she was. This beautiful beast of a car. And when I had said no, it's too much. When I had said that I couldn't accept, that I wouldn't, there Malyssa had been telling me that I was... family. I didn't need to ask how they knew my birthday, considering I hadn't verbally told them. They just knew because they know things. They  probably know everything about me— including my family history. That makes me cringe internally.

"Jesus... Zone out much?" Adriana's voice pulls me out of my head. "You were completely lost in thought."

"Sorry. Don't really know what to say." That wasn't a lie. I don't know this woman. She may be Torey's sister but that doesn't change the fact that she hadn't been brought up once. I know basically nothing about her other than the fact that she's a feisty little thing.

"For starters, are you fucking my brother?" I choke on a laugh at that and then look over to her. "What? What kind of friends are you?"

"No. I have not fucked your brother nor has he fucked me. We are not fucking friends." I mean, technically we fucked the same woman at the same time. So I guess we kind of are fucking friends... but I digress. I let out a long sigh before answering her truthfully. "We are the kind of friends that are in love with the same woman. That kind."

"That doesn't really sound like friends."

"Because we weren't... at first. But then... you know." I give her a half-assed shrug.

"Oh sounds juicy. Tell me more." I shift again as I slow down and take a turn. "Has anyone ever told you that you make driving look sexy?"

"It's the car that's sexy."

"No. The car is sexy, yes, but the way you drive is just hot. Plus, you yourself. You are sexy." I swallow uncomfortably at her bluntness. I don't know what to say to that. "I have a tendency to say what's on my mind."

"I am gathering that. Seems to run in the family."

"As do throuples."

"Excuse me? Throuples?" I look over to her and she arches a brow. "What's that?"

"You know, not a couple but a throuple. Like three people in a relationship instead of two. I'm assuming that's what's going on with you, my brother, and whoever the mystery woman is."

"Dani. Her name is Dani." And saying her name physically hurt. "She is Wolfie's mom."

"Is she... is she alive?"

I swallow uncomfortably again. "I don't know. I believe so, yes. But I don't really know." That part killed me. One person I'm in love with is on a fucking hospital bed, knocking on death's door, and the other is—

Fuck. Did I just think that last thought? Yes.

I'm not going to over analyze that right now. I can't even begin to unpack that built-up baggage that, that particular realization is going to have me having.

I turn onto their street and when I get to the bottom of the gate I nod at the guard. He lets me in and I drive up the long way silently. Once I park Adri hops out and goes up the stairs to the behemoth of a house. I will never get used to it. It's humongous.

"Home sweet motha-fuckin' home!" She says loudly, walking through the front door. I quietly come up behind her. "I could go for a swim. I need to cool off. Watching you drive got me all sorts of hot and bothered."

"You do that." I walk away from her and go into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She follows me in and plops her butt on the countertop next to me. "Can I help you?"

"Looks like you need a tall glass of water." She wriggles her brows at me. "Do I make someone thirsty?"

"Not particularly, no." She frowns at that. "I am a happily taken man and to be quite frank— you are not my type." Not that Adriana is unattractive in the least. She's a dime in her own right but she is just not the type I have a predilection toward. Not to mention the fact that she's Torey's older sister— a complete turn off.

"Listen, I am everyone's type. Men and women alike." She hops off the counter, licks her bottom lip, and eyes me in a predatory manner.

I am not her prey. Not even a little bit.

"Now, you listen here, Hellcat, you can eye me like you want to fuck me all day long but it ain't happening." Her eyes sparkle at that. "Like I said— you are not my type."

"Adriana, leave the damn man alone." Malyssa strides into the kitchen eyeing her daughter with disdain. "He's in love with your brother." My mouth goes completely dry at that and I look immediately to the floor. "Tall, dark and handsome is his type. Not flippant and full of arrogant sass." That last part I have been seriously questioning since I've met Torey though.

"Mal, really?" Luke's tone held the same amount of irritation hers had with her daughter. "Now is not the time for your blunt, rude behavior."

"Yeah, I'm in agreement, Mal. That was fucked up. Let the man come to terms with things hisself. No need to shove it in his face." Denver says while giving her a rather serious look, one I'm not really accustomed to from his usual playful self.

"But Brooks said they aren't fucking.... So?"

"Yet." Mal clipped. "They aren't fucking yet."

Someone please dig me a grave so I can just fucking bury myself in it.

Luke lets out an angry huff. "You can be so entirely insensitive, Mal."

"I am just trying to make it abundantly clear that Brooks is off-limits. She is our daughter. When she wants something bad enough she will do just about anything to get it. There will be no getting it with Brooks."

"He was making that clear."

"Well, I am just reiterating the point. Firmly." When Denver goes to chime in she shuts him down with, "how do you think your son will feel waking up to find out that the first man he has ever had feelings for has fucked his sister while he was fighting for his life in a hospital bed?" My head snaps up to her with that. "So excuse me for putting her in her place."

What'd she just say? First, the woman states something I had only moments before realized in the car. Second, she says Torey has feelings for me. Third, I would never fuck Adriana. She is Torey's sister. No thanks. I am with Dani. If she's even alive. No. She's alive. She has to be. I can't lose anyone else.

Luke clears his throat. "Anyway, Malyssa," he said her name pointedly, "we have other more pressing matters to talk about." I take a long drink from my water, not looking at anyone in particular. Luke continues talking about everything that's happened. Denver and Mal chime in every now and again. What surprises me the most is when they bring up their past and Adriana begins to lose her complete shit. Torey had known but apparently this news is a surprise for her.

"Excuse me but WHAT?!? What?" She looks between all of us with a look of shock and horror. "You're all assassins? Assassins?!?"

"No, that'd be just Brooks and me." Adriana's eyes widen as she looks at me.

"Still want to fuck me now?"

Denver barks out a laugh beside me with, "oh fuck, that's funny."

"I—" Her mouth hangs open for a few more moments before closing it.

"She's speechless. That's a first." Denver gives me a thwack on the back. "You're just full of surprises, man."

Luke continues on with the story, explaining how we'd all gotten into the lifestyle. What  Torey was doing and that's why he's been absent all these years. How he was betrayed and that's how he was hurt. Lastly, what happened just a few days back. He explains it all. Everything. By the end of it she's just sitting there wordlessly for a good while.

"So let me get this right." She looks between the four of us. "You're all going on what exactly... a murder spree?"

"More or less, yes." Luke confirms. "We are going to bring home Wolfie at any cost. If that means people die then people die. No one will stand in between me and my family. No one hurts the people I love." It was a declaration, one that held deadly conviction.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Stay here. Watch after your brother. Someone needs to be here for him when he wakes up."

✩✩✩

I blink up at the ceiling in my bedroom with both arms cocked behind my head. Sleep evades me, as it has nearly every single night. Every time I close my eyes I see Dani screaming and crying as she's shoved into the back of a van. I see her father holding a distressed Wolf. I can hear what could still potentially be Torey's last words.

I need to do something.

I push myself up from the bed and head over to the dresser. It was filled with clothes that were my exact size. I didn't look too much into that now knowing Luke. I find a pair of swim trunks, strip down and put them on. I snatch a towel before heading over to the pool. I freeze when I see a feminine body face down in the pool floating lifelessly. Oh God, no. My instincts snap into action and I run for the pool, jumping right in. I swim up to the body and flip it over to see a very pissed off Adriana.

"Get your fucking hands off of me!" She pushes me off of her.

"But... you were drowning!"

"I wasn't drowning. I was floating. There's a difference." She deadpans.

  I furrow my brow. "You were upside down."

"I am many things. Practical is not one of them."

"You could say that again. You're fully-clothed, out here looking like a fucking dead body and shit. What the actual fuck, Adriana?"

"I was just thinking."

"At two in the morning. Fully-clothed. Faced down. In a pool.  Floating like a dead body. Right."

"You bet your sweet ass." She swims away from me. "And for the record, you manhandling me while shirtless like that makes me an entirely different sort of wet." She winks at me.

"Taken. Remember?"

  She pouts, "and so unfortunately involved with my brother. I am aware. I look forward to meeting this Dani chick. She must be something else to have you and my brother wrapped around her finger. Hell, maybe I'll steal her from the two of you." With that she hops out of the pool.

What the hell did she just say?

She struts off but not before flipping me the finger.

Hellcat. That woman is a hellcat.

A/N:
Happy weekend!

I know it's early but how are we all feeling about the book so far?