“You had a choice,” I growl, reminding him he was meant to marry someone else, yet he didn’t.
“That’s different, and you know it,” he grumbles.
Yeah, it is. He went through hell with all that. But it worked out for him because he is happily married with kids, and he’s madly infatuated with his wife. I guess not all of us can be so lucky.
“I take it you’re visiting Lucas,” he says as we come to a stop at his bar. I simply get out of the car, not answering him as I walk to the back door. Before I reach it, it opens to reveal Lucas standing on the other side.
“This is unexpected,” Lucas says as he glances past me to Keir, who’s still in the car, then back to me. “I see you met your future wife. Did you like her?” he asks, being nothing but a fucking smartass. Which he always is, but right now, I am not in the mood.
“How long have you known?” I ask with bite in my tone, not attempting to rein in my frustration.
“A while,” he replies in a bored tone that has me clenching my fists before he turns, letting the door go as he steps back inside.
“I should put you in the ground for lying.”
“I didn’t lie. You never asked.”
I suck air through my teeth to stop myself from pulling my gun and aiming it at his fucking head. “You knew she was here, and you never told us.”
“Again,” he says with a shrug. “You never asked.”
“How is Chanel? Should I pay her a visit?”
Lucas moves quickly. One second, he’s almost at his desk, the next he’s at my throat with a gun aimed at my stomach.
“Drop it, Lucas.” Keir’s voice rips through the air as he walks in.
Lucas pushes the gun into my stomach, and I smile. “I dare you, asshole,” I seethe.
“You do, and I will tear it out of Joey, reload, and you’ll get the exact same bullet,” Keir warns.
“It would be worth it,” Lucas responds, his eyes never leaving mine. No one should underestimate his level of crazy. Lucas gives the gun another push into my gut before he steps back. “Don’t fuck with Chanel. Don’t even mention her name,” he demands.
“He won’t,” Keir says, ending that discussion.
I actually like his woman. God knows what she sees in this fucked-up lunatic, but it’s something none of the rest of us do, that’s for sure. And despite the road they took to get where they are, they’re happy.
“Lucas, you’ve been keeping something from us,” Keir states, taking a seat at Lucas’ desk. He puts his feet up and leans back, locking eyes with Lucas.
“You’ve seen her,” Lucas points out, referring to when he sent Adora to Keir’s house to drop off a pair of shoes for Keir’s wife, Sailor, when Lucas had pissed Sailor off. Lucas made it up to Sailor by sending Adora out to purchase an incredibly expensive pair of designer shoes for Sailor, which Adora hand-delivered, and Keir just so happened to be there at the time.
“I did, and that’s how I worked out who she was,” Keir replies. “She is to be married to Joey by the end of next week.”
What the actual fuck?
“W-What?” I stutter.
“It stops you from falling in love with someone else, and it closes the deal. Once you’re married to her, new shipments will come. I haven’t put a push on it because, frankly, we were doing fine the way we were. We took a hit on the last deal when I broke up what was on the table. The families weren’t impressed. They will be when they hear of your nuptials to Adora, though.”
“She’s going to be seething.” Lucas almost laughs.
“I… don’t… want… to… marry her,” I tell him, my voice raising with every word as I try not to scream at my brother. My boss.
“Like I said, it must happen soon. I’ve already booked the church and venue in the car. It’s done. It will not be undone. I suggest you get used to it.” Keir pushes up and stands in front of Lucas. “Hide something like that from me again and I’ll kill you. And…” he takes a deep, steadying breath, “… no wife of mine will stop me,” he says before he walks out the door.
I turn around and my fist meets drywall, going straight through.
“She isn’t that bad,” Lucas muses. “One of the few women I can actually stand.”