“Fuck!” I whisper-shout and Xana tenses behind me.
“Who is it?”
I snort, shaking my head. Mona is standing on the opposite side of my front door after midnight. I know exactly what her urgency is.
A lonely pussy.
Unlocking the door and choosing to ignore my sister’s question, I open it and point the gun in Mona’s face. She flinches as she stares down the weapons barrel and works to swallow down thickly. I keep my gun level, the threat hanging clear in the air from the unexpected greeting.
Xana steps around me and assesses the situation while I stand unwavering. An indescribable look crosses Mona’s face when she looks at my sister and I’ve seen it before when she saw Malia.
It’s jealousy.
She thinks Xana is a hookup. I equally want to vomit and laugh at the thought.
“Who the fuck are you?” Mona asks Xana through clenched teeth like she has any right to question who is in my home.
Xana, quickly catching on, cackles and the suddenness of it makes my spine snap straight. “Fucking embarrassing,” she says through a laugh, and I turn my head to look at her. She’s got an amused smirk on her face and hands on her hips.
Mona sneers at her and I lower my gun, switching the safety back on but not putting it away. If Mona wanted to start something, Xana would lay her out in a blink. I might get some gratification out of my sister defending my honor.
My arms cross tightly against my chest as I stare down the angry woman on my doorstep.
“What do you want, Detective?”
Mona’s gaze slides to me and her jaw clenches. “I wanted to talk, but I can see you’re busy and freshly fucked.”
Xana audibly gags next to me and my face scrunches up at the insinuation.
“Handle your crazy bitches on your own, big brother,” Xana calls to me as she turns on her heel and goes back to her room.
I keep my focus on Mona whose eyes round and raise an eyebrow. “Shit, I’m sorry, I thought—”
“You thought you were going to show up here tonight and I’d fuck you stupid then magically fall in love with you.” I smile and tilt my head. “But you found a woman here who is my sister and thought you’d stake claim on me. How am I doing?”
She sputters. “But—”
I shrug, finding her embarrassment one of the more enjoyable moments of the evening. “You were right though, absolutely freshly fucked.”
Her head snaps back like I slapped her and my smile stretches. I did partly claim Malia tonight.
Okay, I fully claimed her.
So, why not use her name to my advantage. Mona knows who she truly is now too.
“I’ll let Malia know you stopped by.” I go to slam the door in her face, but she kicks her foot out and stops it from shutting.
“Are you fucking kidding me, Liam?” Mona grinds out. “She’s a goddamn criminal whose dad runs this fucking city! No wonder you’ve lost your mind.”
“Doesn’t matter who or what she is, Detective.” I give her another cruel smile. “It will always be her.”
Mona mewls her irritation and I take advantage of her removing her foot from my door and doorjamb and slam the door, locking it.
My back presses against the door as my words sink in. I had meant them to cut Mona and judging by her reaction, I hit my mark. But in reality, it’s the only thing that has made sense these past few weeks.
Which just makes me hate to love Malia Olin even more.
Twenty One