Page 42 of Layne Closure Ahead

She walked over to the desk and placed a hand on it while her other hand pointed at him. “You have to fix this! This is your screw-up, not mine. I don’t give a damn how you do it, but make it right.”

“What do you want me to do?!” He threw his hands up in the air.

She shouted back at him. “Dad showed you the ropes and put you in charge, Liam. You should know these things and at least have a clue what to do. You wanted me to stay out of this shit, and I have. I have sacrificed enough of myself for this family for one week!”

When her phone rang, her irritation was already on a warpath, she saw Joey’s name pop up on the screen and she answered. “Joey, it’s not a good time. I will call you when I finish dealing with Liam’s fuck up.” She hung up abruptly not waiting for his acknowledgment.

“Who the hell was that?” Liam’s eyes narrowed at her.

She shook her head. “None of your business.”

He stood up and walked over to her to yank the phone right out of her hand. Layne turned and clutched onto it while using her other hand to shove him away. He grabbed her arm and they both wrestled with one another until the phone slipped from her hold.

“Liam, give it back!” She was unable to reach around him as he turned and began tapping on the screen.

“Really? Mom’s birthday is your passcode?” He scoffed. “Predictable.” He shook his head as he began sliding his finger across the screen and tapping away.

He pulled his shoulders back as he pulled up a picture from her albums. Liam turned and showed her what was on her screen. Layne pressed her lips together immediately recognizing the picture she had taken with Joey after their breakfast together. The memory of it was clear as day.

After getting dressed, she noticed his skull mask hanging over the edge of his laundry basket. She picked it up and dangled it in front of him. “Maybe next time you could wear this.” Her eyes sparkled with playful excitement.

“Be careful what you wish for. That mask comes with a lot of other conditions,” Joey smirked at her.

“Oh? I think I will take my chances.” Layne stretched the mask over her face and pulled her phone out on selfie mode to see how it suited her. “It almost looks better on me than it does on you.”

Joey came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist while laying a kiss against her neck. Her thumb snapped the selfie of them together with her in his infamous mask.

The sound of Liam’s harsh words brought her back to reality. “It seems like I’m not the only one who is fucking around.”

She stood there quietly not feeling that she owed him any sort of explanation.

“Is this who I think it is? The masked freak that dad hired to take out Franzetti, and you couldn’t keep your whore mouth off of?”

Layne shrugged at him. “Does it matter if it is?”

“Yes! You want to sit here and criticize me while you’re off fucking two guys, one of which I might remind you has our business by the balls!” Let Liam’s throwing of figurative stones begin like he hadn’t wet his dick in half of all of Manhattan.

Both of her brows lifted now that he wanted to step up to the plate. “Oh, now you want to be concerned about the state of things? Where was this attitude six months ago?”

He tossed her phone back at her. “I told you not to fuck this up with Eric and this is your idea of playing it safe?”

Her hands fumbled for the phone that was carelessly returned to her. “This is my idea of doing what I have to in order not to lose my shit. You can take this holier-than-thou crusade and shove it up Kristill’s ass or whoever is the flavor of the week.”

Deciding she wasn’t going to stand there and listen to him bitch at her any longer, she turned for the door before she decided to shoot the last member of her blood relatives.

Before she stepped out of the office, she got her last words in. “Just fix the goddamn account, Liam.”

After the door shut behind her, all she heard was his rage-filled roar as something smashed against the closed office door, shaking it upon impact.

“Stop!” Layne giggled as Joey leaned over and buried his face against her neck playfully nipping at her skin. The short hairs of the dark blonde scruff on his face tickled against the delicate skin of her throat.

They sat inside his Challenger parked at their quiet little spot near the water in Brooklyn. He was leaning over the center console, unable to control himself from showering her with attention to try and erase the mood Liam had put her in. His hand slid up along her inner thigh toward the center of where her legs came together.

“I’m trying to have a serious conversation!” Trying to fight back the smile on her face as she squirmed in her seat.

Joey smirked as he muttered against her neck. “So am I.”

“Bullshit.” Her hips jolted as his hand finally found the apex of her jeans. Finally, she grabbed his hand to pause his efforts temporarily. “Liam was off his rocker level of pissed.”

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