Page 101 of Drifting

I know someone’s home; there always is. Did they see us pull up, and now, they’re refusing to answer?

Instead of politely knocking, I pound on the door.

It flies open, and Jack yells, “What?”

Of course, he’d be the one to answer the door that way. Damn, he let himself go. He was always a skinny little shit when I lived here. Now, he’s taller, and a beer belly hangs over his belt. Not what I expected.

“What do you want, slut?” Jack huffs out.

I feel Dom stepping closer to me, and he lets out a growl. Nick stands on my left, with Mav on my right. These three won’t let anyone hurt me.

“Jack, wow, you look like shit. Then again, you always did. I’m here to see Cin. I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will force my way in if I have to,” I say sternly, but I’m shaking.

“There’s no reason to let you or your little party in crime in. She’s not here,” Lara says, sashaying up to the front door and stopping beside her brother. Her gaze rakes over each of the guys, and she licks her lips. “Then again, I didn’t know they were so hot.”

I make a gagging noise, which earns me an icy glare from her.

She looks the same. Long, pale blond hair and brown eyes, not an ounce of fat on her. I always hated her for that. She used to make fun of me for having curves.

“If she’s not here, then where is she? She would have called me if she left,” I state, crossing my arms.

“How should I know? She’s probably holed up in one of the rat traps you two crawled out of,” Lara sneers, then bites her cheek, giving herself away.

I step into the doorway and get in her face. “You’re a lying bitch. Now, where is she?”

Her mouth sets into a hard line.

Enough is enough. As I push my way past her, Jack reaches out to stop me, but Dom’s low growl and icy stare stop him.

I march into the large, messy family room. Jackets, shoes, and schoolbooks clutter the floor. Nothing’s changed. The same brown couch faces the TV, with Uncle Brett’s red Lay-Z-Boy off to the left. A brown loveseat sits to the right, with a black, wrought-iron coffee table in the middle. I would have though Brenda would change some of the décor over the years.

“See? She’s not here. So, take your merry band of thieves and leave, but not him,” Lara says, undressing Mav with her eyes. “I’ll take him and show him what a real woman can do.”

I want to rip her eyes out just for looking at Mav.

He scoffs at how Lara drools over him, then shudders in disgust. “Never going to happen.”

Lara tosses her hair over her shoulder and huffs away. “Your loss.”

As I stride into the kitchen to see if Cin’s in there, Jack follows me, with Mav right behind him.

Mav leans against the counter, crossing his arms and watching every move Jack makes.

Cin isn’t in the kitchen. I head over to Jack, who still has that mocking smile on his face. Man, do I want to wipe it off his face. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Jack. Which do you prefer?” I ball my hands into fists, just waiting to punch him. “Either way, I’m finding out where Cin is.”

“Don’t threaten me, you bitch. You forcing your way in here with a bunch of thugs just proves what a lowlife you are.” With a cocky look on his face, he takes a step toward me, his voice dropping. “You know, I always wanted to try you out. Since you’re here, I guess I’ll finally see if you’re any good.” He reaches out to grab my chest. “I’m not really into having sloppy seconds, but I’ll deal with it.”

Unable to believe he’s trying to grab me while Mav stands right there, I freeze.

Before he can get a good grip, though, Mav pushes me behind him and punches Jack right in the jaw.

Jack falls on his ass, his hand flying to the side of his face.

“Don’t you ever touch her or speak to her like that again!” Mav growls out.

“What’s all this yelling about?” Brenda comes out of the hallway that leads to the master bedroom.

She’s straightening her clothes until she sees Jack on the floor, holding the side of his face.

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