Page 10 of Three of a Kind

My hand wraps around the handle, and I tug the door open without even checking the peephole.

My jaw falls when I spot Dustin, Avan’s younger brother. He’s even creepier than his sibling, and my stomach drops as he tugs me out the door.

I changed into a pajama dress as soon as I got home, and it’s nothing like the bulky, loose clothing I’ve been wearing in public. My hands fly to my stomach in an attempt to cover it, but in this tight-fitting dress, the baby bump is noticeable.

Why is my ex’s brother here?

“Where the hell is Lennox?” Dustin growls, wrapping his hands around my shoulders and shoving my back against the wall.

“What?” I sputter.

I had no idea the two of them knew each other.

“Jesus Christ,” Dustin growls. “Where is your sister?”

“I don’t know,” I snap, slapping at his hands. I’m his niece’s mother. There’s no reason he should be here at all. He and I don’t interact, and I like it that way. “She hasn’t been home in a few days, which isn’t unusual for her. Why?”

Panic slams through my chest as I start to consider that, maybe, something bad happened to her. She works at a club close by, and she’s made a ton of friends. She comes and goes as she pleases, but now I’m starting to imagine terrible possibilities.

“If you see her, tell her I’m looking for her,” Dustin growls, slamming me against the wall again. “She’ll know why.”

“Is everything okay?” Noble’s voice startles not only me but also Dustin.

Dustin drops his hold on my shoulders, glaring to get his point across.

“I asked if everything is good here?” Noble’s deep, growly voice echoes around the hallway as he gets closer. He moved in four or five months ago, and he’s an awesome neighbor.

If he sees me struggling to carry in Libby and my groceries, he always stops what he’s doing to help.

He’s one fine hunk of alpha, but he also has a lot of female visitors. Like, a shit load—sometimes two or three different women pop over to his apartment in a week, which is clearly none of my business.

We’re neighbors who are friendly.

Nothing more.

“Are you okay, Brooklyn?” Noble repeats.

I nod, forcing my face into a smile. “Oh, yeah, we’re good. This is Dustin. He’s my ex’s brother.”

Dustin gives me a look that screams that was the wrong thing to say.

“He just wanted to check in on Libby, but she’s asleep.” I laugh awkwardly. “She’ll definitely be up at the crack of dawn if she sleeps through dinner.”

“Tell her Uncle Dustin says hello,” the slimy asshole says, like she would know who I was talking about if I did tell her. He gets close to my ear, pretending to give me a kiss on the cheek. “Keep your mouth shut about me stopping by, and I’ll do the same.” He gives my pregnant belly a soft pat that feels a lot like a threat.

I exhale heavily and do my best to force my face to stay placid as Dustin swaggers toward the stairs.

Noble’s dark waves fall over his forehead, and his eyes narrow, but he doesn’t say anything for a few long seconds. “Ready to level with me now?”

My head shakes, and my stomach rolls uncomfortably.

The urge to run and hide is strong, but I don’t have a lot of options. Avan would send his henchmen to search my parents’ house. I honestly don’t get why he would even care if I left. He has a new girlfriend that he’s been with for two months, and since getting with Bianca, he’s only seen Liberty once.

I get the picture, though.

I’m supposed to stick around, never getting a chance to move on.

It’s like being stuck in limbo.

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