Page 26 of Three to Fall

Like he hadn’t revealed every truth about her life, and mine, and ripped me out of the false sense of security I’d built up around myself for years.

“Gray eats pineapple on pizza too.” Trig watched me carefully, his sharp eyes focused, despite the table full of empty beer bottles in front of him.

Despite pretending to do other things, my murder squad were all watching me, waiting to see how I reacted. It was clear they’d quickly forgiven Trigger and had spent the last day catching up with him.

Now they were waiting to see where I stood.

“Used to,” I corrected, sitting beside him. “Don’t eat pizza at all anymore.”

Trig raised an eyebrow. “No shit? Why not?”

“Became a doctor. Saw what food like that does to your heart. Would prefer not to go out like that.”

Trig leaned forward and plucked his beer from the coffee table; despite the fact it wasn’t even ten in the morning. He took a slow swallow. “Some of us probably ain’t gonna live long enough for that to be a problem.” He tipped the bottle in mydirection. “But good for you. You always were the smart one.” He pointed to the cooler at his feet. “You want one?”

I stared at the man I hadn’t seen in five years. I’d spent so long blaming him. So long hating him. Used those feelings to hide the truth of who my wife had been and the unspeakable things she’d done.

I’d accepted Trig’s story as truth so easily that I knew, from a psychiatric perspective, some part of me had known all along. I’d ignored the middle-of-the-night phone calls and hushed conversations with her sister. I’d ignored the money rolling in, which was way too much for a legitimate startup business. I’d ignored the way she could never look me in the eye.

I might not have known exactly what she was doing, but that was only because I hadn’t wanted to know.

I wasn’t the smart one.

Trig had seen through my wife’s lies and deceptions all along. He’d been the one brave enough to do something about it, even though it had cost him. He’d lost five years of his life. His friends.

His brother.

I dropped my keys and phone into a bowl on the table. “Give me a beer.”

Trig grinned and flipped the lid on the cooler, plucking a cold can from the watery ice inside. He handed it to me, and I cracked the tab, the beer fizzing softly.

Trig eyed me, wiping water off his hands on his jeans. “So you want to tell your big brother all about this woman you’re so willing to die for?”

Things weren’t fixed between us. That could only happen with time and patience and learning to trust each other again. But that could only start by making an effort. By wanting it to happen.

In Trig’s eyes, I could see the hope. He thought he was hiding it, but I knew him better than anyone.

I took a sip of the beer. “Her name is Kara.”

“You’re in love with her.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement of fact.

“Yes.”

“You know I’m going to run a full background check on her, right? Dig into every little skeleton in her closet.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t expect anything less. But you’ll be surprised by what you find.”

He eyed me. “In a good way?”

I shrugged, swallowing down another mouthful of cold liquid, even though what I really wanted was a bowl of cereal and a coffee. “Cults. A kid. Two other boyfriends.”

The room suddenly went as silent as a tomb.

Whip stared over at me like I’d grown a second head. “What the fuck?”

A sharp knock on the door had all five pulling weapons and pointing them at the peephole.

I frowned and waved a hand at all of them as I put the beer down and stood. “We’re going to need to talk about knee-jerk reactions to stressful situations. And drinking as a way of coping with negative feelings. You’re all triggered. Put those away. It’s probably my neighbor, asking for a cup of sugar, and you’ve all got guns and knives out like you want to make chop suey out of her.”

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