Page 27 of Three to Fall

“A cup of sugar? Seriously? Who fucking bakes at this time of the morning?” Ace grumbled, lowering his gun half an inch.

X spun his knife between two fingers. “You do know most bakers actually start at like two in the morning, right?”

Ace gaped at him. “That’s the middle of the night. Why the fuck do they start so early?”

X launched into an explanation of how to bake sourdough with a starter that nobody had asked for. I just shook my head and went to the peephole.

Hawk and Hayden stood on the other side.

I glanced over at the guys. “It’s not my neighbor. But I know them.”

I paused, not having any idea how to introduce the two of them to the men who’d taken over my apartment.

This is my brother and his psychopath friends. Don’t worry about them. They’re harmless…unless they’re out stalking men from their hit list. Don’t worry. You’re probably not on it…

Shit. Maybe I should check that.

Trig waved his hand around impatiently. “Just open the door, Gray. We aren’t going to hurt your little friends.”

Someone calling the ex-leader of the Sinners street gang and the vice prez of a notorious MC my “little friends” would have been completely and utterly laughable…had it come from anyone but the five men in this room.

Hawk and Hayden might have taken a life or two. They might have run guns or drugs. Gotten in fights. Even done a stint or two in prison.

But neither of them was a psychopath.

The men in this room had done and seen things that Hawk and Hayden couldn’t even dream of.

I knew, because they told me everything, and even I found some of it hard to stomach. The murder squad made the Slayers and the Sinners look like boys playing make-believe.

I shot Trigger a look. “Be nice, okay? You fucking owe me, and they’re important to me.”

I opened the door.

Hayden and Hawk both stiffened on the other side, surveying the men in the room.

Hawk’s hand hovered toward his hip where I knew he kept his gun.

Hayden elbowed him sharply and cleared his throat. “Bad time?”

I gave them both a smile. “Nope. Great time. Come in. You can meet my…friends.” I turned to the guys. “This is Hayden and Hawk. They’re my…”

I glanced at the two of them for help, ’cause fucked if I’d know what we were to each other. I wouldn’t exactly class us as friends, considering this was the first time I’d ever seen either of them without Kara around.

But I wanted them to be. They loved Kara. And so did I. That was only going to work if the three of us could get along as well.

X widened his eyes. “Wait. Wait. Are these your lovers, Gray?” He rushed to shake Hawk’s hand, literally lifting it from his side and pumping it up and down. “Bro! I am an LGBTQ+ ally. I just want you to know that. I put a rainbow flag in my window every pride month and I’m on the lookout for a gay best friend. You could be it!” He slung his arm around Hawk’s shoulders. “BFFs! BFFs!”

Hawk did a double take and gave me a “what the fuck?” look as X dragged him into the room.

I just shrugged. “Just roll with it. He’s harmless.”

Sort of.

“Come in,” I told Hayden, making room for him to step inside so I could shut the door behind him. “Don’t let X scare you. He’s overexcitable. Like a golden retriever.”

Except golden retrievers didn’t generally kill you slowly and painfully. But that conversation could probably wait for another day.

X had already gotten distracted taking ingredients from my cupboard because apparently the talk of fresh bread had made him feel like baking. Hawk and Hayden did the rounds, shakinghands with the other guys and introducing themselves before perching on the couch facing me.

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