Page 34 of Trouble

Louis rolled his eyes and flicked the picture of him—or his brother—penetrating the young woman up against a window toward Wesley. “Oh, sure. We’re the ones who are crass. Seriously, Dad, you could just have fucking asked instead of having Wesley creep around outside her windows with a fucking camera. I may even have a video somewhere, if you really want a close-up of theaction.”

I raised my hand when he demonstratively pulled out his phone before getting up from the chair. “Thanks, that won’t be necessary. We should getgoing.”

“You sure? It’s got her in face-down doggy. From what Jeremy said that one time he spied on you and Mum, that’s yourfavorite.”

I gave my obnoxious offspring a stern look before I turned toward their door. Wesley followed behind me like a faithful shadow, leaving the pictures behind as a silent reminder of the power I now wielded over themboth.

He didn’t speak until we were in the car, pulling away from the twins’flat.

“Do you want me to keep checking in on them when they go to her place?” he asked, eyes on the road. He was always vigilant, that one. Part of why I liked him more than my sons. He was reliable—faithful.

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary for the time being, Wesley.” I smiled thinly as I looked out the tinted window from the backseat at the Thames below their expensive high-rise. “That girl is more than just a fling. And now they know I know. They won’t be causing us any problems. If they do… well, now you know who to start cutting slices off to get them to fall back inline.”

17

Louis

“What the fuck were you thinking?”I rounded on my twin, anger at his idiocy quelling some of the nauseating fear that’d settled in my stomach since our father showed up. “Why would you paint a big fat target on your back by keeping on seeing that girl? If he didn’t buy the fib about us both screwing her, he’s got his hands firmly around your balls now. And I fucking doubt he bought it, if Wesley’s been spying on you. Do you even know how ridiculously in love you look when you’re aroundher?”

“How do you know what I look like around her?” Liam asked, folding his arms across hischest.

“Because I fucking followed you this morning, you dumb prick. You lied to me. Tome!Did you think I wasn’t gonna look into what the fuck’s going on with you? How could you be so careless? How could you fall in love? You fucking saw what it did to Marcus!” I was aware I was shouting, but I didn’t care. Ever since our father had stepped through our front door, I’d imagined a thousand times over what my life would be like without Liam in it, and it felt good to finally release all the pent-up panic athim.

“Fuck, Louis! Don’t you think I know how dangerous it is? I was selfish, okay? I was selfish, and I put her indanger—”

“Fuck her!” I interrupted him. “I don’t give a shit abouther—what I do care about is you not getting yourself bloody killed. Do you remember how fucking close Marcus was to dying? Fully-fucking-dying?Because he wanted to save his girl. And this Audrey bitch, she’s got no clue about our world, does she? Evelyn knew, she knew how to deal, and shestillalmost cost our brother hislife!”

Anger ignited in my twin’s eyes and he pointed at me with so much vehemence it made me blink. He’d never looked at me likethatbefore.

“Don’t youeverinsult her again. This is not herdoing.”

I threw my hands up. “No, it’syourfault! What the hell do you want me to do, start preparing my best manspeech?”

Liam shook his head, the anger still evident on his face. “Just stay the fuck out of this, Louis. You don’t get it. You can’t.” And then he turned his back on me and walked toward his own bedroom. Leaving me alone in the living room with myanger.

“What’s so special about her anyway?” I called after his retreatingback.

He didn’tanswer.

“Don’t fucking see her again,Liam!”

The sound of his bedroom door slamming was the only reply Igot.

* * *

“Liam?”The brunette woman in the door looked up at me, her eyebrows meeting in afrown.

She was a pretty girl, I’d give my twin that, with her full lips and chocolate eyes, and her curvy figure was right up both Liam’s and my alley. But she wasn’t anything special—we’d both screwed hundreds of girls who’d be considered far more beautiful than her. What the fuck was it about her that had Liam so twisted up? He hadn’t spoken to me in the three days since our blow-up, and he’d been a right moody prick around our men aswell.

“Hey, love.” I pushed my twin out of my mind, stepped through the doorway and, giving Audrey a trademark smirk, bent to kiss her.Thoroughly.

She breathed a small, startled gasp before our mouths connected, but when I brushed my tongue against the seam of her lips she opened them and allowed me to deepen thekiss.

Warm, sweet heat rushed into my lungs and pulsed through my body. Her lips were so soft against mine, they made my head spin and my cock rise to the occasion in record time. I groaned into her mouth with unexpected pleasure, the vague notion that I’d definitely found the reason for Liam’s obsession making its way to the forefront of my mind. Damn, she had me so fucking hot, I was more than ready to skip foreplay and get her on her hands and knees on the nearest bed. Or floor, for thatmatter.

And then, as if she’d been able to read my mind, she pulled away, raised her hand and smacked me across the face with enough strength to make my headturn.

“You absolute fuckingprick!”

---