Page 182 of Vicious Addictions

“Fuck off, you tosser! Break this!” Rolo snaps, throwing his brother a double-finger salute—our Brit version of flipping the bird—each hand forming a reverse peace sign.

Thankfully their playful banter and soft chuckles do the trick of loosening the knot in my stomach.

“Okay. I’m ready,” I say at last, picking up my bag from the floor.

“Good. ‘Cause we’re double-parked.”

“What Rolo means to say is that you’ve got this,” Remus corrects.

“Yeah, that too. Now move your ass, get out of this fucking car, and go get your man!”

I laugh as Remus steps out of the car again, this time with me and Rolo in tow.

The twins continue to give me encouraging looks as we ride the lift to the top floor, where Jude’s apartment is.

But when I get off at Jude’s floor, and the twins continue to follow close behind, I halt my step and face them both.

“I appreciate your support in coming up with me, but I can handle it from here.”

“Oh, we know,” Rolo smirks at Remus as they continue to walk toward Jude’s apartment.

“We love you and all, but we didn’t come up for you,” Remus adds with a sinister grin stitched to his lips.

“Oh?” I ask, confused, as we finally reach Jude’s door—only for Remus to push me behind them.

“Ready, brother?”

“Oh, yeah,” Rolo says, a shit-eating grin spreading across his face.

“On three,” Remus calls out. “One. Two. Three!”

In unison, they lift their legs and kick the double doors clean off their hinges, the brutal crack echoing through the hallway.

“Karma, bitch!” Rolo yells into the empty penthouse apartment.

“He’s not in there, remember, idiot?” Remus shakes his head. “Lucky said it’ll be a while before he comes home.”

“What? But seeing his eyes pop out of his sockets is half the fun,” Rolo pouts.

“I take back everything I said in the car. You two arearseholes.” I laugh, stepping into Jude’s domain to set everything up, careful not to trip over the doors now lying lifeless on the floor.

“You good for us to leave you here alone?” Remus asks, scanning the place.

“I’d feel a lot better if there was a door I could actually close,” I say, nodding toward the debris. “But you two just had to have your fun.”

“It’s just how we roll, cousin.” Rolo winks.

“Well,rollyourselves out. I’ve got work to do before Jude gets home.”

Chuffed that they got their little revenge on Jude, they wish me good luck and leave.

I quickly unpack everything from my bag, searching for the perfect spot in his home to set it all up in. A wicked smile crawls across my face when I realize the first thing Jude will see when he walks into his apartment is his kitchen breakfast countertop, making it the perfect place to set everything up on.

Once every piece is in its proper position, I glance at my watch, nervous butterflies causing chaos in my stomach at the thought that I won’t have to wait long for Jude to get home.

“The fuck? What happened to my door? Marcello! Are you in here? What the fuck happened to my doors?!” Jude yells the minute he arrives.

But the second he lifts his head off the rubble and sees me sitting on his marble countertop, whatever outrage he had over his demolished doors vanishes.