Page 46 of The Devil's Pair

“Right?” Cole said to Rebel as he approached with a plate of what smelled like steak with garlic butter. He handed it over to Vixen with his usual devastating smile, then turned his attention back to his brothers. “What’s this ‘tonight’ crap, huh? They haven’t been feeling itanynight formonths.”

“Months indeed,” Rebel pronounced. “In fact, I’d go a bit farther.”

“Wouldyou?” Cole said.

“I would. I’d say that they haven’t been feeling it – and by natural extension, they haven’t been feeling anyone– ever since Briley exited their lives a few months ago.”

“Hmmmm.” Cole pretended to ponder that. “Excellent observation, man. You think this has something to do with Briley?”

“I do!” Rebel slapped Dux on the shoulder. “And so do you boys. Right?”

“Nope,” Dux snapped.

“Yep.”

“No,” Drake snarled.

“Yep!”

“Jesus Christ,” the twins said in unison. “Shutit, Armstrong.”

Rebel just grinned wider, and Cole laughed aloud: as soon as Dux and Drake did the speaking-in-surround-sound thing, their MC brothersknewthat they were good and unnerved. It was their one sure-fire tell, and everyone got a kick out of it.

“Fuck off, both of you,” Drake growled as he and Dux turned and started to walk away. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We do, actually!” Cole called after them merrily. “Hear us now, believe us later!”

“Jesus,” Dux muttered as the men stepped outside into the sweltering evening air. Still, inside the bar wasfarmore uncomfortable than standing in humidity. “They’re a couple of assholes, huh?”

“Uh-huh. Sure are.”

Something in his brother’s voice gave Dux pause, and he looked at him. “What?”

“What what?”

“What was that tone?”

“No tone, man.”

“C’mon, Drake, you’re talking tome. What’s going on?”

“Like you don’t know,” Drake said. “Like you don’t feel the same.”

Dux fell silent. He leaned back against the outside wall, his face hidden in shadow from the overhanging roof.

“Like you don’t miss her,” Drake continued. “Like you don’t wish that we’d finished what we started in –”

“– The kitchen that day,” Dux said quietly. “Like we couldn’t –”

“– Stay for longer. Like… days longer.”

“Weeks.”

“Yeah.”

They stared at each other, just barely able to see the other’s expression in the darkness.

“Has it finally happened, then?” Dux asked. “Have we –”

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