Page 11 of Beyond the Hate

He scowls at me. “I don’t need your pity.”

“Good because you’re not getting any pity from me. Next time you show up at a meeting in wet surf clothes, I’ll make you stand in the corner.”

“With a dunce cap,” Zane adds. “Can we get him a little stool, too? And make him face the corner?”

“I’ll show you a dunce cap,” Miles mutters before flying over the table at Zane.

Rhett maneuvers his way in between the two and pulls them apart. “Enough,” he grumbles.

“You’re no fun,” Zane claims as he returns to his seat.

“Fuddy duddy,” Miles adds.

“Can we begin this meeting now?” Jaxon asks.

“What’s your rush?” Zane asks.

Jaxon purses his lips. “Do you not understand what this meeting is about? Regardless of the outcome, my workload is going to quadruple.”

Miles rolls his eyes. “Nerd.”

“Hey!” I holler. “No name calling.”

“It’s not name calling when it’s the truth. Jaxon is a nerd.” Miles motions to his brother. “Check him out. Glasses, shirt buttoned to his neck. I’m surprised he doesn’t have a pocket protector.”

“Pocket protectors are for geeks. Not nerds,” Zane says.

“Bro,” Miles mutters, and they high-five each other.

The door to the meeting room opens and Kai appears. Finally. We can get this meeting started before a brawl breaks out. Jaxon may be a nerd but he’s a dirty fighter. All of my brothers are. Doc Allens, at the hospital, can attest to how dirty.

“Watch out, Eli. Viking is coming to get you.” Kai throws a stuffed animal into the room before bursting into laughter.

I drop my head into my hands. I should have known everyone would find out about what happened at the bakery. The smugglers’ grapevine is incredibly effective. And Paisley probably couldn’t wait to share my fear of Viking the otter with the rest of the island’s inhabitants.

“What’s this about?” Jaxon asks as he picks up the stuffed otter.

“Eli’s afraid ofotters,” Kai says.

“I heard he screamed like a little girl when he saw Viking,” Miles adds.

“Nope.” Zane shakes his head. “He peed his pants.”

I growl. “I did not pee my pants and I didn’t scream like a little girl.”

“But he did jump onto a table and make a woman save him,” Kai says.

“Not any woman. Paisley.” Miles waggles his eyebrows.

“Isn’t Paisley the girl you had a crush on in high school?” Rhett asks.

I glare at him. “I didn’t have a crush on her.”

“Then, why did you moan her name when you jacked off?” Jaxon asks.

“If you don’t want a stuffed otter shoved down your throat, you’ll shut the fuck up.”

Miles, Zane, and Kai dissolve into laughter. Miles bends over and grabs his stomach. Zane pounds a palm on the table. And Kai dances around the room with the stuffed toy.

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