Page 33 of Always Salty

I glanced at Cutter and said, “Just the usual, I guess. Work. What I’m eating for lunch today.”

The lie slipped off my tongue so easily that Cutter didn’t suspect a thing.

I’d been lying to them for years, though. I’d perfected the art of lying.

They couldn’t spot a lie on me from a foot away anymore.

Cutter nodded. “Actually, I was going to ask if you had any problem with me borrowing your SUV today. All of us can’t fit in my truck comfortably, and we’re going to head to Fort Worth and spend the day doing brotherly things.”

I was already nodding my head as I said, “Sure. As long as you leave me your truck.”

Cutter rolled his eyes and said, “Of course. But please try not to hit any more curbs. Those dings on my rims aren’t attractive.”

“You let your wife drive your truck,” I pointed out.

“But she’s yet to smash it into any curbs. Plus, if she did, she’d give stellar…”

I held up my hand, unable to process him talking about his wife and dick in the same sentence.

Luckily, I was saved by the bell.

I headed to the door and found Cutter’s brother-in-law on the other side.

“Hey, Shasha,” I greeted him as I stepped back. “I’m assuming you’re here for my brothers?”

“Kind of,” he said in his deep, melodic tone.

There was something intrinsically familiar about it that hit something deep inside my chest.

Something that I’d kept buried for a week now…

I looked away from Shasha and gestured to the room beyond. “They’re in here.”

I didn’t bother to ask how he’d known they were here.

Either one of them told him, or he used his top secret spy skills to find out.

Either way, I was better off keeping my opinions to myself.

Shasha didn’t seem like the type of man that would indulge me and my smart mouth.

He was, quite frankly, scary as fuck.

Though he was nice when I’d met him at Cutter and Milena’s place, he didn’t strike me as the type of man to allow disrespect.

“What are you doing here, Shasha?” Cutter asked. “Is Milena okay?”

The worry in my brother’s tone had my heart constricting.

“She’s fine,” he promised. “At least, from what I know of. I haven’t had any reports that she wasn’t. I’m here for a different reason.”

Then his eyes focused back on me, and I felt something start to flutter in my chest.

“Is it about me?” I asked, surprised to have his entire focus on me.

It was disconcerting.

I didn’t know whether to look him in the eyes or not.

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