Page 82 of Psycho

“Human being.” Liv snapped. “Say the words, Tamen; human being who didn’t deserve to die for your perverse sex trade!”

“Oh my god,” Tamen groaned again, “I’m not a pervert, all the women I sleep with are very fucking willing. Even you said they all wanted my dick.”

“Enough.” Dane snapped his fingers and stopped both Liv and Peyton from jumping on him in argument to that statement. He was a fucking moron for taking the sex worker route against them. “Tamen didn’t know it was Liv. He was working with Damon on the Velvet Cage, but didn’t know about the money laundering. Believe it or not, T’s actually pretty good turning money into sex and then sex back into money. It’s a weird skill of his. When he showed up in the states, all he knew was that Damon finally caught the hacker responsible for executing thirty players in their game.” I watched as Dane added some sarcasm like only an older brother could, “He should have known ifmoves on players that big were being made in Boston that I would be involved or would at least know about it, but you know how Tamen is. He’s always trying to get that chip off his shoulder and get out of my shadow. Of course, he wouldn’t check in to see what I knew about it.”

“He hit Peyton with a car!” Liv argued.

“I didn’t fucking drive the thing! I wasn’t even there!” Tamen lobbed back, and I stood up, stepping between him and my woman and child as I gave in to the urge to dismember him.

“Careful,” I warned, leveling the man with a stare, “I would be very fucking careful about whatever else you were about to say.”

“Yeah,” He hissed, “Big Daddy Maddox can’t be tempted.” He rolled his eyes, “We all know we’d cut each other’s throats given the chance, drop the act.”

“Why is that?” Liv questioned, looking away from him to me. “I know the story about how you all—” Her eyes widened dramatically, and she cringed, “grew up together. But I don’t know why you want to kill each other.”

“You told her about Harlow House?” I roared, taking a step around Dane, but he turned on his brother as well, angry and snapping at him.

“That wasn’t your fucking Hell to tell.” Dane yelled.

Peyton cut us all off with two fingers between her lips and a deafening whistle. “Stop ganging up on Tamen.” She ordered.

Every single head in the room whipped in her direction, outraged that she’d stand up for the man responsible for so much.

“I know,” She held her good hand up, trying to reason with us. “I get it. You all have every right to be mad at him. But none of you get to take it out on him now.” She sighed, leaning back into her bed as fatigue weighed her down. We all shrunk a bit, realizing what idiots we were acting like in front of the woman who just woke up from a five-day coma after being run over bya truck. For fuck’s sake, we could have at least taken the arguing out to the hall.

Liv sank back into her chair, using Rory as a shield as she murmured her apologies, and we all followed suit. Except for Tamen, who dared to look smug as his favorite person came to his aid.

Their friendship was so fucking weird.

“Now,” Peyton went on in full control of our brood, “Can we all just agree to table this for now? Because I know without a doubt that Tamen wouldn’t have done any of it if he knew all the facts.” Dane opened his mouth to argue, but she ignored him, “And I know that Maddox is so utterly smitten with this new baby that he’s going to let go of the rage and desire to cut Tamen into little pieces and keep him in the refrigerator, so that sweet little Rory isn’t subjected to such negative energy.” Now it was my turn to deflate; she had a point. “And” But she apparently wasn’t done, “Dane wouldn’t do anything to upset me, especially right now after everything I’ve been through. And allowing any more upheaval to our chosen family would upset me.” She turned and gave him a pointed look, “Isn’t that right?”

He rolled his eyes but nodded his head, “You’re right.”

“Good.” Peyton sighed with a content smile on her face. “Now, I want you two to take that baby home and start living your life.” She turned and pointed to Tamen, “And you sir, are going to take Dane to Hartington and—” Dane started arguing but she cut him off once again, “Make him shower. And eat, for the love of all things holy, make the man eat a freaking meal before he comes back.”

“I’m standing right here!” Dane threw his hands out in exasperation. “I showered yesterday.”

Even I didn’t believe the man, and when his shoulders wilted slightly, he knew Peyton didn’t either. “Tamen?” Peyton went on, “Stick around Boston for a while this time, will ya?”

I groaned, and Liv pursed her lips, but Peyton ignored us.

Tamen looked at the bossy red head in the hospital bed and shrugged one shoulder, “I’ve got business here I can take care of for a while. Now that the Velvet Cage has collapsed.”

“No sex work!” Liv snapped, unable to bite her tongue any longer.

“Sex work isn’t the devil, Little Hacker!” Tamen threw back, “You just have to do it right, so the girls are the bosses!”

“Right,” I mused, “Because you’ve let a woman be the boss in the bedroom. Ever.”

Tamen adjusted his tailored suit jacket and winked at me, “You’d be surprised by what I’m willing to let a woman do to me. I bet you’re not all that much bite in the bedroom either, you big old teddy bear.”

“Ew.” Peyton waved her good hand around. “Everyone go home, so I can sleep, and we’ll reconvene another day when there is less talk of prostitutes and bloodshed. I’ve had enough of both lately.”

Sullenly, Liv and I left Peyton’s room and headed back to the maternity ward where the bossy charge nurse had all of her things packed up and waiting for us. “I guess this means I’m evicted.” Liv said, and the weathered nurse smiled at her knowingly.

“You’re going to be just fine, girl.” Turning to me, the woman nodded her head, “You two have this. Life is crazy on a good day, and babies are just added flare to it all. My one piece of advice is simple, so remember it.” She looked back to Liv, “Don’t try to fast forward through the hard parts, because tomorrow there will be a different hard. And if you fast forward through them all, it will all be over before you know it and you’ll be begging to go back. People come into this world crying and they go out the same way. Enjoy the in between.”

“Hmm.” I hummed, widening my eyes at Liv when the woman turned and walked away, leaving us and our newborn standing in the hall. “Guess we start the living thing now.”

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