Page 74 of Bitter Arrangement

“You too,” he grunts.

“Uh,” I say, looking between them. “Cass and I were just hanging out. You want to join?”

“No,” he says, turning away.

“Are you sure? She’s a total delight.”

“I’m sure.” He steps inside.

I glance at her. She frowns back at me in confusion as he walks away.

“Must be busy,” I say, completely uncomfortable.

“Totally. No worries. I have to get going anyway.”

We hug and promise to hang out again soon, but the vibe is completely ruined, all thanks to my husband’s icy introduction. I walk her to the door and see her out before storming back inside, rage ripping through me like a storm.

That fucking asshole.

I ask so little of him. This is the first time I had someone from my life prior to him over to visit, and he acts like he couldn’t care less. It infuriates me beyond belief, and I stomp into his office like I’m going to crack his head.

“We need to talk,” I snap at him.

He barely looks back. “No, we don’t.”

“The way you treated Cass downstairs was rude. You realize that, don’t you?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“You were so standoffish and weird, like you clearly didn’t want her here.”

“I don’t care if you have friends over. This is your house too.”

“Then why the hell did you act like a total dick down there?”

He finally turns to me. His jaw is tense, and I can see the stress all over him. “I’m distracted.”

“That’s not a good excuse. I get it, things are complicated right now?—”

“No, baby, youdon’tget it.” He rubs his forehead with the heel of his hand.

I step back. That’s the first time he’s ever been short with me. I don’t even know what to say. “What happened today?” I ask, my tone softening a touch. I feel myself spiraling, and I need to pull out of it. “Why are you like this right now?”

He closes his eyes and leans his head back. “Mantis has been following me for a while now.”

That gets my attention. I lean against the wall, arms crossed, heart beating rapidly. “Okay, so what? That’s not a huge deal, right?”

“Normally, it wouldn’t be, except there’s this fucking thing.” He gestures at the watch, jaw flexing. “And I shot one of their soldiers earlier.”

My mouth falls open. “You didwhat?”

“I sent them a message. They can’t get too fucking close and expect me to do my job. But now I’m thinking it might’ve been a little…” He levels me with a hard look. “Impulsive.”

“You did something impulsive? Mr. Cold Planning and Rationality did something emotional and impulsive?” I shake my head in wonder. I’d laugh, but this isn’t even remotely funny. “I’m finding it hard to believe.”

“I had my reasons, except now I’m thinking maybe they were flawed. I think I shot that guy because I’m pissed off. I’m angry that those fuckers chased after my wife and nearly hurt her.”

“Jesus, Alexan,” I whisper. “Mantis wasn’t even there.”

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