Page 149 of Trigger

Thorsen

“You can sleep in the spare bedroom,” Carter said as Luz followedhim into the living room. “The kitchen is over there, and the bathroom is atthe end of the hall. Across from it is my bedroom, but I hope I won’t see yourface until tomorrow morning. Then we’ll figure out what to do.”

“Okay,” Luz said, looking out the window. “Thanks, by the way. Iknow you don’t do this for every eyewitness in trouble.”

“No, you’re his first stray,” I said with a smirk, pouring myselfa glass of water.

Luz rolled his eyes. “Chill, big guy. I can read between thelines. Incidentally…”

He turned to look at us, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Something happened here,” he said, pointing his finger at thespace between me and Carter. “You two are not as worked up as the last time Isaw you, which means someone got dicked. I’m just not sure who got dicked andwho did the dicking. Hmm… that’s strange. I can usually tell.”

“Can you tell when it's a good time for you to shut up?” Carterasked him, cocking his eyebrows.

Luz grinned. “More often than not, pretty boy. But if I don’t doas you say, will you punish me? Handcuff me, perhaps? Shut my mouth withyour—?”

I headed toward him, clenching my fists, when Carter stood in myway.

“No, Tye. He’s provoking you on purpose. Come on.”

Only his hands on my hips prevented me from throwing that littleshit out the window.

“Look at him the wrong way and I will make you regret it,” I saidthrough my teeth, pointing my finger at Luz. “You will wish you took shelterwith the killer instead of with us.”

“Oh, it’s us now?” Luz mused. “Have you checked with your date ifyou two are on the same page before you start building a white picket fence?Maybe it’s not your first rodeo, but I have a feeling that it’s his.”

I pulled out my gun and pointed it at him when Carter pushed meout of the room.

“Jeez, Tye. Come on. I’m the one they call Trigger. Not you.”

“Hey, I get it,” Luz bellowed. “You have made yourself clear, bigguy. He’s yours.”

“Then you’re smarter than I thought,” I shouted as Carter pushedme down the hall and into his bedroom.

“Stop it,” he whispered, closing the door behind us. “You knowhe’s a mouthy little shit. Don’t let him get to you.”

“I should introduce him to Bazooka. He always knew how to dealwith loudmouthed little brats. Zero patience and all that.”

“Hey,” Carter said, touching my jaw to get my attention. “What didI say? Forget about him. Also, if you want to start building a white picketfence, I don’t mind. I know all I need to know.”

I grinned like an idiot. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t it too soon?”

Carter rolled his eyes. “I’m almost forty. Screw it.”

“Let’s just go to my place,” I said with a pout, wrapping my armsaround his waist. “We can be alone there. And cuddle. And do some of thenaughty stuff.”

“Unfortunately, we can’t leave that troublemaker alone no matterhow annoying he is. It doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, though.”

I frowned in confusion when he started to unbutton my shirt.

“Are you sure about that?” I said in a low voice as he slid theshirt off me. “With him around, I mean.”

Carter grinned, biting his lip at the sight of my bare chest.“Yeah. We’ll lock the door. He can drool on the other side.”

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