Page 110 of Black Heart

“You want to tell me who you are since you’re holding my daughter?” Hank demanded. He would have simply taken Marty away from Shayne an hour ago, except that when he’d tried, Marty started crying again, leaving him with no choice but to hand her back over to Shayne.

“No, not really.”

Declean chuckled as he walked through Denny and sat down next to him. “Ye might want to tell them something, lad.”

That probably would be for the best, Shayne decided as he looked at his brothers for suggestions, but the useless bastards only shrugged. Very helpful, he thought, sighing heavily with annoyance. Looked like he was on his own again.

“I’m her brother-in-law,” Shayne said, deciding to go with the truth. At least, the truth as far as he saw it.

Denny chuckled darkly. “Nice try, asshole, but I’m her brother-in-law.”

“Aye,” Shayne readily agreed, “but you’re her brother-in-law by adoption. I’m her brother-in-law by blood. Tristan’s my little brother.”

“Wow, it’s like daytime television come to life,” his annoying soulmate mumbled, destroying the stunned silence that he had to admit was a bit off-putting. The glares weren’t exactly comforting either, Shayne decided. The words of encouragement from his brothers definitely weren’t helping either.

“Ye stupid son of a bitch,” Declean groaned.

“Real smooth, asshole,” Finn added with a sigh.

“I knew we were gonna pay for Ma dropping ye on yer head,” Liam said, shaking his head in disgust as he disappeared, probably to go pace in Tristan’s room.

“Well, as much fun as this has been, and it’s been loads,” the annoying woman said, cutting through the silence as she got to her feet. “I have to go, but I really need to speak with Detective Black when he wakes up,” she said, handing a business card over to Denny, who couldn’t seem to stop glaring at him.

Yup, it was really fucking great to be human.

CHAPTER43

One Month Later

“Iswear to God that if you don’t drop that sponge that I will have you committed by morning,” Tristan promised, leveling a glare on his mother.

She sighed heavily as she dropped the sponge back in the small bowl. “None of my boys appreciate me.”

“I do,” Shayne, the biggest fucking traitor, said cheerfully as he sauntered into the room and dropped down next to him on the bed.

His mother gave that pleased smile that seemed solely reserved for Shayne as she readily agreed, “I know you do, sweetheart.”

Shayne, the fucking kiss ass, grinned smugly.

“Fucking brownnoser,” Denny grumbled from the couch, where he openly glared at Shayne.

“Denny Black!”

“Well, he is!”

“Words hurt, lad,” Shayne said with a sniffle that made his mother’s glare turn murderous on Denny.

“That’s it,” Denny said, getting to his feet and storming off towards the door, “I can’t take this any longer. I’m going to work.”

“Never mind him, Shayne,” his mother said with that damn smile.

Seriously, how did the bastard pull it off? From what he’d been told, his mother wanted to wring Shayne’s neck when he’d pulled that whole long-lost brother bullshit, but one shocking DNA test and a sob story later, and he had her wrapped around his little finger. The woman couldn’t seem to do enough for his “long lost” brother.

His father, brother, and Hank were still suspicious and if he hadn’t been able to get Shayne some fake papers, they probably would have given in to the urge to drag him out back by now and beat the shit out of him.

“I have to go make dinner, but I’ll be back later to check on you,” she said, leaning over and pressing a kiss against his cheek. Before she could pull back all the way, Shayne was leaning over him and pointedly clearing his throat.

With a warm smile, his mother leaned over and kissed Shayne’s cheek before she grabbed her bucket and left the room, leaving Tristan to glare at the smug bastard.

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