Page 9 of Beautiful Exile

It had stirred my ghosts and demons. Maybe that’s why I’d overreacted to the poor guy at the gym this morning. Somehow, I doubted he’d keep his membership.

Cope muttered a curse. “I’m sorry, A?—”

“You ask to get shot?”

His lips twitched. “No.”

“Then don’t be dumb. It’s not your fault. But I like your egotistical ass, so I’d rather you not get dead. Think you can work on that?” It took everything I had to make light of what had happened—an obsession that had turned deadly.

Cope nodded. “Sutton’s going to make sure I only have boring days ahead.”

“I heard that,” she yelled from the pasture.

This time, I did laugh. And it helped. It released some of the tension that had been building in my chest.

Cope turned his focus back to me. “You going to be okay?”

I nodded. “You know me. I like my alone time.”

Cope winced as his gaze pulled toward a vehicle in the distance.

“What?” I asked, dread pooling in my stomach.

“You won’t be alone. Notexactly.”

“Explain, Puck Boy,” I growled.

Cope scrubbed a hand over his face and glanced back at the SUV getting closer. “You know Linc, the owner of my team?”

I nodded slowly. I knewofhim but hadn’t actually met the man, even during the camp Cope had hosted in Sparrow Falls and in the aftermath of his attack.

“He’s been looking for a spot to build a vacation house.”

“Billionaires,” I muttered. I might not have met Lincoln Pierce, but I’d heard plenty. Merciless when it came to protecting his various holdings. Innovative when it came to his approach to business. And if what I’d been told was right, a bit paranoid about giving his trust.

Cope pinned me with a hard stare. “He’s not like that. Linc’s a good guy and is going through some stuff. So, go easy on him.”

That piqued my interest, but I didn’t bite. I just eyed him warily and waited for him to explain.

Cope sighed. “I told him he could stay at my place while Shep started the build.”

“You didn’t.” The look I sent my brother should’ve had him ducking for cover. I didn’t do well with strangers, as evidenced by this morning’s gym outing. The last thing I needed was someone to be awkward around when Cope wasn’t here as a buffer.

“It’s only a few weeks here and there. Just at crucial parts of the build. His life is in Seattle,” Cope protested.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, scowling at the approaching vehicle.

“Could you try not to look like you’re being tortured when you say hello?” Cope mumbled.

I flipped him off. “Strangers make me grumpy. You know that.”

Cope chuckled. “Yeah, he said you already almost killed him.”

Everything in me stilled. The door to some overpriced SUV slammed, and my spine jerked straight at the sound. But more than that, at the sight. Those swirling hazel eyes. The thick, dark hair my fingers itched to run through. The jaw sharp enough to cut glass.

Oh, hell no.

One corner of that beautiful mouth kicked up. “Hey, Vicious.”

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