Page 50 of Why Cheese?
Josh gives a quick laugh. “I’m sorry. Do you think you own this…?” As Roq comes to a stop in front of him, his head keeps tilting higher and higher. “Place?”
Roq doesn’t answer aside from crossing his arms and flexing his biceps. Despite Cheddy’s muscles being larger, it’s Roq who looks like he would use his without a second thought.
Gulping hard, Josh darts his phone back and forth. “I have an email agreement with the sole owner of this property that we will be putting it up for sale in—”
“No.” Roq shakes his head. “You will not. And now you need to leave.”
“Listen, buddy.” Josh tries to shove a finger into Roq’s chest, but it barely presses in. “You…you don’t speak for Miss Reely.” He glances back at me, and I’m fighting to not dig myself under the floor.
“Neither do you. Will I have to throw you out or do you walk?”
“This is…” Josh puffs out his chest, but he can’t do anything against the building of a man before him. Holding his phone out like it’s a taser, he starts to backtrack toward the door. “I will email you later Veronica with the details for the open house.”
“Leave!” Roq thunders.
With a quick jump, Josh paddles his feet in the air then takes off through the door and down the street. Roq trails after, slamming the door shut. “Keys,” he orders. I fumble to pull them out, and they hit the floor.
Cam scoops them up and tosses them to Roq who locks the door with a hard thud. I try to not think it’s the sound of a body hitting the floor.
No one says a word. Only Roq’s labored panting cuts through the air.
Getting more nervous, I scratch my arm and the gremlin grabs the mike.The door needs to be locked four more times or else this whole place will burn.“Can I have those back?” I point to the key ring dangling off of his finger.
Roq clamps his hand around the whole thing. “You lied to us.”
Every man takes a step away from me. “No, I didn’t.”
“Then what was that salesman doing planning an open house?” He whirls around with a snarl. Fire crackles in his eyes.
My knees buckle, but I manage to hitch onto a counter before I tumble. “Because we were going to do an open house.”
Roq sneers.
“Before,” I shout, “I even came here, much less knew there were four cheese men in the basement!”
“You didn’t tell him the plans changed?”
“I, um, forgot?” I plead, but that’s the wrong answer.
“Forgot? You expect me to believe you forgot?” Roq stomps closer, rage radiating from every pore. “That you have no intentions to use us to fix this store up…”
My legs start to melt, dragging me lower as he jabs a finger at me, his whole face turning bright red. “…then sell this place after we’re locked up in the—”
“Stop it!” Cam leaps in front of Roq. “You’re scaring the poor thing.”
“That ‘poor thing’ was going to sell us out. You can’t honestly believe her excuse.”
“She forgot to inform the realtor,” Cheddy says. “It happens. I forget things all the time. Wait, where are my pants?” He peels out to hunt for them.
Roq whips his head around to Brie. “You don’t believe that?”
Brie bows his head and doesn’t make eye contact with Roq.
“You’re being a righteous ass.” Cam waggles his finger at Roq, then locks a hand around my waist. “Just take a breath.”
Roq snarls and slams his shoulder into Cam’s chest. A wince doesn’t cross Cam’s face, but his body buckles from the force.
“The others might be fooled, but even you can’t be that dimwitted, Bear.” With that cut, Roq stalks back to the basement. He gives me one last glare before leaping down the ladder back into his domain.
