Page 113 of Need You Now

“Probably because he’s an asshole,” Alabama snipes. Griff drifts to her side and wraps a protective arm around her.

“I’ve already run him over in my head three times by now,” Seth mutters.

“Just three?” Lacey asks with a faint smile.

“Hey, Luke, how’s it hangin’?” Beau asks when he finally makes it to the group. He looks like he just woke up. Bloodshot eyes, disheveled hair.

“What’re you doin’ here, Beau?” Luke asks, his jaw clenched.

Seth and Jace exchange a tense glance. Luke’s trying to play nice because that’s Luke, but Seth knows his brother and knows this is the last straw. Coming here uninvited, rude as hell, ain’t winning Beau any fans.

“Relax, Kincaid,” Beau drawls. “I’ll play nice. I came to pick up my fiddle. I left it at the bar last night. But now that I’m here ...” He cocks an investigative brow. “Y’all havin’ a party. How come I ain’t invited?”

“You know why,” Griff growls.

He shrugs. “Seems borin’ anyway.” Beau lasers his gaze to Lacey. “You wanna cut out of here, angel? Go have some fun?”

She faces him squarely, undeterred. “Not in this lifetime.”

“Icy,” Beau laughs, then, ballsy as all hell, he reaches out. Traces a finger down the line of her arm. “I like that. More fun to defrost.”

A chorus of objection sounds around the group.

“Hey, man.” Seth gets between Lacey and Beau. His hands spread, open, out, because if he makes a fist, he’ll deck the guy. “Don’t fuckin’ touch her.”

“Pig,” Lacey snaps in Beau’s direction. Sal steps close, drawing her sister to her side.

Griff shakes his head. “Beau, me and you go way back, but you gotta get the hell out of here.” His fists are clenched, and Seth doesn’t miss Alabama slipping a hand through his arm to hold him back.

Beau’s eyebrows shoot up. “Shit, who knew you were such a square, Greyson? We used to raise hell, burn guitars, chase those girls.” He sucks his lip. “Married life, takin’ up with Kincaid changed you, man.” He looks at Seth. “Now, I heard you’re the fun one.” Seth stiffens. Beau keeps talking. “All those papers say you’re gettin’ wild these days, ain’t ya? Although I’m surprised to see it. The Brothers Kincaid keepin’ a junkie in their band. Damn shame.”

Seth freezes, hating how that one callout threatens to take him down.

Not surprisingly, Luke starts. His expression dangerous, his tone lethal, he steps forward. “What’d you say to my brother?”

“You heard me,” Beau says evenly, holding Luke’s deadly gaze.

“Beau,” Jace groans. “Stop talkin’.”

Seth’s gut clenches as Sal moves close to Luke’s side. Her pale face says it all. Her green eyes worried, her body slanted forward, as if she’ll leap between the two of them. Seth knows she’s thinking of Luke’s injury. The bar fight. Luke on the ground, bleeding, unmoving.

“Listen, you helped us out when we needed it and we appreciate it,” Luke says, his voice authoritative. “But you won’t disrespect my wife and my family. You take your bullshit somewhere else because I ain’t havin’ it here.” Luke’s words are cold, his face cement. A man who’s pissed. A man who will go absolutely ballistic if this trouble touches his family.

A muscle in Beau’s cheek twitches. “And if I don’t?”

Seth tenses, anger flaring inside of him. Bright red. Hot.

This is bullshit. This asshole sticks around long enough to piss everyone off, to ruin their good time, and then leaves them in the wreckage. And Luke’s taking it on like always. Taking it on for him. The mess Seth made because he couldn’t deal with his goddamn problems, and now, they’re stuck in a contract with the guy for three more god-awful weeks.

As Seth scans the yard, wracking his brain for what to do instead of straight-up decking the guy, his eyes land on the ATVs, neck and neck, just like him and Beau. Just like they’ve been this entire goddamn time.

The idea hits him like lighting.

He’s the one who got them into this mess. He’s fixing it. The only language Beau speaks right now. Asshole.

“Tell you what,” Seth says, and all eyes swerve to him. He nods at the ATVs, looks at Beau. “You like playin’ fast and loose—what about a race?”

“Seth, knock it off,” Luke snaps, the big brother in him kicking in.

---