The Barrett Brothers Collection

by K B Cinder

  “You were always a fan of getting eaten.”

  “Very funny.” I was lucky I was in the shadows so he couldn’t see the heat that crept to my cheeks.

  “Why are you sitting out here in the dark? Are you a vampire now?” he asked, stopping short of the deck.

  “Yeah. I suck blood while you suck at life.”

  “That’s not a very nice thing to say,” he grumbled. He whistled once, and the dog sprang to her feet and ran to his side. “But, thanks for finding my girl.”

  “She found me, but you’re welcome.”

  He didn’t take the hint that I wasn’t in the mood for small talk, staying planted where he stood. “How’d you like the food?”

  “It was good.” I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing it was the best damn food I’d eaten in years.

  He nodded, reaching down to pat his dog. “Beer?”

  “Didn’t have any.” I wished I had, but I wouldn’t confess that, either.

  He looped his thumbs in his belt loops, leaning back on his heels as he drummed his fingers on his thighs. “Bummer.”

  “I have a kid to drive around, remember?” It wasn’t like he knew that kind of responsibility. All he had to worry about was a dog, a dog he couldn’t even keep on his property.

  He grinned, waggling his eyebrows. “I know. Everyone calls you Josie the MILF now.”

  My heart dropped. “No, they don’t!”

  “Lincoln’s mom has got it going on.” He was unrelenting, his smile growing wider by the second.

  I was glad he didn’t sing it, but it still ticked me off. “Knock it off.”

  His smile faded. “What’s with the porn, MILF?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  I wasn’t in the mood for his taunts. I needed to go inside and forget about him before I got hot and bothered again — not that the heat had cooled. He only stoked the flames.

  “Uh, your computer?”

  I glanced at the screen, the In Her Hive cover up with abs and a hint of side ass glazed with honey, an angled leg hiding the goods. “That’s my work.”

  “You make porn for a living?” he laughed. “That’s awesome!”

  I huffed, shutting the laptop and plummeting the deck back into darkness. “No, I make book covers.”

  “Porn books?” He blew out a low breath, shaking his head. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

  “Some of them,” I admitted. I wasn’t embarrassed about what I did, but talking to Luke about it made me feel extra filthy.

  “No wonder Pervy Pete loves you.”

  “Not as much as Lynette loves you,” I shot back. “Didn’t see her tonight. I guess she’s moved on to the next hairy asshole.”

  He didn’t miss a beat with his ace in the hole. “Not as much as Dan loves you.”

  “Fuck you.”

  He chuckled, a deep, throaty laugh that always made my skin prickle. “You already have.”

  I swallowed hard, forcing down the memories. “A long time ago, when I was a lot dumber.”

  “Same.” He didn’t seem nearly as riled up as I was, a wicked grin holding firm.

  He had a lot of damn nerve. “I learned what not to look for thanks to you, so I guess you deserve some credit.”

  “That’s okay. I learned what a succubus was.” He laughed again, making my blood boil.

  “I don’t think Tally would appreciate you talking about women that way. Especially since you’ve been pitching lame propositions. Not something you would do to a succubus, huh? A real succubus would have ruined you already. Not that there’s much to ruin.”

  He could have all the success in the world, but it didn’t change what he’d done or what pain he’d inflicted. Flawed character and a lack of integrity left him with nothing in my eyes.

  “I don’t think Tally gives a damn how I talk to anyone!” he snickered. “And I haven’t been pitching anything. If I wanted something, I’d ask for it point-blank, succubus. I already know you’re game for fucking. Why give you what you want?”

  “You’re a pig! Sit oh my dock – blah blah blah!” I snapped, taking a sip of wine, the glass clenched so hard I worried it’d explode in my hands. “I’m sure your girlfriend would love to hear that!”

  “I don’t have a girlfriend, and it was a joke. I wouldn’t fuck you with someone else’s dick.”

  “Go to hell!” It was bad enough he insulted me, but he didn’t have to lie, too. I glanced toward his place, the glow of a fire pit in the distance. Tally was probably over there with his brothers while he was schlepping around, trying to wet his dipstick. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Where people actually care about you?”

  “Yeah, but I like where this is going, succubus. It’s always refreshing to see your true side come out to play. You sure looked like an angel earlier.”

  “Kinda like you almost didn’t seem like an asshole,” I muttered. “But you went and ruined that, didn't you?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” he breathed. “Did I not invite you and your son to the opening? Were you not seated in VIP? Did I not give you a private tour while you did your best to hate every second?”

  “I said, thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say.

  “I’m having a hard time figuring out why I’m the asshole here. I’m the one that should be treating you like shit, but I’m not, because I’m a fucking adult. Apparently, you didn’t mature at all over the years.” His words spewed like lava, each syllable cutting to the bone.

  But they only stoked my anger, the rage burning through the pain. “You have no right to be an asshole after what you did!”

  “What I did?” he laughed, incredulously. “You need a history lesson, Joey.”

  “Stop fucking calling me that!” I ground out.

  “Okay, succubus.”

  “Fill me in, asshole!” I exploded. “Fill me in on your version! Tell me you didn’t leave me to take the fall for something you did!”

  He looked at me like I was the nut job, the liar that conveniently changed the past to look better. “What are you talking about?”

  I was trembling from head to toe. “Don’t play that game, Luke!”

  He shook his head, continuing to eye me up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Liar!” I cried, the anger keeping any tears at bay. “You’re such a damn liar! You’ve always been a liar! You’ll always be a liar!”

  “Well, Tally and I are leaving now since you’ve lost your fucking mind. Have fun in the land of stolen souls.”

  “Who?” I asked, snapping my attention to his face.

  “Tally,” he replied, waving at the dog. “She doesn’t need to hear some whacko screaming at me.”

  I straightened. “Your dog is Tally?”

  “Uh, last I checked, yeah.”

  Well, I was the world’s biggest idiot. I didn’t hint at it, however, still pissed that he was lying about everything else. About us. “Bye.”

  He didn’t hesitate, strolling across the grass with his dog in tow and leaving me to stew in my misery in the darkness.

  Luke

  Eleven Years Earlier

  Nan rescued me from the station around 1:00 A.M. after I called, scaring apologies out of everyone she saw. Rightfully so, seeing that she'd called twice looking for me when I didn't show for dinner. They told her they'd keep an eye out while I bled in a holding room down the hall.

  Allegedly, it was a misunderstanding, a case of mistaken identity, not that it sat well with either of us, especially when Nan saw what they'd done to me.

  To add insult to literal injury, my wallet and the ring box were tossed in my face, Reed leaving without apologizing.

  Josie wasn't at the station, and I only left after they proved it, showing me each holding cell, mine still smeared with blood. Nan refused to take me to the Roberts’ house, driving me straight to Portland for treatment, not trusting the county hospital after everything that happened.

  It took twelve stitch
es to close the gaping cut in my lip, and another three to close a gash on my cheek I hadn't noticed. X-rays revealed a broken collarbone in two places, my right arm cradled in a sling until we could schedule surgery to insert pins and rods. It would keep me out of the shop for at least six weeks, robbing me of precious funds needed to start our life together.

  The hospital staff was horrified at my treatment, promising to file complaints with the Board of Health and the Governor's Office, not that either would do anything.

  Sure, I sat in a holding cell for almost twelve hours without treatment or a phone call, but I was a Barrett — a second-class citizen in Briar. We always had been and always would be.

  But I wasn't worried about myself or other Barretts. I worried about Josie. Where she was. How she was. Who she was with.

  All that mattered was finding her, saving her. Freeing her from Ed's prison.

  But Nan insisted I stay in until morning, and I did, not because I wanted to, but because her tears hit me like fists. I couldn't leave her up worrying all night, so I settled in my room in the bottom bunk, Ethan looking on in horror when I came in.

  I'd save Josie in the morning. She was nineteen and no longer under Ed's rule. She would stay with us until we found a place of our own. Nan already said she could, assuring me that everything would be alright. All while a doctor sewed my face back together like a fucking quilt.

  Morning couldn't come fast enough, and I drove into town one-handed as soon as Nan gave the okay, the seatbelt unbearable against my battered flesh.

  I parked in front of the stately home on Collins Ave. The grand columns and pristine facade couldn't hide the sadness I knew lived behind them. Josie's years of anguish were finally ending. I'd never let Ed lay a hand on her again. She'd never cry another tear over him.

  Our new life was right around the corner, one where love would win. Where love would thrive. All we needed was each other.

  I rushed down the cobblestone and up the stairs, ringing the doorbell with a deep breath, hopeful that Trish would be the one to answer and not Ed.

  No one came.

  I stood there for several minutes, intermittently knocking and ringing the bell to no response. The rocking chairs shifted with the ocean breeze, beckoning me to peer down the driveway hidden alongside the house, both Ed and Trish's cars gone.

  With my arm in a sling, I couldn't climb to look in Josie's window, so I resorted to throwing mulch chips at it from the yard, again to no response.

  After an hour of waiting, I headed home, more baffled than anything. I hoped Josie would be waiting when I got there, but she wasn't.

  What was waiting was far worse.

  Nan met me at the door and handed me a typed letter that was delivered by mail just minutes after I'd left.

  Luke,

  This wasn't an easy decision to make, but after today, my mind is made. I can't go on living like this any longer, risking my future for you and your choices. This isn't love. This is hell.

  I'm sorry that it has to be this way. I wish you the best, but for now, Briar is in the past. I can't live a lie, pretending I'm okay. I've been unhappy for a long time. You know this.

  I've moved on to a better life that’s free of trouble. I hope you understand and give me the space I need to heal.

  I want you to move on. Make something of yourself. Not every Barrett has to choose that path.

  - Josie

  Luke

  I should’ve slept like the dead after the opening, but thanks to Josie’s late-night meltdown, dreamland was evasive. I spent the night staring at the ceiling, wishing the mental replays would stop.

  I figured she’d apologize in the morning, but she didn’t come knocking. By eleven, I headed to the brewery, not waiting around any longer.

  I’d waited eleven years for an apology and an explanation, and I had yet to receive either. I wouldn’t hold my breath over Josie ever admitting she was in the wrong.

  Saturday’s crowds were just as large as day one, and I was surprised to see Ed and Trish in for dinner again. The parents of the succubus settled in the same booth as before, blissfully ignorant that I was circling nearby.

  After their daughter’s rant, I couldn’t help throwing some kindling on whatever brush fire was raging between her and Ed the day before.

  I took every opportunity to fuck with Ed Roberts. He could bully me as a kid, but he couldn’t once I was old enough to know better. Not when I was armed with the truth.

  I strolled over, giving a gentle wave to Trish, who was looking as prim as ever in her polished pantsuit, not a hair out of place. “Hey there, Mrs. Roberts. How did you like your meal?”

  “Luke, it’s incredible!” she gushed, a hand flying up to cover her mouth while she finished a bite of mac and cheese.

  “I’m glad to hear. Ed, how’s your meal?” I should have ignored him, but I still had manners buried deep down somewhere.

  He grunted, tossing his napkin. “It’s okay.”

  Trish smacked her hand on the table, her charm bracelets rattling. “Ed, that’s a load of bologna! That’s his second bowl of coleslaw.”

  I chuckled at her outing her husband as a liar. I swore he only got elected to anything because of her, a woman born to host and schmooze. Like Josie, you couldn’t help but adore her.

  “No Josie?” I asked, sending a verbal jab to Ed’s throat. He could swallow that to join the mounds of coleslaw sitting in his stomach.

  He reddened as expected, lips tight. “No, she’s probably with her new boyfriend.”

  I raised a brow, knowing he was full of shit as I went in for the kill. “Oh, she didn’t mention a boyfriend when we were together last night.”

  Ed coughed roughly while Trish gaped at me, her poise fraying at its edges. “You were with our Josie last night?”

  “Yeah, we’re neighbors,” I replied, shrugging. “She likes my dog.”

  Trish cocked her head, her blond bob swinging. “Oh, that’s new. Josie is afraid of dogs.”

  “She loves mine,” I lied, smiling. “Played with it all night long.”

  “She’s dating Dan Sutton,” Ed proclaimed, ripping off a corner of roll and shoving it in his mouth. “Great guy. Very respectable.”

  “Huh, that’s funny,” I muttered, shrugging again. “I know he’s her landlord, but she doesn’t seem to be a fan. It seems more like he’s bothering her — not dating her.”

  Ed glared my way. “Things aren’t always as they appear.”

  I met his eyes. “Don’t we both know that, Ed.”

  He carried himself around as a respectable man, but I knew all his secrets. How he treated his daughter. How he all but abandoned his dying wife. What dirty deeds he’d done, deeds so filthy I never told a soul. They would destroy everything he had and everyone around him.

  “There you are!” a shrill voice called, and I wished I had time to see it coming. Before I could react, I had arms looped around my neck and a kiss planted on my cheek, Lynette appearing in all her glory, a low-cut pink dress baring almost all her secrets. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

  “Busy,” I muttered, pulling away, desperate for air that wasn’t clouded with her perfume.

  The Roberts looked on in horror, Ed particularly disgusted. “We’re trying to eat here. Can you take your indecency elsewhere?”

  Lynette wasn’t having it, sneering down at him with a luxury bag clutched at her side. “Pipe down!”

  “Netty, I’ll have to catch up with you later,” I declared, hoping a nickname would get me some slack towards freedom. “I’m working.”

  Her pursuit of my cock was relentless. I wanted no part of someone with her moral compass, something destroyed long before she started tangoing with Pervy Pete.

  “You’re such a busy boy, Luke.” She pouted before turning back to Ed. “See ya, Father Time.” She sashayed away, swinging her hips, though she didn’t catch any eyes except Ed’s who practically turned purple.

  “It was nice catching up wi
th you. If you see Josie before I do, tell her I’m working late.” It was petty, but it felt good to kick him one last time.

  “Why don’t you text her?” asked Trish, not missing a beat. “We’re going straight home. We’re old farts, Luke.”

  I patted my phone in my pocket. “I only have my work phone on me,” I lied, knowing damn well I used one phone for everything. “I don’t have her number saved in it.”

  “Oh, just a second!” Trish reached into her handbag and pulled out a pen and a pad of sticky notes. In a flash, she had the number down and in my hand with Ed looking on in horror.

  “Trish!” Ed growled, reaching for the paper that was already on its way into my pocket.

  “Thanks.” I smiled and left, ready to have some fun.

  * * *

  By midnight, my ass was dragging, so I headed home, Abby assuring she could close for the night. I pulled into my driveway late, the ride home taking longer than necessary thanks to a few moose crossings, the massive meatheads still bumbling around with newborns.

  As expected, Jason, Elena, and Ethan were all around the fire pit, Tally enjoying pats from Elena, head over heels for her aunt-to-be. They all left the brewery around ten after grabbing dinner, not that I minded. I was glad Tally got to have company. After opening weekend, my hours wouldn’t be as long, and I could bring her to my office without any problems.

  I strolled over, taking a seat beside Elena, giving her and Tally quick noogies. “What’s cracking?”

  “Your old bones,” Elena teased, grinning.

  “Not more than my fossil of a brother you’re marrying,” I shot back. “Does he have gray pubes yet?”

  “Only a few. You had more.” She winked, knowing right where to hit me.

  I winced, still mortified that I waved my cock and balls around in front of my future sister-in-law the first time I saw her. “Touché, little sissy. Touché.”