Page 73 of Better Off Wed
Ivan spluttered. “We’re just friends!”
“You’re having an affair with my grandaunt?”
“If you tell anyone, I’ll?—”
“You’llwhat,” Gideon growled. He set the old man back down on his feet, but he didn’t move back an inch.
Popov trembled in front of him, his jaw jutting out as he glared. “It’s not an affair. We’re in love.”
Gideon and Knox exchanged a glance.
Ivan slithered out from where he was pinned to the window and snatched his phone. Then he pointed at Gideon. “You should be the one telling her to leave. You think she’ll stick around? After your mother and your ex both left you? When you look likethis?” He gestured to Gideon’s bare arm, where the burn scars were on full display.
My mood went from zero to apoplectic in the space of a breath. I was so angry I couldn’t feel my face. Then, suddenly, calm descended over me, cold and distant. I took one step to the side and threw the lock on the door. Then I turned to face the old man.
“Apologize,” I said, my voice sounding flat and strange, even to me. In my peripheral vision, I saw my husband and my brother-in-law shift their stances to face me, but my gaze remained trained on Ivan.
He turned to face me, lips curling down in an exaggerated frown, then slowly rocked back on his heels. “What the hell?”
“Apologize to my husband,” I repeated in that same mechanical, horrifying voice. “Now.”
Ivan blinked a few times, then lifted his chin. “Why should I?”
I gave him a terrible smile. It felt wrong on my lips when fury still made my blood pump hot. “Because what you said wasn’t very nice, was it?”
Fear began to flicker in his expression. He shrugged, then tilted his head and mumbled, “Sorry.”
“Say it like you mean it.”
“You’re a bitch, you know that?”
“Yeah,” I replied, then waited.
Ivan grumbled, spun around, and said, “I’m sorry, okay? You people are crazy.” Then he brushed past me, unlocked the door, and scurried out. I watched him until he moved out of sight, then sucked in a long breath and let it out slowly.
Finally, I turned to look at the two remaining men. Knox had an eyebrow popped. Gideon was looking at me strangely. He approached and put his hands on my shoulders in a gentle touch. “You good?”
“No,” I said. “I’m furious. I wanted to deck him, but he’s so old I was worried I’d kill him. And then I was thinking about how I’d happily kill him, but then I’d go to prison, and that would suck.”
Gideon’s arms went around my shoulders, and then he was shaking. It took me a moment to realize he was laughing.
I pulled away to glare at him.
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Remind me never to make you angry.”
“You’re on thin ice as it is.”
He chuckled, kissed me softly, then let me go. Knox squeezed my shoulder with one of his giant hands, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Badass,” he mumbled, then took his gear and left.
“So it’s not Ivan Popov,” I said.
“No,” Gideon replied.
“At least we know I make good bait.”
He grimaced, then dragged me away from the shop so we could get lunch.
That evening, when we were curled up on the couch after dinner trying to decide on a movie, I remembered something Ivan had said.
