Page 49 of Dissolving Prejudice

“Aww, thanks, chica.”

Miles huffed. “He wasn’t complimenting you.”

Getting up to stand with them, I placed my hand on Miles’s shoulder. “And neither are those pants you’re wearing, but I assume we’re denying the few pounds you gained?”

Miles’s whole face twisted with horror, and he gasped as if I’d just killed his child, which I assumed hitting his ego was just as bad.

“Come on, D. Now you’re just being mean.” Andrei turned toward Miles. “Don’t listen to him. You look sexier than ever, Zaychik.” He kissed his cheek.

Pushing Andrei away, Miles took a deep breath. “That’s fine, darling. Diesel here is just bitter over his failed relationship, so he’s taking it out on me. Hence why I can’t blame him.”

Oh, that little jerk, spouting that crap with a devious smile on his face.

Holding back from throwing him into the pool, I turned to pick up my empty bottles from the ground. This whole banter with Miles was fun until this point. “Say whatever, but Shay-Lee and I are soon getting back together.”

Ready to leave, I stopped when Miles snorted, and half turned to look at his scrunched-up face.

“Really? So how come Shay-Lee and Jordan are going on a romantic getaway on the other side of the world tomorrow?”

As if a fuse just lit in my brain, my eye twitched.

“What?” I hissed as Miles stuck up his nose in the air.

“Oh, since you and Shay-Lee are so close, I thought you knew about it.”

“What on earth are you babbling about, asshole?”

“Seriously, Miles, what do you know?”

Miles shrugged. “Not a lot, actually, but Papa met Shay-Lee earlier this morning, and Shay-Lee told him about this trip. I bet Soren knows more than I do.”

Feeling like my body was going to explode, I slammed the bottles hard on the table and dashed inside the house, Miles and Andrei following me there.

“Shay-Lee’s going on a trip with Jordan?” I asked Soren, who was standing with Chief in their open kitchen.

Soren’s eyes focused on me, his brows narrowed. “What?”

“Are they going on vacation together?”

Putting down the jar of tomato paste he was holding, he nodded. “Yes, they are.”

I rounded the kitchen island to stand in his face. “When?”

He laughed. “I’m not going to betray Shay-Lee’s trust and disclose that information with you—”

“Yes, you are,” Chief cut in, surprising us both.

“Ashton?” Soren gasped.

Nonchalantly, Chief placed a new cucumber on his chopping board. “You’re going to tell Diesel everything you know, Soren, or you’ll have a problem with me.”

He sliced the poor cucumber in half, and I shrank on the spot, feeling sorry for the lawyer, who eyed the cut vegetable in horror.

Soren swallowed hard. “Is that a threat?”

Chief shrugged. “Not at all.” He put down his knife and looked at his husband. “Just a warning.” He smiled, showing off a side I’d never seen of him before. “Besides, remember that I’m still mad at you,” he added before turning to take something out of the fridge.

“It wasn’t my fault I got shot—ugh.” Soren sighed before looking at me. “Fine. They’re going to Thailand for a week.”