“Fuck,” I muttered to no one.
“Interesting.”
I found Fi leaning against the wall, smugly enjoying one of the lollipops that served as a cigarette surrogate.
“What?”
Her eyebrows wiggled. “You never freaked when Max or me served that party.”
“You and Max know how to handle yourselves,” I argued.
“Looks like Naomi was handling herself just fine in there. Maybe the problem isn’t her?”
“You wanna be my new problem, Fiasco?” I snarled.
She was not remotely intimidated. Which was exactly why a boss shouldn’t be friends with their employees.
“I think Knox Morgan is Knox Morgan’s biggest problem. But, hey, what do I know?” she said with an annoying little shrug.
“Don’t you have work to do?”
“And miss the show?” Fi nodded over my shoulder.
I turned and spied Naomi putting a flirtatious hand on my brother’s arm.
When she laughed and tossed her hair, my brilliant plan didn’t seem so brilliant.
“Goddammit.”
I left Fi and maneuvered my way through the crowd, getting close enough to hear Nash say, “Let me guess. Illegal poker game in the back room, and you were sent to distract me.”
Fuck me.
Naomi’s eyes went wide, and I realized the woman had no poker face whatsoever.
“Uhhh… Are you always this handsome and intelligent?” she asked.
“I am,” Nash said with a stupid wink that made me want to punch him in his stupid face. “But it also helps that this town doesn’t know how to keep its mouth shut. I’m not here for the game.”
“Well, you’re not here for my waitstaff. So what the hell are you doing here?” I said, interjecting myself into their cozy little conversation like a jealous idiot.
Nash shot me a smug look as if he knew exactly how annoying I found him. “Heard an old friend was in town.”
“The rumors are true.”
We all turned and found Lucian standing just outside our circle.
My brother grinned and shoved me out of the way. He welcomed Lucian with a hard hug and a slap on the back. “Good to have you back, brother.”
“It’s good to be back,” Lucian agreed, returning the hug. “Especially since the waitstaff got even more interesting.” He gave Naomi a wink.
Why the fuck the entire town suddenly decided winking at Naomi was a good idea was beyond me, and I was going to put a stop to it as soon as possible.
“Yeah, yeah. Everything’s great,” I said. “Don’t you have drinks to serve?”
Naomi rolled her eyes. “I didn’t get rid of your brother yet.”
“You can keep the hundred if you go away,” I said, needing to get her out from between my brother and my best friend.
“Deal. Lucian, I’ll see you back in there with a fresh drink,” she promised. “Nash, it was fun flirting with you.”
“The pleasure was all mine, darlin’，” my brother drawled, tossing her a little salute.
We all watched her sashay to the bar.
My head hurt from not yelling. My jaw was so tight I worried I’d crack a tooth. I didn’t know what it was about that woman, but Naomi Witt had me tied up in fucking knots. I didn’t like it one bit.
“What are you doing back in town?” Nash asked Lucian.
“You sound like a cop,” Lucian complained.
“I am a cop.”
Chief Nash rankled me.
The three of us had grown up raising hell and bending laws until they broke. Nash growing up to be a cop felt like some kind of betrayal. The straight and narrow was too confining for me. I didn’t stray too far from the line these days, but I made sure to step into the gray every now and again for old time’s sake.
Lucian was another story. Trouble didn’t follow him. He had a tendency to make it wherever he went. If he was back in Knockemout, it sure as hell wasn’t for a stroll down memory lane.
“A man can’t feel nostalgic for his childhood?” Lucian mused, expertly avoiding the question.
“Your childhood sucked,” Nash pointed out. “You haven’t been back in years. Something brought you back, and it better not be trouble.”
“Maybe I got tired of hearing how the Morgan brothers are too stubborn to remove their heads from their asses. Maybe I came back to help you bury the hatchet.”
Naomi breezed by with a tray full of drinks and an easy smile for Lucian and Nash. The smile changed to a scowl when she looked at me.