Unhinged (Necessary Evils #1)(24)

Adam blew out a breath through his nose like an angry bull, crawling to the foot of the bed to fish his phone from his jeans pocket. “What?” he growled into the phone. “I’m busy, can’t this wait?” Noah could hear a tinny sounding voice speaking rapid-fire but not what was said. “In the morning. No, in the morning. August, I’m fucking naked in bed. I was almost asleep. Yes, I was. None of your business?” Adam’s mouth formed a hard line as the voice once again spoke angrily. “Oh, my God. Fine. Fine. Fuck you.”

When he disconnected, he looked at Noah. “I gotta go to my dad’s for an hour or so.” Noah’s heart sank, but he sat up, prepared to find his clothes. Adam’s hand pushed him back onto the mattress as he crawled over him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting my clothes?” Noah said, frowning.

“Did I say you could go?” Adam asked, his voice sexy enough to make Noah’s dick try to rally.

“You don’t want me to leave?”

“No, stay here and wait for me. Naked. I love having you naked in my bed.”

Noah hated the smile he could feel forming on his face. “You sure?”

Adam gazed at him with that same feral tenacity that sent a knife of pleasure through his belly. “I’m positive.” He kissed him deeply. “Besides, who says I’m done with you yet?”





Adam slouched in one of his father’s Brabbu dining chairs, knife in hand, casually twisting the point into his fingertip as he eyed his brothers warily. There were only three of them for the time being. At least Atticus hadn’t assembled all the Avengers for his little intervention. His father was also absent, which meant this was a non-sanctioned scolding. That was good to know. Well, maybe.

Might as well rip off the Band-Aid. “So, what is it that was important enough for you to call me to Dad’s house in the dead of night?”

Atticus ran a hand through his hair, shooting a look at August, like he expected him to be the one to handle Adam. Adam didn’t know why they always thought he needed handling.

August arched a brow, shrugging one shoulder. “Don’t look at me. This is your party.”

Atticus gave a low grunt of frustration, snagging his phone from in front of him and tapping a few keys before sliding it across the large table to Adam. He picked up the phone and saw several pictures of him and Noah at the diner eating breakfast. “Are you having me followed?”

“No, dumbass. Those are screenshots. They’re all over the internet,” Atticus snapped.

“Okay. So, what?” Adam asked. “You called me here at one in the morning because I had breakfast?”

“You’re being obtuse,” August chided. “It's not the meal we object to, it's the company you’re keeping.”

Adam’s nostrils flared. “Noah?”

Atticus removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Yes, Noah.”

“Why? What the fuck do you care who I date?”

“Date!” Atticus shouted. “You can’t be this stupid.”

“I think you underestimate him,” August said, amused by his brother’s fury.

Archer ran his hands over his face. He clearly was just coming off yet another bender. He had three days of stubble on his chin and his dark brown hair stood on end. The buttons of his white shirt were mismatched. “We care because you’re dating the son of one of your victims. You have to see that’s a bad idea.”

“Why?” Adam asked, flouncing back in his chair.

“It’s a six degrees of separation thing,” Archer explained. “People are going to wonder why a spoiled rich kid is dating trailer trash.”

Adam flicked his gaze to Archer. “Don’t call him that,” he warned.

“Christ. He likes this kid,” Archer muttered.

“Yeah. I don’t have to hide who I am from him. He knows I’m a killer. It’s just…easy with him.”

Atticus looked like he was choking on a golf ball. “Has it not occurred to you that he’s setting you up?”

Adam scoffed. “What? No, he’s not. You’re fucking paranoid.”

“The foundation of this family was forged from a thousand corpses. Of course, we’re paranoid. That’s how we’re able to do what we do,” August reminded him.

Adam could feel his pulse bounding in his veins. His fury bubbled just below the surface, tempered only by the knowledge that, if they really had a leg to stand on, Atticus would have called their father.

“Noah had his chance to get his revenge. He stuck a gun in my face. He wanted to kill me. When I showed him who his father really was, he instantly backed down. He doesn’t want to ruin us. He just likes being with me. Why is that so hard to believe?”

Atticus sighed. “How is he going to feel when he realizes your whole life is a fraud? That you’re not this charming playboy supermodel?”

“He knows. I don’t have to pretend around him. He knows exactly who and what I am and he accepts me.”

Atticus darted his gaze to August, aggressively gesturing to Adam in a do something with him gesture.

August shook his head. “Adam, you’re putting us all in danger by associating with this boy.”

“Atticus almost married that psycho Kendra, and none of you batted an eye at that train wreck,” Adam snapped.