“You know I’m an expensive date.”
“Which is strange considering you’re such poor company.”
“Ha,” he said sarcastically. “Now I’m getting two beers instead of one.”
“Fine by me. Is seven okay?”
“Sure. There’s this great steakhouse in Edinburgh. I’ll text you the name.”
“That sounds great.”
“Alright, see you then.”
Before he could hang up, I slipped in an extra detail I didn’t mention before. “Perfect. Crewe and I will see you then.” I hung up before I could hear him make an argument. Crewe was pissed about spending time with Joseph, but Joseph would be even angrier about it.
He called back—like a pain in the ass. “Hey, what’s up?” I answered casually.
“Did you say Crewe was coming?” He spoke with suppressed rage, completely the opposite of how he sounded before.
“Yeah. What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal?” he asked incredulously. “If you wanna fuck him, that’s your choice. But I’m not having a meal with that asshole.”
“Joseph,” I said calmly. “I need you two to get along.”
“Why? You made it clear you aren’t gonna marry the guy. I don’t introduce you to all the women I bed.”
Too much information. “But he’s really important to me. For as long as we’re together, I need you two to get along.”
“Not gonna happen. The fucker kidnapped you.”
“And I fell in love with him, so he obviously treated me well.”
“Which makes me hate him even more. If he’d just left you alone, you’d still be in school and living a normal life. You might be dating a normal guy and having a normal relationship. That asshole took that away from you.”
“I’m here willingly.”
“But he screwed up your path. You expect me to forgive him for that?”
“I never said anything about forgiving each other. I just need you two to tolerate one another. You’re both very important to me.”
“Does Crewe know about this? Or were you gonna tell him when you pulled up to the restaurant.”
“Yes, he knows.”
“Bullshit.”
“I told him a few days ago. He’s fine with it.”
He scoffed into the phone. “You expect me to buy that?”
“Okay…he’s not thrilled about it, but he at least agreed to do it, which is a lot more than I can say for you.”
He sighed.
“Come on, Joseph. One dinner.”
“One dinner will lead to two dinners.”
“I’m not choosing sides, but what you’ve done to him is far worse than what he did to you.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Joseph, you tried to steal four million dollars from him. Don’t forget why this mess happened in the first place. And then you killed his men, tried to take his partner as a prisoner, and you shot the guy. You can’t be so self-involved not to see the big picture here.”
“You know what? I think he’s a shithead. I’m not gonna change my mind.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be annoying, Joseph.”
“Too bad.”
“You’re doing this for me, not for him. Don’t forget that. And we both know you’d do anything for me. You’re the only family I’ve got in the world.” I knew that would hit him in the right spot. My brother wasn’t emotional, but that subject got him every single time.
“Ugh…”
“Is that a yes?”
“I said ugh.”
“And in Joseph’s world, what does that mean?”
He was quiet over the phone, taking his time before he answered. “Fine…I’ll go.”
“No men. No guns.”
“Be reasonable, London.”
“I mean it. No guns or men. Just the three of us.”
“How do I know he’ll keep his end of the bargain?”
“Because I’ll be with him. If you think I’d ever let him hurt you, you’re out of your mind.”
“That’s how it better be. And since Crewe is the one buying, you bet your ass I’m gonna order the most expensive thing on the goddamn menu.”
We sat in the back seat as Dunbar drove us to the restaurant. The windows were tinted black so no one could see inside, and that was the reason Crewe and I had screwed in the back seat so many times.
He was dressed in jeans, a gray t-shirt, and a brown leather jacket that made him look yummy. His shoulders looked nice, along with the rest of his body. He shaved before we left, so his jaw was clean, which was something I only saw in the morning before he left for work. He didn’t say much, annoyed about this dinner the way Joseph was.
“Any ground rules?” he finally asked.
“No guns.”
“You already said that. Anything else?”
“Like?” I wore jeans and a black leather jacket, something Crewe’s stylist in London had picked out for me. We never met in person, but she always selected clothes that perfectly fit my shape.
“Topics of conversation.”
“Just don’t be explicit about screwing me and we should be good.”
“Not something I would talk about with anyone…let alone your brother.”
“Well, you asked.” He looked out the window with his hand resting on my thigh. He didn’t seem nervous about the dinner, just annoyed. He preferred to spend his evenings alone with me in the castle, making love in the enormous bed we slept in every night and eating dinner on the balcony that overlooked the courtyard.