Gym Junkie

Tully drops to the floor and rolls around with the dog. Peter’s eyes drop to her again, and his tongue comes out to slide across his bottom lip as he watches her lie on her back.

Okay, what the fuck is going on here? He’s checking her out.

“So, you’re Tully’s stepbrother?” I ask.

He smiles slyly. “Yeah, we’re joined at the hip. Aren’t we, Tull?”

I glare at him. Not any more, fucker.

I turn to Brad. “What do you do, mate?”

“I’m in I.T—”

“He’s unemployed,” Peter interrupts.

“He got retrenched—” Tully cuts in. “Your dream job is coming any day, Brad.” She smiles enthusiastically. “I just know it is.”

Tully stands, and the dog jumps up on her again. She bends with her back to Peter, and he puts his hand on her hip.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention and I can’t help but glare at him.

He glares back.

What the actual fuck is going on here?

Stepbrother?

“Tully, take the dog outside, please,” her mother calls from the kitchen.

“Okay.” Tully makes her way to take him outside. “Come on, Mitchy. Come on.”

I step forward and get in Peter’s face once Tully is out of earshot. “Let’s get one thing straight, cunt,” I whisper angrily. “You look at Tully’s fucking ass again and I will break you like a fucking twig.”

Peter’s face falls, clearly in shock that I called him on it.

Brad hisses and breaks into a chuckle. “Fucking finally,” he whispers.

Peter lifts his chin. “What are you talking about?” He sneers. “And I wouldn’t get too cocky if I were you. She’s going to dump you any minute now.”

We stand face to face glaring at each other. “This is your first and final warning. You keep your filthy fucking mind out of Tully’s panties.”

“Fuck off,” Peter scoffs.

“I’m not trying to win a popularity contest with the oldies, so you should know that I basically don’t give a fuck if you die,” I whisper, and I know I’ve got to get out of here before I start swinging.

Brad chuckles again.

Tully comes in from the back yard, wraps her arm around my waist and smiles up at me lovingly.

“I got to go to work, babe,” I say through gritted teeth as calmly as I can.

Her face falls. “You’re not staying?”

“I can’t, I’m sorry.” I walk into the kitchen to her mother and father. “I’m sorry, an emergency has just come up at work. I have to go.”

The stepfather actually looks disappointed, but Tully’s mother’s face lights up. “Oh, dear,” she fakes disappointment.

“Next time?” I smile. “Maybe you can come around to our house?”

Tully’s mothers eyes widen. “Your house?” She frowns.

“Oh, didn’t Tully tell you?” I act surprised. “She’s moving in with me.” I smile broadly, watching as the blood drains from their faces. “Have a nice night, everyone.”

I turn and grab Tully by the hand. “Walk me out, babe.” I glare at Peter and wink and Brad before we disappear out of the front door.

“Brock,” Tully whispers on the way out to the car. “I thought I told you not to say anything!”

“Yeah, well.” I pause for a moment. “I changed my mind.”

“You’re impossible,” she whispers angrily.

I smile, lean down, and I kiss her. “But completely loveable, too, right?”

She smirks and kisses me, and after a sweet goodbye, I start my car and drive down the street, shaking my head.

Well, that’s got to go down as the worst meet-the-parents moment in history.

Her fucking stepbrother is into her.

Ben frowns at me from across the table. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Her stepbrother was looking at her ass?”

“Yes.” I sip my beer, anger pouring out of me.

We are at The Roundhouse, sitting in the back corner, and I want to be anywhere but here. Gorgeous women are parading around, dressed to the nines in designer clothes, each of them available for a hefty price.

It’s a different crowd to the normal strip joint. This place is for the wealthy—a gentleman’s club that cost fucking thirty-thousand to join. “I better get my fucking money back when we solve this case,” I whisper as I look around.

“So, what did you do?” Ben asks. “To the stepbrother?”

“I told him I was going to snap him or some shit.” I shake my head in disgust. “I don’t even know, and then I had to leave before I belted the crap out of him.”

“Jesus,” Ben mutters. “This shit could only happen to you.”

“Right?”

We look over the crowd again. It’s men in suits, mostly.

“We’re looking for a cop then?” Ben sighs. “I have Tane in the office waiting to look up the IDs of any suspects we send him an image of.”

I nod. “Or a group.” I shrug. “It’s hard to tell. The witness said it was a cop, but she said they… which means there are more than one of them.”

He narrows his eyes as he thinks. “Meredith and her mother are missing, but the neighbour seems to think they’ve gone on vacation. What do you make of all this?”