Quit Bein' Ugly (The Southern Gentleman 3)

Croft shook his head as if he didn’t know the answer.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But…”

The doorbell rang, and Croft let me go to answer it. “Find some clothes.”

I looked down at my nearly naked body and realized what I’d just done.

I’d shown him my period outfit. The stained sweatpants that had been washed, but still had questionable smudges on them. The ripped and faded t-shirt that was so soft that it didn’t bother my skin.

Son of a crotch rocket.

I whirled around and tore back into my bedroom, slamming the door closed so hard that the damn thing reverberated throughout the entire house.

Heading first to the bathroom to brush my teeth and take care of my personal business, I then went to the closet and found the sexiest thing that I could put on and not look ridiculous.

A pair of short jean shorts, a camisole, and some tennis shoes later, I came out just in time for my brother to knock at the door.

“That’s your brother,” Croft told me as he was leaning over the open window to inspect where the flowers were trampled with the officer. “Get it.”

I ignored the order, at least, I would’ve ignored it had it not been my brother.

“Hey,” I greeted as I pulled my head away from the peephole and smiled tiredly at my brother. “You were fast.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Of course I’m going to be fast when my sister calls me to tell me someone is breaking into her house.”

I didn’t say anything as I opened the door all the way to allow him entrance.

My brother and I actually lived about a half a mile apart in the same neighborhood.

Surprisingly, who also lived in the same neighborhood was Raleigh and Ezra, as well as that other man across from me that I tried not to focus on too much.

“Where’s Camryn?” I inquired.

“Camryn stayed behind because you had a break-in, Mikey. I’m not bringing my pregnant wife to a break-in,” he grumbled as he pushed past me. “What’d you find?”

The three men discussed what little they found, then turned to look at me in unison.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Did you have your alarm set?” Flint asked.

“Probably not,” Croft countered. “Otherwise she would’ve had the alarm company calling and not her. She’s lucky that she fuckin’ heard it.”

I gritted my teeth and tried not to admit that he was right.

I’d forgotten to set it.

Just like I did most nights.

I just didn’t remember.

It wasn’t my fault.

I wasn’t used to having a stupid alarm.

The only reason I had one now was because my brother had insisted when he’d moved me into my new house.

“That’s not smart, Mikey,” Flint grumbled as he started to look around.

He saw it at the same time that I did.

“Looks like they stole your computer,” Flint said as he stared at where my old laptop had once laid.

I looked at the spot that had a collection of dust on the table around it, meaning I hadn’t moved it in quite some time, and then looked at Flint.

“Why would they steal that? That one doesn’t even work.” I threw up my hands.

Flint’s eyes, however, weren’t on me. They were on where the laptop had once laid.

“Why would a kid be told to try to distract you and steal your laptop?” he countered.

I opened my mouth to say something, but immediately closed it.

That was twice in two days, one of my computers had nearly been stolen and another actually had been stolen.

What the hell?

“No idea,” Flint grumbled. “What I do know is that you need to start setting your fucking alarm.” Flint turned his attention to the officer. “Did you dust for prints?”

The officer shook his head, but ended up doing just that a few seconds later as he walked toward the door to go get his bag. He came back in moments later to start dusting for prints, just in time to hear the two men continuing to lecture me on ‘women’s safety.’

By the time that the officer was done about twenty minutes later, I’d had enough.

“Listen,” I snapped. “I will set it from now on. What I will not do is listen to y’all bitch anymore. I’m done. Done. Finished. No more!”

Croft rolled his eyes at me at the same time my brother said, “Well maybe if you used your fuckin’ brain.”

I pointed at the door. “You can leave now.”

Flint threw up his hands. “I was just worr—”

“Leave!” I growled.

Flint sighed and made eye contact with Croft, letting him know that it was ‘his turn’ now.

Well, I had a surprise for them.

I was nobody’s to be taken care of.

I was a strong, independent woman.

Just as my brother headed for the door, I said, “And I want my gun back, you procrastinating bastard!”

Flint flipped me off as he left with the officer, leaving me alone with the intimidating man at my back.