him exactly nowhere. At least he could have the sweaty illusion he was getting away from himself.
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Chapter Twenty-one
Phury looked across the mansion's pool table with disgust while Butch measured his shot. Something was off with the human, but as the cop sank three balls with one cue stroke, it sure as hell wasn't his game.
"Jesus, Butch. Four wins in a row. Remind me why I bother playing with you?"
"Because hope springs eternal." Butch tossed back the tail end of his Scotch. "You want another game?"
"Why not. My odds can't get worse."
"You rack while I get a refill."
As Phury collected the balls from the pockets, he realized what the problem was. Every time he turned away, Butch got to staring at him.
"You have something on your mind, cop?"
The male poured himself a couple of fingers of Lagavulin, then took a long drink from his glass. "Not particularly."
"Liar. You've been giving me the hairy eyeball since we got back from ZeroSum. Why don't you get real and spill it."
Butch's hazel eyes met his glare head-on. "You gay, my man?"
Phury dropped the eight ball and dimly heard it bouncing on the marble floor. "What? Why would you-"
"I heard you were getting close with the Reverend." As Phury cursed, Butch picked up the black ball and sent it rolling back over the green felt. "Look, I'm cool if you are. I honestly don't give a rat's ass who you're into.
But I would like to know."
Oh, this is just great, Phury thought. Not only was he pining after the female who wanted his twin; now he was supposedly dating a frickin' symphath.
That female who'd walked in on him and the Reverend clearly had a big mouth and... Christ. Butch must have already told Vishous. The two were like an old mated couple, no secrets between them. And V would squeal to Rhage. And once Rhage knew, you might as well have popped the news flash on the Reuters wire.
"Phury?"
"No, I'm not gay."
"Don't feel like you need to hide it or anything."
"I wouldn't. I'm just not."
"You bi, then?"
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"Butch, drop it. If any of the Brothers are down with the kinky shit, it's your roommate." At the cop's bug-eyed look, he muttered, "Come on, you have to know about V by now. You live with him."
"Obviously not-Oh, hey, Bella."
Phury wheeled around. Bella was standing on the threshold of the room, dressed in that black satin robe. He could not look away from her. The glow of health was back in her lovely face, the bruises gone, her beauty revealed. She was... astonishing.
"Hello," she said. "Phury, do you think I could talk with you for a moment? After you're finished?"
"Butch, you mind if we take a breather?"
"That's cool. See you later, Bella."
As the cop left, Phury put his pool cue away with unnecessary precision, sliding the slick, blond wood into the wall rack. "You look well. How do you feel?"
"Better. Much better."
Because she'd fed from Zsadist.
"So... what's going on?" he asked, trying not to imagine her at his twin's vein.
Without replying, she went over to the French doors, the robe trailing across the marble floor behind her like a shadow. As she walked, the ends of her hair brushed against the small of her back and moved with the sway of her hips. Hunger hit him hard, and he prayed she didn't catch the scent.
"Oh, Phury, look at the moon, it's almost full." Her hand went to the glass and lingered on the pane. "I wish I could..."
"You want to go outside now? I could get you a coat."
She smiled at him over her shoulder. "I have no shoes."
"I'll bring you those, too. Stay here."
In no time he came back with a pair of fur-lined boots and a Victorian cape that Fritz, homing pigeon that he was, had pulled out of some closet.
"You work fast," Bella said as he draped the bloodred velvet around her shoulders.
He knelt in front of her. "Let me get these on you."
She lifted one knee, and as he slid the boot on her foot, he tried not to notice how soft the skin of her ankle was. Or how much her scent tantalized him. Or how he could just part the robe out of the way and...
"Now the other one," he said hoarsely.
When he had her booted up he opened the door, and they walked out together, crunching through the snow that covered the terrace. At the lawn's edge she tugged the cape