Laced Steel - M.J. Fields Page 0,59
or something to sleep in?” I ask as she tosses her sweatshirt off.
“I sleep nude.”
Awkward.
She looks back at me. “Will that be an issue?”
I shrug.
“I’ll leave my panties on.” She shimmies out of her sweats, and my door flies open.
Justice points at me. “I’m not done with this conversation yet.”
“Justice!” I gasp.
“He’s fine. He has the right to say whatever he wishes, and I have the right to tune him out.”
I glance back at her, and she’s legit standing naked, except for skimpy black underwear.
She yawns and makes a show of stretching, hiding nothing from my brother.
I snap my head back to Justice, who is livid.
“Give her some fucking clothes, T. Hers have apparently fallen off.”
“This is how I sleep,” she says smugly.
Justice scrubs his hand over his face then looks right back at naked Gabrielle. “Explain something to me.”
“It’s late, and I’m not sure I have it in me to do so,” she says, turning and crawling into the bed. Her undies happen to be a thong.
Justice’s shirt flies past my head. “Put some fucking clothes on in my home. Quit flaunting your shit like I’ve never seen tits and ass. Newsflash: I’ve seen bigger and better.”
She sits up, allowing the blanket to drop, exposing her perfect boobs again, as she pulls the shirt over her head. “Does this work for you?”
“Fuck yes, it does,” he snaps.
“Hmm …” she says, lying down.
He says not a thing as he stands there, looking over at her. I’m glad for his sake that her back is to him and she can’t see the way he’s looking at her, but if I had a handheld mirror to shove in his face, I would.
“Is he still here, Truth?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I answer quietly.
“Do you need to come sniff me, Justice?”
“Why? Is your pussy—”
I push my hands against his chest and push him out the door. “Okay, goodnight.”
“Before you leave, Justice,” Gabby says from behind me, “your sister is in your corner one hundred percent. In fact, she’s only being nice to me to make things easier for you.”
“What the fuck is she talking about, T?” he snaps.
“Nothing.” And now I want to kick her ass.
“Tobias asked her to accept my apology.”
“You fucking him?” Justice asks her, and it shocks both me and him.
Gabby laughs. “He’s the only popularity pole I haven’t had to climb, so no. He’s like a brother to me.”
“Bullshit, you two never even talk.”
“Open your eyes. He doesn’t talk to anyone.” Anger shakes her voice, and I hear her get up.
I turn to see her walk toward us.
“He didn’t want this fight—you did.”
“Because of shit you did,” Justice snaps at her.
I start to explain, “Actually, she didn’t—”
“It was because of me. I own it. Don’t defend me, please. It wouldn’t mean a thing, anyway. Not to him or to me,” she says then looks at Justice. “He’s less than three months from being free of this shit. Do not ruin it for him.”
She turns and looks around. “Where’s the bathroom?”
“Right through there.”
“Thank you, Truth, truly.”
As soon as she shuts the door, Justice leans in. “You got some shit you’re not telling me?”
I look down to avoid his scrutinizing eyes.
“T, come on; this is us.”
I look up and nod. “I know it is. Nothing’s changed.”
“Why you trusting her?”
“I don’t know, okay? I just think things are more than they appear.”
“Never thought this was anything more than mean girls’ shit, T. But I’m telling you, trusting her is a bad idea. I feel it in my bones.”
“Yeah, well, I trust her more than the horsemen.”
“The what?”
I half-laugh at myself, because honestly, I am so confused by everything, including my emotions lately. “Tobias, Harrison, Miles, and Kai. I nicknamed them the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Doom and gloom shit. Conquest, war, famine, and death.”
“T, you need to step back after this shit tomorrow. You need to bring it back home.”
“I know.”
“I hope you do.” He palms the back of my head and kisses the top of it. “I hope you do.”
“Sorry, I really am.”
He smirks. “Aside from this shit tonight, I’m actually pretty fucking psyched about it.”
Gabby walks out of the bathroom. “Then maybe you’re the one who needs to bring it home.”
“ ’Bout ready to call Uncle Z and ask to borrow a ball gag,” he snaps as he turns and walks down the hall.
I shut the door then walk to the edge of my bed and sit.
Gabby rolls over and looks at me. “Three.”
“What?”
“Three horsemen.”
A chill runs up my spine. “Is