Delayed revenge really was the best, she decided with a smile.

Chapter 6

“Rot in hell, you son of a bitch!”

“You had it coming and you know it,” Reese said as he climbed out of his cruiser and joined him on the sidewalk.

“I should have known that you were going to take her side,” he muttered as he reached up and pressed the switch on his collar to turn his microphone on. “Echo 25 and 32 are on scene,” he said before releasing the switch.

“Echo 25 and 32, I have you on scene at 32 Thompson Road at 11:22. Over,” Dispatch said, marking their arrival on scene.

“Don’t try to drag me into your fucked up relationship,” Reese said as they started up the long walkway.

Darrin snorted at that, because really, of all people Reese had no business talking about fucked up relationships. Not only was he dating the biggest bitch that Darrin had ever met, but he also planned on marrying her. God, he couldn’t stand Missy. No one in their family could.

On top of being a bitch, she was annoying, vindictive, catty, a liar and incredibly fake. He wasn’t sure what he hated more about her, that fake smile she slapped on her face anytime that she saw someone that she hated or the whole “poor me” bullshit she was constantly spouting.

She worked as an artist. Well, “worked” might be a bit generous considering that she was mooching off Reese. She spent most of her time sleeping, shopping or bitching on Facebook about everyone that refused to see how truly gifted she was. From what he’d heard, she bitched about him a lot.

Not that he cared. He didn’t, because he knew this fucked up relationship wasn’t going to last much longer. He’d admit that he’d been a little worried there for a while, especially when Reese let her move in. When Reese proposed a few months ago, he’d known that it was only a matter of time before that bitch was out of their lives once and for all because of one simple reason.

Bradford men didn’t propose.

Before a Bradford could take a trip to the altar, he had to lose his fucking mind. Kidnapping your bride was a Bradford tradition and Reese wasn’t willing to risk a felony to marry Missy. Darrin on the other hand…

Was more than willing.

He’d already attempted to kidnap Marybeth once before when he was ten. If Aidan hadn’t broken the wheels off his old Red Ryder wagon, she would already be his. Now thanks to his brother’s inconsideration, he had to take a different approach with Marybeth. She didn’t want to date, live together, get married or have a family. That made things a bit tricky for him, because he wanted all of those things and more with her.

Not that he was going to let any of that get in his way, because he wasn’t. Sure, he could drag her across state lines and marry her and in time she’d realize that it had been for the best, but he really didn’t want to risk needing a testicular-reattachment surgery to make it happen. Besides, she was already his so he didn’t see any point rushing this.

“What floor are we going to?” Reese asked as they stepped inside the large office building.

“The eleventh floor,” he said as they joined the small group waiting by the elevator doors.

“Security desk is unmanned,” Reese pointed out.

“I saw that,” he said, hoping that the building’s security was able to handle this call on their own so that he could swing by the old Mason mansion in time to join Marybeth for lunch.

“Did you pack or do you want to grab something for lunch?” Reese asked, moving to the head of the group to block off the elevator.

“Marybeth packed me a lovely lunch to make up for her betrayal last night,” he said, wondering if he should pick up a large pizza or a few subs to compliment the delicious lunch that awaited him.

Reese chuckled as they gestured for everyone to move aside when the elevator announced its arrival with a chime. “You stole her lunch, didn’t you?”

“She owed me,” he pointed out, unnecessarily in his opinion, as they waited for the elevator doors to open.

“You just wanted an excuse to swing by her job and bring her out for lunch,” Reese said with a knowing smile.

“It is the polite thing to do after stealing her lunch,” he murmured thoughtfully.

“Or you could just take her out to dinner to make up for it,” Reese said offhandedly just as the elevator doors finally opened.

Sighing, he stepped inside the elevator. “Don’t start this shit again.”

“I just don’t understand it,” Reese said, hitting the button for the eleventh floor as Darrin gestured for the man trying to join them to turn right around and walk away.

“You don’t need to,” he said, wishing for probably the hundredth time that Reese hadn’t stopped by his place that fateful day four years ago and caught him licking strawberry juice off Marybeth’s breasts…as she rode him…while vocalizing just how badly she wanted to suck on his cock.

For whatever reason, Reese hadn’t believed him when he’d tried explaining how he’d tripped while carrying a small bowl of mashed strawberries, somehow managing to pour the entire bowl all over Marybeth’s naked breasts and that he’d been helping her wipe the juice off because it was the neighborly thing to do. His brother had simply stared at him, waiting for him to tell him what was really going on so of course he’d further explained that Marybeth’s pants had been ruined and somehow slipped off during the accident and that she’d simply been expressing her gratitude for his cleaning abilities by offering to suck his cock.