Page 25 of Taking What's Ours

“Hey. Get your own, loser,” he snaps.

I feel Memphis’s scrutiny from the corner of my eye. “Brother, there’s no way you’re going to be able to keep the club from her for long. You know that right?”

Between bites, I answer him. “She won’t be here too long.”

“She won’t?” Trez asks.

“She’s just here for some time and space to decide what she’s going to do.”

“How’s your brother taking all this?” Memphis asks.

“Who gives a fuck?” Trez adds, then turns to me. “So, what happened? Start at the beginning. You told me some on the phone, but I want to hear every detail.”

“I got there late, barely had time to get my tux on and walk out to the altar with Elliott and his other groomsmen—who were all dicks. Anyway, I’m standing there, and the music starts, the bridesmaids come down, and then there she is, looking gorgeous and too sweet to have anything to do with my brother.”

“What’d you do?” Utah asks.

“What do you mean, what did I do? Nothing. I watched her marry him.”

“Wait. I’m confused,” Memphis says. “Then what’s she doin’ here?”

I shrug. “Elliott shoved her face in the goddamn cake. Ruined her dress, her makeup, her hair. She ran from the room in tears.”

“Did you beat his ass?” Utah asks.

“I hauled him down to the ladies room to apologize to his bride. Of course, he was his usual asshole self, mumbling an apology that wasn’t really an apology. He got pissed off when she wouldn’t tell him it was all okay, and he went back to the reception, pissed likeshewas the problem.”

“What a dick,” Trez mutters.

“So, what’d you do?” Memphis asks.

“I asked her if we could go somewhere and talk. I had some things I wanted to tell her about my brother.”

Utah leans his elbows on the table. “So, if she’s married, that sounds like a done deal to me.”

“Not exactly,” I reply.

Memphis huffs a laugh. “Not exactly? How does that work, bro?”

“Until she files the marriage license, it’s not legit,” I explain.

Trez cocks a brow. “Really? And whose got the license?”

“She does. I made sure of it.”

“What’d your brother do?” Utah asks.

“Nothing. Called a couple of times. She turned her phone off.”

“She gonna go back to him?” Memphis asks.

“I don’t think so. Not after the video I showed her.”

“What video is that?” Memphis asks.

“The next morning, I took her key card and slipped out. Went up to their suite and let myself in. The asshole was in bed with one of her bridesmaids.”

“No shit? Dude, that’s cold,” Utah says. “And you showed it to her?”