Page 4 of Iron Heart

They don’t. The knock comes again, more insistent this time. It’s muffled by the pillow over my head, but still loud enough to make me growl with frustration.

“Goddamnit,” I shout, throwing the pillow across the room. “I’m coming! Calm your tits!”

I don’t bother getting dressed. I haul ass out of bed, get to the front door and fling it open, ready to unleash hell on whatever unfortunate motherfucker is on the other side.

Holy shit.

Just my luck, about the only person I can’t immediately beat to shit is standing there in front of me. Complete with a shit-eating grin on his face.

And the only reason I won’t beat the hell out of him is because the same blood runs through our veins.

“God fucking dammit,” I growl. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Rise and shine, brother mine!” he announces. “Nice morning wood, by the way.”

“Dominic,” I groan.

I should have known. There’s only one person I can think of who knows better than to show up at my door like this, but who doesn’t care. Who knows he’s the last fucking person in the world I want to see — and shows up anyway.

It’s fucking tempting to reconsider whether it’s wrong to pound a sibling into the ground.

“You are dead,” I mutter, but he just grins wider.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” he tosses back, in a tone that makes it clear he doesn’t give a shit.

“Why the fuck don’t you ever bug one of our other brothers when you need help?”

“They don’t get as bent out of shape,” he retorts smugly. “It ain’t as much fun.”

Fuck me if he ain’t right. Dominic has always had a special innate talent for pissing me the hell off.

“I suppose I gotta let you in,” I grumble, even though I don’t move out of the doorway yet to let him in. “By the way, there’s a goddamn doorbell, you asswipe. Use it next time.”

“Noted,” he chuckles.

I turn and go back inside the house, assuming he’ll follow me. “You here for a handout?” I bark over my shoulder.

“Hey, lay off that,” he throws back, an edge suddenly appearing in his voice. “I haven’t borrowed money from you for a long time.”

“No,” I snort. “You haven’tborrowedmoney. Borrowing implies you pay me back, you shitweasel. From that perspective, you’ve never borrowed money from me in your life.”

I stalk back into my bedroom and pull on a pair of jeans, then come back out in the living room. I glower at him. “Well, what do you need, then?” I ask irritably. “I’m sure this ain’t a social call.”

“As a matter of fact, it is,” he counters.

“Really?” I cross my arms in front of my chest.

“Can’t I just want to see my big bro?” He spreads his hands wide.

“No,” I grunt. Now Iknowhe’s full of shit. He never acknowledges I’m older than he is unless he wants to butter me up.

“For fuck’s sake, Dom. Just spill it. What are you doing here? How long you plannin’ on stayin’?”

“For good.”

“What?” I give him a sharp glare.

“I’m back in town.” My brother says simply. “I’m moving back to Ironwood.”