Page 5 of Wicked Brutal

His face reddened. “Are you threatening me?”

“Yes.” His eyes flicked toward my hand, and I let go and smoothed the front of his blazer for him. “There. Now you understand.”

“You fucking psycho.”

“Probably.” I smiled. “And Preston? I kept copies of everything from that thing with Madison last year.”

He went pale. That was better. I hadn’t even needed to explain which thing.

“Stay the fuck away from Ally,” I said.

The O’Tooles were already at the lake when we arrived in June. Roman’s SUV sat in their drive, and Dad saw it while he was pulling our bags out of the back of his truck and made the face Mom always accused him of making.

She caught it immediately. “Walter.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I don’t like him.”

“I’m extremely aware.” She held out her hand for the coffee.

Dad handed me a duffel instead. “Roman’s an asshole.”

Mom looked at him. “What?”

“Ryan’s eighteen.”

“That doesn’t mean you need to provide vocabulary lessons.”

“I’ve known the word for a while, Mom,” I said.

“See?” Dad said. “Good parenting.”

She kissed his cheek. “Get the groceries.” And they went inside bickering about who’d forgotten the coffee.

I carried my bag upstairs. That was the Harrington lake house — noise, music from Mom’s phone, Dad opening every cabinet while asking where something was despite it being in the same place for twelve years. The house next door was quieter. Jane stayed inside most of the time. Roman came and went. I saw him Saturday morning, walking toward his SUV in slacks and a button-down while Dad and I were hauling fishing gear down toward our dock.

“Harrington,” he said.

“O’Toole.”

That was the entire conversation. Dad waited until Roman’s car disappeared down the road before he said, “Still an asshole,” and I laughed.

I found Ally in the lake later that morning. Tobias was the reason. Of course.

I came down toward our dock with coffee and heard him before I saw either of them. “Right there! Ally, right there!”

“I’m looking,” she said.

“No, you’re not.”

“I am literally standing in a lake for you.”

“He’s getting away!”

“He’s a frog, Tobias. I don’t think he has appointments.”