Page 31 of Torch

“Marco, what’s a tewwowist?” I heard Angel ask.

I was currently napping on my mother’s couch. Blade and I had to come over to get our tuxedo measurements taken. It was the annual charity ball for my mother’s organization, Hearts Remembered. My mother created the organization shortly after my nana passed away from Alzheimer’s. It was the one charity ball we never missed. My nana was our world. Before my nana was diagnosed, I didn’t know too much about Alzheimer’s. Now, our family had done everything in our power to spread awareness and raise money for those affected by the disease.

“You mean terrorist?” Marco inquired.

“Yes.”

Even though my eyes were closed, I could feel them around me. I was surrounded and a little scared. I wanted to play possum in hopes they would leave me alone, but I also needed to know how many of them were around me.

“Why do you want to know what that is?” I heard Marco ask.

“Because Uncle Torch called us that.”

Marco, the little shit, started cracking up. I lifted one of my eyes open and saw I had Cara’s and Blade’s triplets plus Chase standing around the couch I was on. I hurriedly closed my eyes and started saying the Lord’s Prayer in my head. Hopefully, it could help me fight off these little demons.

“Why you laugh?” That was either Khai or Liam. They weren’t identical just by looks. Their voices were the same, too.

Marco cleared his throat, and his laughter ceased. I guess he didn’t want their attention to turn on him, so he threw my ass into the pits of hell.

“It's not funny at all. But just know that word means a very bad person.”

I heard a gasp. “But I not bad!” Naomi growled.

“You sure aren’t,” Marco agreed, lying his ass off.

I loved my nieces and nephews, but they were Cara, Blade, and me times ten. My nana always used to tell us our kids would be hell-raisers because of how bad we were. After seeing the results of my triplets procreating, it caused any desire for fatherhood to be postponed. Cara’s kids had to be the worst. While they were all beyond their age in intelligence, they were always into something. The only people they listened to were Cara, Viper, and my parents.

“Dovremmo prenderlo.” We should get him. Angel said in Italian.

I didn’t know why she switched up the language as if I wasn’t one of the people teaching it to them.

“La mamma ha detto che potevamo.” Mama said we could. Again, that was either Khai or Liam.

What the fuck?

I tried racking my brain for what I could have done that she would sick her pack of spawns on me, and then it hit me. When Mama popped her, I was too busy gloating that she got in trouble. I didn’t even notice the silent threat she sent me with that smirk and nod.

I opened my eyes to let them know I was up. Hopefully, that would get them to back off. I shrank back at the hard glares I was met with. Marco was too busy smiling and laughing on the other couch to be any kind of help.

“Now, look, I don’t know what you all are thinking you’re about to do, but unthink it. I mean it.” I added some bass to my voice. Maybe if I tried a sterner approach, they would back off.

Three seconds later, I saw how truly wrong I was.

“Ahh!!!!” Angel screeched as she jumped on top of me.

From there, they all attacked me like a pack of wild hyenas. The girls were slamming their tiny feet on me, using me as a personal trampoline. Once I saw Khai climb on top of the sofa, my eyes bucked.

“Khai! You better not!”

He didn’t listen.

Khai jumped high into the air and brought his elbow down into my stomach like he had been a wrestler all of his damn life.

“Oww!!!” I howled when one of them reached under my shirt to pinch my back. Marco was hysterical as he was literally laughing so hard he was crying. “Marco, do something!”

The little satanic miscreants paused their attack, snapping their gaze to him, daring him to intervene.

Marco’s laughter paused. “Sorry, big bro, but you’re on your own.”