“Your boss?” she finished for me, arching a brow.

I frowned at her. “Yeah, my boss.”

Before the conversation could continue, there was another knock at the door. I went to answer it and was met by not just Lee, but his brother, too. Yeah, that’s right, my ex had decided to tag along. Sometimes I wished I had a butler to answer my door and inform visitors on my behalf, I’m sorry, but not today.

Why the hell was he here? My first words voiced that very same sentiment as the two men stepped inside without even waiting to be invited.

“Uh, why is Stu here?” I asked, gesturing wildly.

Lee shot me a grin. “He’s my muscle.”

“As far as I can see, you’ve got enough muscle of your own,” I shot back.

“Ah, yeah, but you know society’s a bitch. Ya have to be a tall bastard for people to be afraid of ya these days. They don’t realise us little guys are quicker on our toes.” He paused, eyes darting across the room to give Karla a wink. “Plus, we have the advantage of a lower centre of gravity.”

Lee wasn’t exactly little, but I got where he was coming from. My ex was well over six feet, the big dumb oaf. I had to resist the urge to laugh when Stu gave his brother a vacant stare at his mention of “a lower centre of gravity.”

“How’s it going, Lex?” said Stu as his attention came to rest on me, his eyes doing a quick sweep of my body.

“It’ll be going a lot better when you piss off out of here. None of this concerns you.”

Lee held up a hand. “Now, now, don’t go getting your knickers in a twist, Clarky. You called me asking for help. I was kind enough to answer, but if you want me to stick around, you’ll have to deal with my brother being here, too.” His voice was hard and broached no further argument. In the next second, King was beside me, introducing himself.

“We haven’t yet had the pleasure,” he said urbanely. “My name is Oliver.”

Lee gave him a quick once-over before glancing at me, his lips twitching in amusement. “Bagged yourself a posh bastard, did ya?” He nudged his brother with his elbow. “She’s moving up in the world.”

“Don’t be an arsehole,” said Karla in an annoyed tone.

Lee seemed to enjoy her barb. “I’ll never be an arsehole to you, Snap. In fact,” he went on, his voice lowering, “I’ll be so fucking pleasant, you’ll never want me to leave.”

Karla rolled her eyes, not bothering to retort. I noticed Stu was now eyeballing King, and I didn’t like the angry slant to his mouth. Jesus, all of this would have gone so much more smoothly if Lee had just left his brother at home. Stu flicked his gaze between me and King.

“You together?”

My posture grew stiff. “And if we are?”

Stu snorted. “If you are, it’s a fucking joke.”

King, who was silently observing the exchange, spoke up, seeming unthreatened by Stu’s presence. “I believe we have more important matters to discuss.”

“Yeah, we do,” said Stu. “Like how you’re trying to take what’s mine.”

Oh, for Christ’s sake. I cast Lee a pleading look while King stared emotionlessly at my ex. Deciding to be less of a prick, Lee nodded to the door. “Eh, Stu, go wait for me outside. Make sure no one tries to come into the flat.”

Stu didn’t look happy about his brother’s order, but he did as he was told all the same. Between the two of them, it was clear who the alpha was. As soon as Stu left, I finally felt like I could breathe. I sent King an apologetic look as he leaned in and whispered, “An old flame of yours?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“He wants you back.”

“Well, he can go on wanting.”

“I didn’t like the way he looked at you,” he went on, and the dark note in his voice made me shiver. I pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

“It doesn’t matter.” I paused to eye him meaningfully. “He’s my past.” I left the second part unspoken. You’re my future. If his satisfied expression was anything to go by, he caught my meaning. Turning, I found Lee had plopped himself down on the sofa beside Karla and was sitting a little too close. She shifted away, being none too subtle about putting distance between them.

“Oh, Snap,” he chuckled. “It’s so funny how you want me.”

Karla bristled. “Don’t call me Snap.”

“You don’t like it? It’s short for Gingersnap. I thought you’d appreciate my creative efforts and shit.”

“Well, I don’t. Go focus your creativity elsewhere. In fact, pretend I don’t exist.”

He shot her a heated look, his eyes trailing slowly down her body.

“Sorry, can’t do that,” Lee whispered quietly. Karla took a deep breath, as though summoning the willpower not to slap him. I felt bad for subjecting her to Lee, but I needed her there for moral support.

Tugging King forward, I led him over to a chair and perched myself on the edge. His hand went to my thigh, and I savoured the warmth.

“So, what have you got for us?” I began, looking at Lee. “This needs to be good.”

Lee scoffed. “Don’t insult me with low expectations.” Pausing, he eyed King. “Did you bring the money?”

Oh, yeah, did I fail to mention that Lee wanted 50K for this favour? It was pocket change to a man like King, but still, Lee had some balls asking for that amount. I’d expected it, though. He might have had a good heart, but he was a survivor, and surviving meant making money in any way he could.