Chapter Twelve

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Lo

I needed to look interested, but this woman was the last person on earth who could ever truly catch my attention. Everything about her—the fake tan, the overly bleached hair, the desperate way she was throwing herself at me—screamed trouble. But I had a role to play, and that meant keeping her talking, even if it was the last thing I wanted to do.

"I haven't seen you around here," the woman purred, her voice dripping with forced sweetness.

She'd clearly hated the tattoos Lennox had, judging by what she had said to her yesterday, but she didn't seem to mind mine. Her fingers trailed over my forearm, brushing against the ink in a way that was supposed to be seductive but just made my skin crawl. I had to work hard to control myself from jerking away.

"I've been around," I drawled, keeping my tone casual.

She nodded toward the pool. "I'm here with my friends for the rest of the weekend. My baby daddy picked up my kid and took her home." She said it like it was some kind of achievement, as if ditching her kid to party was something to be proud of.

I just nodded, not giving her much to work with. The less I said, the less chance there was I'd say something that would give away how much I really despised her.

"Are you here with anyone else?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as if she was trying to figure out if I was worth her time.

"Got a group with me," I replied, keeping my voice as neutral as possible.

She quirked her lips in what she probably thought was a flirtatious smile. "Well, maybe you guys can come over and party with us tonight." She lowered her sunglasses and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "You and I can get to know each other a little bit more."

I shrugged, playing along. "I mean, if you're up for it. Why don't you come and meet my friends?" I offered, trying to sound enthusiastic.

I could tell she was excited by my offer, practically bouncing on her toes. "Yeah, totally," she said, her voice breathy with anticipation.

I stood up, feeling her cling to my arm as if I was some kind of prize she'd just won. Her nails dug into my skin as we made our way across the road toward the pool. She was walking with an extra sway in her hips, probably thinking she was about to impress whoever was over there.

As we crossed, she gave a finger wave to her friends, who looked just as fake and shallow as she did. "I can meet your friends first," she said, wanting to keep me to herself for as long as possible. I had to bite back the urge to roll my eyes.

We made our way to the other side of the pool, where Meg, Alice, and Wrecker were sitting. The rest of the group was in the pool, splashing around and laughing, completely unaware of the storm brewing on the deck.

"Ugh," she grunted as she caught sight of Lennox in the pool. "I can't believe they let trash like her in here," she spat, her voice dripping with disdain. "She tried to mess with my daughter yesterday, but I put her in her place. I'm surprised she had the guts to show her face here again."

I could feel my blood boiling, but I kept my face blank. Yeah, I hated this woman, but I needed to keep it together for just a little longer.

We stopped in front of the table where Meg, Alice, and Wrecker were sitting. The woman looked them over, clearly sizing them up, but she had no idea who she was dealing with.

Meg and Alice both shot her looks of pure disgust, their expressions making it clear they were about two seconds away from throwing her into the pool. Wrecker's face was impassive, but I could tell he was just as ready to put this woman in her place as I was.

"Guys, this is…" I snapped my fingers, pretending like I'd forgotten her name. "I never got your name."

The woman blushed, probably thinking she'd done something wrong. "Oh, uh, I'm Carrie. It's nice to meet you guys."

God, this chick was fucking clueless. She had no idea what she'd just walked into.

Meg leaned forward, her eyes boring into Carrie. "I'm Meg. That's Alice, and this is Wrecker."

Alice gave a little wave, her smile sweet but her eyes cold. "But there's more of us," she added, motioning to the pool. "Greta, Raven, Karmen, Nikki, Wendy, Cyn, Reva, Paige—"

"And," Meg cut her off, her voice dripping with a mixture of satisfaction and menace, "my daughter-in-law, Lennox, with her husband, Jonas." Meg turned back to me, her eyes glinting with triumph. "Right, babe? It's so nice having a beautiful and intelligent daughter-in-law."

I watched as the blood drained from Carrie's face, her tan skin going pale as she realized what she'd just said about Lennox earlier. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, and for the first time since she'd approached me, she seemed completely speechless.

"But you met Lennox yesterday, right?" Alice asked. "I actually think it was right over there, right?"

I couldn't help the smirk that spread across my face. This was too perfect. Carrie had no idea who she was dealing with, and now she was paying the price for her big mouth.

Meg tapped her finger on her chin. "What was is that you said to Lennox yesterday? She told us, but it's slipping my memory."

Alice snapped her fingers, a huge smile on her face. "Trash!" she called triumphantly. "She called Lennox trash."

Carrie stammered, her words tumbling out in a rush. "I-I didn't mean—I mean, I didn't know—"

"Didn't know what?" Alice asked, her voice sharp. "That Lennox was family?"

"I…" Carrie trailed off, her eyes darting between all of us, clearly searching for a way out.

Wrecker leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Carrie's face. "Maybe you should think twice before you talk shit about people you don't know," he said, his voice calm but carrying a weight that made Carrie flinch. "Maybe don't judge someone by the way they look."

Carrie looked like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She let go of my arm, taking a step back as if she could somehow escape the mess she'd just made.

But there was no way out of this. She'd dug her own grave the moment she opened her mouth about Lennox, and now she was paying for it.

"You know," Meg said, her voice light but with an undertone of steel, "we don't take kindly to people who disrespect our family."

Carrie's eyes filled with tears, her hands shaking as she tried to come up with something to say, something that would make this all go away. But there was nothing she could do. She'd crossed a line, and she knew it.

"I'm sorry," she finally whispered, her voice trembling.

Meg didn't say anything; she just stared at Carrie with a look that could've frozen hell over. Alice crossed her arms, her expression one of utter contempt.

"Yeah, you're sorry now. How about in the future you keep your vile thoughts to yourself, and hope your daughter doesn't get your shit personality," Wrecker said quietly, his tone making it clear that this conversation was over.

Carrie nodded quickly, tears spilling down her cheeks as she turned and practically ran back to her friends. I didn't bother watching her go. She wasn't worth my time.

Meg looked over at me, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Nicely handled, babe," she said, her voice warm again now that the drama was over. "But maybe next time you can give me a heads up about your plans, yeah?"

Alice nodded in agreement. "You played that perfectly, King, but Meg and I were about two seconds away from gouging her eyes out if she laid one more finger on you."

I shrugged, trying to play it cool, but I couldn't help feeling a little satisfied with how things had turned out. "Just doing my part."

Wrecker gave me a nod, his eyes full of approval. "You did good."

We'd dealt with the problem, and now we could get back to enjoying our day.

Meg reached over and squeezed my hand, her smile widening. "I need to see Lennox's face when she hears about this."

Alice chuckled. "I bet she'll love it."

Lennox was still floating in the water, completely oblivious to the drama that had just unfolded. As we approached, she looked up and smiled, completely unaware of the chaos Carrie had almost caused. Having Jonas here with her had totally turned her day around.

Meg leaned over the edge of the pool, calling out to her. "Hey, Lennox, guess who just got put in her place?"

Lennox's eyes lit up with curiosity. "What happened?"

I exchanged a look with Meg, grinning. "Let's just say she won't be talking shit about you anymore."

Lennox laughed, shaking her head. "I knew you guys had my back."

"Always," Alice said, her tone filled with affection.

Meg smiled wide. "Girl Gang for life."