6. Thea

I pull my homemade pita bread out of the oven and begin cutting it into triangles. My gaze moves over to the clock and mentally makes note that my parmesan-crusted spinach and artichoke dip will be ready in twenty-five minutes. I don't know how to cook a lot of things, but there are a few things that I've mastered. My dip is one of them. So are the brownies that will go in the oven once the dip is done. I also made barbeque, buffalo, and teriyaki chicken wings. Some chips and other things are laid out as well. The fridge is full of beer, too.

I've lived here for four weeks, and it has become apparent that Friday nights have become poker night for Mattie and some of his club buddies. I think the first night Mattie just arranged it so he could keep an eye on me and make sure I was okay. It seems so weird to me, because I know what happens at the club on the weekends, and party nights usually attract all the guys. The first weekend, it was just Mattie and Joker—a member of the club that I hadn't really met before. Since it was only the two of them, they spent the night snacking and teaching me how to play. Joker's name makes it sound like he'd be hilarious, but he's actually very serious. It took me half the night to get him to laugh. That night was probably one of my favorite nights ever. The next couple of Fridays, Mattie showed up with Joker and some guy called Raze. Raze took me on as his partner and somehow, we beat Mattie and Joker—every single time we play. Raze is scary hot. He has salt and pepper hair, more pepper because he's Mattie's age, but the white-gray strands make him look even hotter. He's got chiseled features of a Greek god and is tall and muscular, but not overly showy, like a bodybuilder. No, his muscles fit his frame and his frame is delicious. He's also a lot taller than me, a fact I love.

I thought I might bow out, not wanting to intrude on Mattie's plans every Friday, but Mattie said no way and asked if I would make food again. I laughed and said sure. I think I've made enough wings to feed an army. It doesn't take long before I have it all fixed and I line it up on the counter across from Mattie's kitchen table.

Mattie's house is cool. Sure, it's a little outdated, but it is still pretty comfortable. The kitchen is big with plenty of cabinets. There's a round kitchen table in the middle of it and the soft sage-colored walls are relaxing. The gray Formica counters might be outdated, but they're in good shape. The appliances are outdated also, but work. With a little updating, Mattie's house could be really nice. I doubt he'll ever do it, and that's a shame. It's an old craftsman style house and the woodwork inside the home is beautiful.

"Champ!" Mattie calls out as the front door opens.

"In here."

"Food!" I hear Raze practically growl, making me laugh.

I'm finishing up my second pan of brownies when I let out a squeal. Large, beefy hands wrap around my waist and spin me around, lifting me up.

"Marry me, Thea, and cook for me every day."

I slap my hand on his shoulder. "You've only known me for a few weeks, goofball," I laugh at Raze.

"They've been damn good weeks, though. You can't deny we make a good team," he purrs.

"Raze, get your grimy hands off my sister, you horny bastard," Mattie growls.

Raze squeezes my ass cheek and gives me a wink. I shake my head, feeling the heat rise in my face as he sets me back down on the floor.

"She's special, Mattie." He responds, and he sounds like he's joking, but the look in his eyes seems serious. My heart flips in my chest. Is he flirting with me?

"Knock it off, Raze. You try getting your dick anywhere near my sister and I'll cut it off."

"Mattie! Knock it off."

"I'm serious. He's chased more pussy than Mom's old minivan."

"What the hell does that mean?" Joker asks.

I let out an annoyed sigh and give Mattie an eyeroll. "When I was little, Mom had an old minivan that I swear cats used to commit suicide. They would run out in front of her all the time. One night Mattie and I counted. She literally hit and killed seven cats."

"Seven?" Raze laughs.

"It was only a fifteen-minute trip coming home from my elementary school."

"Holy fuck," Jokester says.

I ignore them and look at Mattie. "You need to drop it. You know you have no say over who I date and who I don't." I suddenly realize what I just said, and panic hits me. "Not that I want to date you," I mutter to Raze. "Sorry. That came out all wrong. I know you're only trying to get a rise out of Mattie?—"

He steps back into me and grins. "I don't think I know how to date, Flame, but for you, I might learn."

"Flame?" I snort.

"You're one of us now. You need a club name. It fits you."

"Raze you fuck over my sister?—"

"Not going to happen."

"Will you two knock it off? Raze if you're doing this just on the basis of my cooking, you should know other than bar food, I suck at cooking. Home-cooked meals are over my head. I'm afraid all I have a knack for is chicken wings and dips."

"Don't forget your desserts," Joker mutters. "Did you make my brownies, Flame?"

My eyes go round at the use of the new nickname. "Two extra-large pans. That way, whatever you don't eat, you can take back with you."

"Calling it now, Raze."

"Huh?"

"You fuck it up, I'm moving in," Joker mutters, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Christ, I'm going to have to kill my whole club to keep my baby sister safe," Mattie grumbles. "You assholes keep it up and I'm canceling poker night indefinitely."

"Get you something to drink and fill up some plates, and all of you quit being ridiculous," I scold. "You keep it up and I'm skipping poker night altogether."

Joker and Raze grunt but each grab a paper plate and begin putting food on it. Mattie comes over and kisses the top of my head.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, Thea. I love my brothers, but they're about as far away from that doctor guy you're dating as you can get."

"That's probably a good thing," I snap with more venom than I meant to show. I know immediately that I've made a mistake when I feel the mood in the room shift. It feels as if the air becomes charged with negative energy and it weighs down on me, making it hard to breathe.

"Is there something you haven't told me, Thea?"

"Let it go, Mattie. I'm not a kid anymore. I can take care of myself. I don't need my father and big brother rushing in to defend me. I can defend myself."

"And you had to defend yourself against that asshole?"

"It's not important anymore. Just let it go."

"Did he lay hands on you, Thea?"

"Mattie! I said let it go."

"He did. That motherfucker laid hands on you. I'm going to kill him."

"You are not. This is why I didn't talk to you about this shit. New York is not Kentucky, and he's not exactly a nobody. You or Dad go after him, you could ruin your lives. I won't let that happen. He's not worth it. I dealt with it and he's not part of my life now."

"I'm going to kill him," Mattie insists again.

"You aren't. You're going to let it drop because we both know that if Dad knew, he'd go crazy and get his ass thrown in jail."

"Thea—"

"Mattie, Deke's father is a judge there. You know, as well as I do, what that means. How many times have we heard Dad and Uncle Dragon talk about blowback? Let this go. He's a piece of shit, but he's in the past. I'm asking you to please let it go."

"You're sure he's history?"

"Positive," I lie, as I think about his texts. I'm not about to mention those to Mattie. I need him to calm down.

"You'll tell me if he tries anything more?"

"In case you haven't noticed, big brother, New York and Kentucky aren't exactly a Sunday drive."

"Is he the reason you turned your back on modeling and moved back home?" he asks, getting all upset again.

"No," I deny at once. "I've been wanting to come home for years. I worked until I fulfilled all my obligations. Returning to Kentucky has always been my plan. Deke being an asshole and slapping me was just proof I was making the right decision."

"If he tries shit again. He's dead, Thea."

"Mattie, his family?—"

"His dad can't do shit if there's no body and no way to prove I was there. He does one more thing, you tell me. Promise me you'll do that."

"Mattie—"

"Do it, Champ. That's the only way I drop this."

"Fine," I huff, knowing that I'm mostly lying. I won't allow my big brother and my father to be hurt by Deke.

"Fuck, Flame, these wings are the shit. I don't give a shit if Breaker tries to break my kneecaps. I'll put my cut on your back tonight if you feed me this shit every night," Raze practically moans while biting into another wing as if he hasn't had a bite to eat in months.

I giggle. I can't help it, and that's all it takes to have the tension in the room lifting. Mattie ruffles my hair. Usually, I'd slug him for doing that, but tonight I let it slide. It feels good having my big brother close again. I've missed him.

I've missed home…