Page 95 of Venomous as a Snake

“She does, but she can’t get to the door because she’s still naked in the neighbor’s lap.”

“Oh. Uhm… well… I, uhm—I just need to drop off this bouquet, sir. Can you accept the order on her behalf, or should I wait?”

“I can take it.”

The young woman passes me a small bouquet of white flowers. “Thank you, sir. Have a joyous day.”

“Sure thing. You too,” I mutter as I frown and shut the door.

I return to the back patio to find the guys in the pool. Walker is still fully dressed and glaring at Collin, but Forrest is above their bullshit, lying on a float with his eyes closed.

“Who the fuck sends white flowers when there are so many bright colors to pick from?” I ask. “Not to mention the smell. They fucking reek worse than Carol.”

Kody snaps her attention to me, a wrinkle forming between her brow. “Who are they from?”

“Don’t know.” I shrug. “There’s a card. Do you want to read it?”

She skips to me and snags the card from the little plastic holder. Her eyes bounce back and forth before she gnaws at her lip.

“What does it say?” Collin inquires.

“Kody, thank you for settling our agreement in full,” she reads. “You’ll find documentation of your assets in the mail next week. Enjoy your newly gained freedom. Hope you have a blast. Love Fangs.”

“Love Fangs?” Walker chuckles. “He must be so upset about letting you go.”

“Have a blast?” she repeats as if the statement is bugging her. “Have a blast?”

“What are you thinking?” I ask, watching the gears turn in her mind.

“Oh, fuck,” she says suddenly, snatching the flowers from my hand. “Get down!”

“What the fuck?” I whisper as she shoves me into the water.

But she’s already rushing beyond the pool, throwing the vase as hard as she can toward the fence. Then she leaps backward, sinking under the surface as the flowers slam into the wooden planks and fucking explode.

Ali runs out of the house, Hooker hot on his heels. I see his mouth moving, but all I can hear is a constant ringing.

“What the fuck?” I whisper again.

“Why are you yelling?” Kody asks me, though I only know what she says because I can lipread.

“I can’t hear shit,” I try to explain. “But I can lipread.”

She presses her hand to her forehead. “I told you to get down.”

“I didn’t listen.”

“Clearly,” my brother responds.

I hear him just fine, which means he didn’t listen either. Fucking jackass.

“Well,” Collin says, shrugging. “That fixed the fence problem.”

“You didn’t listen either,” I point out.

“I heard it,” Collin tells me.

Kody looks at Forrest, and he grins. “I listened.”