Complete Me (Book Three of The Kirkland Family)

Complete Me: Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Of the two guys staring at Cole, the one named Zack looked like someone who could commit murder, hide the body, and never get discovered. Jak, the brother, just looked mad.

"You must be the pest," Zack said to Cole.

Cole squared his shoulders. He just screwed up with Rose, but he had to deal with the murdering boyfriend and giant brother first, it seemed. "Cole Fuller," he said to Zack, turning his back to the brother, which probably wasn't the smartest idea.

The shorter man stepped closer, though shorter wasn't saying much. He was the same height as Cole. "You pissed off my rose petal," Zack said. "What did you say to her?"

"What I said was said hastily," Cole answered. "I meant no disrespect."

"What did you say?" the brother asked, stepping around so that they cornered Cole against the counter.

Cole looked them each square in the eyes and said, "What I intend to apologize for, the first chance I get. If you will excuse me..."

"No, we won't excuse you," the brother said, but Cole had already left to go out back. "Hey! I'm talking to you."

Cole hefted some boxes and headed back to the hallway that led upstairs. "Then talk," Cole said, brushing past him and the other one. "I'm willing to listen, but I have to have the trailer unloaded and returned to the rental place by five."

He heard heavy steps following him up the stairs. Cole set the boxes down at the apartment door and shoved them through with his foot. The smell of fresh paint filled the room, and with a quick glance around, he noticed that tarps covered the floor under the rabid monkeys, and a section of the wall had already been coated with white. He would have to finish the painting before he could unpack.

"I have a concealed carry permit," the angry boyfriend said from halfway up the stairs. Cole shifted to look past the blonde brother at him. Both men, Cole noticed, also carried boxes. Nice of them.

"There is a reciprocity agreement between Texas and Arkansas, so I do, too," Cole said. "What does that have to do with pissing off your rose petal?"

Big Brother stepped right up in Cole's face, dropping his box at Cole's feet. "You don't get to call her that." Then the dark-haired one tried the same in-your-face tactic, adding, "I also have a rope, a shovel and a good idea that no one will miss you."

That made Cole smile. "You two been friends long?" He shoved the two additional boxes into the apartment.

Dark eyes and green eyes squinted at Cole for several seconds. "Since kindergarten," the brother said, stepping back. "And we've been keeping guys like you away from Rose ever since."

"I'm beginning to understand why she's so opposed to people telling her what to do," Cole commented.

"And what did you tell her to do?" Zack asked.

Cole looked at him again. "We still haven't been properly introduced. Cole Fuller."

"Zack Fitzgerald," he said. "Best friend to the brother, devoted protector of the Rose." They shook hands warily, and Zack asked, "What do you carry? .38 special? .45?"

"What did you say to my sister?" Jak asked, ignoring his friend's inquiry...his voice sterner.

Cole said, "9mm, small but effective, and I merely suggested—in a rude manner, I'll admit—that she could be doing more than what she is doing now. You two showed up in the middle of my apology. Excuse me. I have some monkeys to cover up." He walked to the nearest roller brush to get to work.