Heart Of Steele

Chapter 2

"Hello? Are you there?" Jamie's voice rose in his ear. "Did I lose you?"

Sighing, Malachi put her on speaker, sat his phone down on his desk and placed his head in his hands. He needed sleep more than he thought. But there was so much he had to do before he took off. The next day he'd be up to his neck in meetings and would be able to do little else. Right after that, he had to show his face at a party. He cringed. Drew and his brother would give him shit if he missed it.

"I'm here." His voice came out rougher than anticipated.

His little sister laughed. "Doesn't sound like you want to be. You sure you're going to be up to partying tomorrow night? I know you'll be busy all day. Why not just go home? I'm sure Drew will understand."

He hadn't considered that, because it wasn't an option. The party was to celebrate the anniversary of Drew's restaurant. It'd been two years since his friend had finally walked away from his family's business and approached the Steele brothers with his idea to open his own place, the brothers were more than supportive when Drew's father was not. They were his silent partners, until Drew bought them out. Now, two years, and four chains later, business was booming. His restaurants catered to the blue collared workers and A-List celebrities alike. And Malachi would be damned if he didn't celebrate his friends success. Tired or not.

"Nah. I'm going."

"Of course you are." She snorted.

"What's that mean?"

"That you're selfless, especially to those that matter most to you. That's why you're my favorite brother."

He hummed in amusement. "I thought Braxton was your favorite."

"Braxton is an idiot."

He chuckled as he leaned back in his office chair. "Still pissed about lunch?"

"We have one sibling date every month, and he stood us up. How are you not upset?"

"Because I've long since learned he beats to his own damn drum. Besides, he said he got held up."

"Yes, and her name is Yvonne Tanks."

Malachi frowned. "Am I supposed to know who that is?"

"She's a model and a snake. I hope he used protection."

"Jamie -."

"Just saying! I wouldn't put it past her. Last thing he wants is to father her child. That woman would love to sink her claws into one of you."

He sighed. "You know how careful he is. And knowing him, it was a one-time thing."

"For once, I hope that's true."

It was no secret that his sister, along with their mother hoped that the two Steele brothers would finally relinquish their bachelor cards once and for all. But that didn't seem to be happening in the near future for either one of them.

"We'll reschedule."

"You know how hard that is? With all of our crazy schedules, it's a miracle we could set aside one day this month. We don't have the time."

The hint of vulnerability in her tone gave him pause. After her recent bad break up, she'd been a little off. Especially if the bastard reached out to her. He frowned.

"Schedule it and we'll be there."

"But-"

"Schedule a damn date and time and we'll be there."

"Okay, okay. I will. Though, I'm not sure I want to invite him." She grumbled but he heard the smile in her voice and relaxed. "Are you still at the office?"