"That's fine then," Killian said, his voice dropping into a smooth, deliberate purr. "I don't mind staying home all day and night with my sexy woman instead."
"Hey, now, come on, man," Marcus protested quickly, sounding genuinely panicked. "That's hardly fair to everyone else that's coming. It's your birthday, Killian. You can't just ditch your own family."
Killian's entire demeanor shifted, his voice dropping into a lethal, dangerous register that would have made a lesser man drop to his knees.
"I am serious, Marcus. I will throat-punch that motherfucker today if I see him."
Killian cut the call mid-sentence, hanging the phone up just like that without giving Marcus a chance to argue further. He took a deep, steadying breath to push down the sudden spike of adrenaline, then walked bac
