Stepbrother Jerk by Natasha Knight Page A

her over. I took her by the arm. “Say thank you to Mack for his kindness, Lisa.”
    “What do you think you’re doing?” Lisa asked, looking from my face to where I held her arm, and back.
    “I’m trying to make a decent human being out of you. Now, say thank you so we can let Mack get back to work. He has an important job.”
    Her eyebrows went up and I almost busted a gut laughing with her right there. But it had been a long time since Lisa and I had shared a smile, much less a full out laugh. Instead, she turned an expressionless face to Mack and smiled the most bogus smile she could. “Thank you, officer ,” she said, her voice sickly sweet.
    I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “I’ll take it from here, Mack.”
    “Have a good night.”
    “You know, I think I will. Thanks.” I dragged step-sis inside and closed the door.
    “Okay, big brother , you can let go of me now,” she mocked.
    I was pretty sure if you looked up spoiled brat in the urban dictionary, you’d find Lisa’s picture right beside the definition. You’d also find it alongside words like selfish, callous, and cold. And she’d been so sweet when I’d first met her. I guess a lot could change in five years. Well, it was high time she learned that lesson. Hell, it was beyond overdue.
    “Sure thing, sis .”
    She huffed, her eyes on mine, searching for something. The last few times she’d been picked up, I’d given her a talking-to, then, after much begging on her end, agreed not to tell her mother or my father. But, clearly, I’d been going about this the wrong way because it’s not like it worked. Not like she’d never done it again. And now she stood there, staring at me, looking a little confused for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and walking toward the staircase.
    “I’ll let Mom and Dad know about this little incident when they get home. Let them handle this. I’m sure it’s what they want to deal with after a night on the town. Guessing car privileges are first to go, right? Wasn’t that what it was? Oh, but wait, with the pot….” I made a face as if thinking hard, but in reality, this was too damn easy. “I think that may impact allowance.”
    For a moment, albeit the briefest of moments, she looked almost innocent. Or scared. Probably the latter. I’d known Lisa for five years now. She’d been fifteen when my dad and her mom had introduced us, saying they were getting married. I’d been three years older and had a clue what was going on. My dad had been open about dating, and he and my mom had been divorced for years. Lisa, on the other hand, hadn’t had a single clue. Her mom had apparently told her a few minutes before introducing her to me and my dad, and I still remember the look on her face, how white she’d gone, how quiet. I remembered talking to her that night, and every night over the next few months. We’d gotten pretty close, but then, something had changed and that Lisa had disappeared, to be replaced by this one, this cold, calculating bitch who now stood glaring.
    She came back toward me, stumbling once on her way. Her gaze scanned me from head to toe. “What do you want, Jace?”
    “What do you mean?” I asked in my sweetest voice.
    “You always want something.”
    Well, that was true. But I was only human, and, in this case, what I wanted was for her as much as for me. Okay, maybe at the start, and perhaps during the execution of the plan forming in my head, it could be perceived as being more for me than for her, but ultimately, she’d reap the benefits, too. Although it would probably take her a while to see it that way.
    “What is it, money?”
    I gestured around me. This was my dad’s house. The money she was offering me came from him. I shook my head. “I’ve got more money than I know what to do with.”
    “Then, what? What do you want to keep this little incident between us?”
    “Like the last two times I kept your secret, you mean?”
    She folded her arms across her