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“Don’t we all,” she murmured. Her own parents had been willing to toss her to the side when she opened up about her brother’s abuse. Their reaction was the total opposite of what she expected. Instead of helping her, they accused her of lying. Of being jealous of his achievements. She was intimately aware that blood was no thicker than water.
“So you and Neo, huh?” Branch shot her an affable grin as he redirected the conversation.
“Branch isn’t exactly known for his subtlety.” Silver rolled his eyes.
There was no denying that something had sparked in her heart when Neo was near. A recognition of sorts. A pull from deep within. She shook her head and raised a brow. “No. Neo’s hired me to watch over his brother’s medical needs and ensure the relocation is smooth.” She shifted in the hard seat of the lounge area.
“Speaking of relocation, me and the guys have some properties for you to check out tomorrow. Some might need modifications, but we tried to stick close to what Neo asked for. There’s one in particular that I’m excited for you guys to see.” He flashed her a grin, stood up, and started walking away from the lounge area.
“Where did he go?” By the way Jacob searched the crowd, she could tell he was wondering the same thing.
“Ah. Well, where Joker sucks with people, Branch more than makes up for it. He’s also the most distractible and impulsive of the group. Probably saw something shiny or someone who needed a hand.” Silver lifted his chin toward the security checkpoint. Branch was hauling a rolling carry-on in one hand and a pet cage in another. Hearing the conversation from this distance was impossible, but Branch’s easy smile as he chatted to the elderly man he was assisting wasn’t forced. The man genuinely liked helping others.
“So Joker is the antisocial one,” she said. “Branch is the squirrel—”
“Squirrel?” A deep chuckle rumbled through Silver.
“Yeah. A squirrel sees a nut; no matter what it’s doing, it’s off on the hunt. Jumps down from its branch, and it’s gone.”
He gave Jacob a broad smile and was given one in return. “All right. I’m following what your nurse is saying now.”
“Right, so what does that make Neo? And you? Why Silver?” She suddenly had so many questions about the group’s dynamic. Jacob cackled at her string of inquiries, and his arms and legs shook involuntarily.
“Hey, you okay?” Silver looked frantically from her to Jacob.
“He’s fine. Right, Jacob?” She laid her hands gently just above his knees to ease the trembling. “Sometimes, when he gets excited or overstimulated, his body shakes. It’s typical of his condition.”
“You’ll have to tell us if there are any medical warning signs to look for. That way, we can all keep an eye out.”
She nodded. “I’m happy Jacob will have good people in his life. He deserves that.”
“We’re a family. Brothers. If Neo trusts you enough to care for his brother, you’re in that circle, too.” Silver fastened his gaze on her. “We watch each other’s backs, and that includes at home as well as overseas. Now to answer your questions. Neo is cold and calculating. If a hard decision needs to be made, he’s the most apt to wield the sword. I’m the old man. Boys thought it would be funny to nickname me Silver because I’m fifteen years their senior.”
She scrunched her nose. “You don’t have much gray in your hair for a silver fox.”
“Don’t have much hair at all, darlin’.” A small smile tilted his lips.
“And I’ve seen a lot of emotions from Neo in the past two days, but cold and calculating haven’t made the list once.” She hated that Neo saw himself that way. Shae had always referred to her oldest son as a cold bastard who didn’t care if she lived or died. Who never visited his mother. Now she understood why she never said she was disappointed he didn’t visit his mom or brother. Shae had never contacted Neo to tell him that Jacob existed.
“That’s how I know you’re different.” Silver’s voice held a quiet intensity.
“What do you mean?” Her stomach fluttered.
“You said you’ve seen a lot of emotion.” He shook his head. “That’s not Neo. At least the man he shows to others. We see his other sides—the dry sense of humor, the profound hit he takes each time he’s forced to make a difficult choice, the loyalty—but we see that only because he lets us. Because we’ve bled and suffered together.” Silver drew in a quick breath. “Maybe it’s meeting Jacob. Maybe it’s a connection he feels with you or a combination of both, but he’s letting you see him. He’s giving you a glimpse of the one thing he doesn’t dare show in battle. The one thing he isn’t prepared to lose.”
Brynn hesitated, then asked, “What’s that?”
“His soul.” He stood from his crouched position by Jacob’s chair. The crowd had thinned, and Neo approached them with a duffel swung over his left shoulder. Behind him, Joker dragged the rolling bag.
“Everything okay?” Neo asked as he got closer. His stare was focused on her alone. He was a lot of things—intense. Stubborn. A born protector. But cold and ruthless? Not the man she’d been getting to know. Maybe she’d briefly thought him those things, but now, she couldn’t imagine how she had.
“Everything’s good.” She tried to look for the callous and the hard, but his eyes seemed to soften when they landed on her and Jacob. “Thanks for getting the bags.”
“Branch is helping a man through security. Joker and I will walk you out to the car, and he can meet up with us in the parking lot.” Silver gripped the handles of Jacob’s wheelchair. “Mind if I…?” he asked her.
“You’ll have to ask Jacob.” She was thrilled Neo’s team was being hands-on with Jacob, but they didn’t need to address her if they had a question for him. He made his own choices and had strong opinions to share, so long as you knew how to identify his tells.
“Sorry, man.” Silver circled to the front of Jacob. “Won’t happen again. Unless you want to do something illegal—then I might need to ask Nurse Brynn first. Okay if I wheel you?”
