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CHAPTER ONE
Jace
MOST PEOPLE he knew looked forward to their eighteenth birthday. He did not. He wasn’t sure exactly what it would entail except it probably wouldn’t end well for him. He’d saved up enough money to stay in a motel for a week or two, but being thrown out was the least painful scenario.
Whatever his brother had planned for him, he doubted he’d survive it.
He wasn’t tough or brave. He’d been doing everything to stay under the radar. Ronin’s radar that was. He’d barely been home save to sleep, and he’d fed himself for years. He’d done everything to keep Ronin from noticing him.
His brother was a sociopath. He was sure of it. He enjoyed making others suffer.
When his parents had died, Ronin had taken custody of him and moved into the house. There were almost twenty years between them, and Ronin had a decent-paying job back then, so no one thought twice about it.
He still didn’t know why Ronin hadn’t just let him go into the foster system. Ronin sure as fuck didn’t love him. Ronin had hated his mom because their dad had left Ronin’s mom for her. They’d never outright told him, but he was pretty sure they’d been cheating before his dad had divorced his ex. While his dad had been a piece of shit whom his mom had been too afraid to leave, he’d never hurt Jace. Not like Ronin.
He took a deep breath before pushing open the front door. He heard loud voices as he stepped inside. He tried to be as silent as possible as he made his way toward the stairs. If he just hid in his room, perhaps Ronin would forget about him?
Of course, he wasn’t that lucky.
The stairs creaking had him freezing.
“Jace?”
The deep growl of Ronin’s voice had the hair on his arms and the back of his neck standing on end.
“There you are, baby brother,” Ronin said as he stepped into the hallway, a toothy grin aimed at Jace. “It’s your birthday. Know what that means?”
Jace shook his head.
“No? Well, you’ve never been that smart, have you?”
Jace knew better than to open his mouth and say what he really wanted to.
Ronin waved him down and he cautiously stepped off the stairs, lowering his school bag to the floor. Ronin slung an arm across Jace’s shoulders and pulled him along as he headed for the front door.
Was he actually throwing him straight out? Not even letting him pack a bag first? The few things he owned were his. He’d paid for them with the money he earned working at the grocery store.
They went out the door and Ronin led him to the detached garage where several bikes were parked. He recognized Ronin’s and one of the others belonged to Ronin’s friend Talon.
Ronin let go of Jace who froze to the spot, expecting the worst.
He watched as Ronin went to one of the bikes and patted the seat while smirking at Jace.
“Happy birthday, little brother.”
He stared unblinkingly at Ronin.
“It’s all yours. You’ll need it.”
“The bike?”
Ronin rolled his eyes and Jace’s shoulders rose instantly. He knew better. Ronin hated stupid questions.
“I told Gears you’ll be prospecting,” Ronin said. “He didn’t think it was a good idea, so I need you to prove him wrong.”
Was he fucking serious?
From the look in Ronin’s eyes, he was. Whatever happened from then on, he knew Ronin would blame him for it.
