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“Well, that’s the truth,” she mutters.
“Yeah, well, I’m still pissed that Silas didn’t tell me the truth. Or that fucking Bane didn’t tell me he was my goddamn brother.” It comes out a low growl, anger dancing all over my words.
Ma tsks softly. “Oh, honey, I don’t think Lincoln ever knew.”
I cut her a sharp look, my gaze roaming all over her face. “You sure?”
Her eyebrows are drawn together in a slight furrow, lips pursed. “He’s never given a single indication to me or anyone else that he does. And I think he would have by now. I know the three of you grew up together, raised practically as brothers, but Lincoln”—she pauses and shakes her head a few times—“he really got dealt a hand of shit with his parents. They didn’t do right by him.”
I never really thought about it much, but she’s not wrong. Bane spent a ton of time at our house growing up. I used to think it was just a club thing, except that other club kids didn’t have their own rooms at our house. At one point, I remember thinking he was over all the time because he was our cousin, but even that didn’t explain why he moved in during elementary school.
“Yeah, I guess.” I take a deep breath, the weight of this revelation is still settling.
“And the compound? Is it running okay? I’ve been thinking about Helen and her girls. A lot of them don’t have a permanent residence, and it doesn’t seem right to kick them out to keep them from danger when putting them on the street could very well be their downfall.”
I adjust the strap on the bag that keeps trying to slide off my shoulder. “As far as I know, they’re still at the compound and doing fine. But Bane has been around the clubhouse more than I have.”
“Work keeping you busy, son?” she asks.
“I’ve got a few customs I’m working on simultaneously to make the deadline. Plus, my extracurriculars keep me pretty busy.”
She looks at me, her gaze shrewd as it ping-pongs all over my face. “I hope for your sake that you’re being careful. Especially if these assholes are waiting in the wings for us. All it takes is one single moment of opportunity, and then you’re fucked.” She punctuates her point with a snap of her fingers.
I fight to keep the eye roll in check. “I’m bubble wrap, Ma. I’m safe as fuck.”
She clears her throat and looks at the ground for a moment, likely gathering herself together. “And how are you? You taking care of yourself?”
I flash her one of my trademark charming grins. “I’m right as rain. Always am.”
She rests her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it once. “That’s my boy. Let’s go in before the bugs really start to come out. I wanna hear more about this whole Ginny and Lizzie situation. We gotta get our girl out from underneath that family’s clutches, son.”
“I couldn’t agree more. They gotta go. But the real question is: how do we get Evangeline on board?”
35
EVANGELINE
I sigh, flopping onto my couch and staring at the ceiling. “Is it possible to have a hangover from fun? A fun hangover. A fungover. Ugh, that doesn’t really work.”
Lincoln’s chuckle precedes him as he walks into the living room. “Yes, it’s possible and no, that definitely doesn’t work, but I still like it. I take it you’re crashing after having too much fun with Hunter yesterday?”
“Yeah,” I breathe. “We made a blanket fort in the loft area and had a pizza picnic. Then we watched a bunch of cartoon shorts on my laptop. It was a great day.”
“Sounds like it.”
“I can’t wait for this to all be over so he can come back home. I didn’t really think it was possible to miss a kindergartner this much.” I roll my head across the back of the couch and look at him. “On a scale from one to Silas glaring and stalking out of a room, how bad is it going to be when I tell him Hunter and I are officially besties?” I smirk, amusement bubbling inside of me and rejuvenating me a little bit.
He pauses, leaning over the back of the couch with one hand on each side of my head. The corners of his mouth curl into a sly grin as he looks down at me. “I don’t know, sugar, but that’s something I’d sure like to see.”
I tilt my chin up in a silent question, and he bends over further. Our noses brush together before our lips meet in a soft, lingering kiss. And because he’s wonderful and hot as fuck, he obliges. I turn his quick peck into something much more, swiping my tongue along the seam of his lips. He responds eagerly, parting them instantly and deepening the kiss. It feels like we’re having our very own Spider-Man style kiss.
The shrill sound of a doorbell fills the room, and he pulls away. “You expecting anyone?”
I purse my lips and shake my head. “The only people who would ever be here for me just walk right in—even the ones I don’t want to see.”
He sends me a pointed look. “You gotta start locking the door, sugar.”
I jump to my feet and wave my hand in the air, dismissing his words. “Yeah, yeah. Nova already gave me the big speech in the car.”
