I kept my voice soothing as I helped him add the veggies and walked him through seasoning and adding everything to the broth. Every step, he did extremely carefully, mouthing along with my verbal list. Brooks and Matty hung back. They were mostly quiet, but they occasionally ribbed each other good-naturedly while they let Everett take focus. When Everett finished stirring and then put the lid on to simmer, I grinned at him. “Look at that. You made your first stew.”
He fucking beamed, and it hit me in the heart. A nineteen-year-old should not be this fucking excited to stir broth. Matty had a complicated look on his face I was having a hard time deciphering. He’d clearly latched onto Everett and was feeling very protective of him. I understood the sentiment, though I wasn’t sure if Matty’s feelings were more than brotherly. There was something in the way he looked at Everett that had me wondering if Matty was already developing a small crush on him. I’d have to get Brooks or Skye to investigate because he would clam up if I asked him about it.
“That’s gonna take a while,” Matty said. “Do you wanna play some video games until it’s ready?”
“Yeah. As long as it’s okay?” Everett eyed me warily.
I wished I could tell what he was thinking, but I didn’t know him well enough to get a great read on him. He seemed to be mostly an open book, but while I could see he was clearly anxious, I didn’t know what it was that had him unsettled.
“Yep.” I wiped my hands on my pants. “This needs about an hour. If y’all want to come back around then, I can show you how to make garlic bread.”
Everett’s face lit up again, but then it fell. He looked down, subconsciously digging at a cuticle until Matty grabbed his hand.
“What’s going on, Everett? You can talk to us,” Matty encouraged.
“It’s just that you’ve all been so nice to me. I’ve gotten to do so many things already. I’ve played video games and pool and learned to cook, and Matty even said he’d teach me how to swim later. But shouldn’t I be working? Mr. Charles said you’d all protect me so Mr. Verlice and the others couldn’t get me, but shouldn’t I be doing something to pay that back? Plus the bed and the food and the clothes?” He gestured to the sweats and T-shirt he was wearing. They must’ve been Diego’s. They were a little big on him, but he was the only one whose clothes Everett could possibly fit in. “I know I don’t get things for free. I have to work for or pay for them. And I can!” he quickly added. The kid hadn’t taken a breath yet, his words falling over each other in his rush to get them out. “I can help. I don’t have money now, but I know how to access Mr. Verlice’s. Agent Stevens said it was blood money and that since it was my fault that Mr. Verlice had it in the first place, then it was only right that I get it. But then Agent Stevens died and Mr. Charles and Agent Lester said he was full of shit, but I don’t know what that means. Then they died too.”
Everett sucked in a breath. He finally looked up, though he still didn’t meet my eyes. He was holding Matty’s hand, though, tight enough that his fingertips were turning white from the grip. Matty was a tough motherfucker and didn’t so much as flinch, already acting as Everett’s wall and supporting him. I had a flash of pride for my adopted son. He was such a good fucking kid. So many people would’ve shut down after everything he'd gone through or become bitter and mean. But Matty had never broken, never let the shit turn him into something he wasn’t. Whether or not he had a crush on our newest client was irrelevant because he would protect anyone.
“Anyway, I know I don’t know a lot about how the world works, but I know I have to earn my keep. And if you’re protecting me too? Mr. Charles said you usually get paid. Hewanted to work out a deal, but he’s not here anymore. So, I can get you Mr. Verlice’s money and earn my keep. I’m a hard worker, I promise. Whatever you need me to find, I can find it.”
I felt Brooks take a step, so he was standing directly next to me. His hand slid into mine, and I was grateful. Otherwise, I’d probably punch a hole through the fucking wall and scare the shit out of Everett. The kid didn’t deserve my anger, but every time he spoke, I got more pissed at the people who’d taken advantage of him. I thought about my nieces and nephews. I loved them to pieces, and if anything ever happened to my siblings and I got custody of those kids, I would do everything in my power to keep them safe and show them love. They wouldn’t need to prove they were worthy.
I could feel Matty and Brooks’s eyes on me as they waited for my response. I had to tread carefully here. We were going to need information from Everett. He was our best chance at finding the people after him and putting a stop to them. But there was no way I’d let him think he needed to provide us with work for us to feed him for fuck’s sake. And yeah, normally we’d get paid for a protection job, but I could speak for all the guys when I said that was the last thing on our minds when it came to Everett.
“That was a lot to unpack, but I want to be clear. You do not need to earn basic necessities. You always deserve food, clothes, and a place to sleep. We brought you into our home. We welcomed you. That means you get the same things everyone who lives here does. And yes, Mr. Charles was right that we usually get paid for protection jobs, but we have always made exceptions in special cases, and this is one of those times.” I paused, trying to figure out how to say the next part. Brooks squeezed my hand in support. “As far as you working, there will be a time, likely soon, when we’ll need to ask you questions. We’ll need your help finding Mr. Verlice and whoever else isafter you. I understand it’s probably hard to tell the difference now between what we’ll be asking and what you had to do before, but I hope with a little time, you’ll be able to understand it. None of us areevergoing to expect you to do the type of things your aunt and uncle or Mr. Verlice or any other of those fuckers expected from you. Using you like that was wrong. Do you understand me?”
I’d probably gone too far. Ramirez had explained to Luca and Wes that Everett had a difficult time distinguishing between right and wrong. Not in the traditional sense, as I was pretty sure he knew murdering or hurting innocents wasn’t okay, but when it came to the work he did, all he saw was the numbers. That was all he could comprehend. He didn’t differentiate which information was harmless and what led to the trafficking of hundreds of people. It wasn’t that he didn’t care. The people who’d exploited him, first his own family and eventually the criminal organizations, had been careful to only give him what he’d needed to make them rich. From when he’d been too young to understand the difference, he’d been manipulated and used for their gain. And by the time anyone had started to pay attention, it had been too late.
Everett shook his head. “No, not really. I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Brooks cut in for the first time since this had started. It was unlike him to stay quiet for this long, so it showed how important this moment was. “This is a lot. No one expects you to get thrown into this and understand. Though, for the record, I agree that Agent Stevens was full of shit. None of that was on you. You were a kid. You should’ve been protected and they failed you. Putting that shit on you is wild.”
Everett’s lip quivered. I wasn’t sure how much more he could take. “But, Agent Stevens said that I-I got hundreds of people killed and even more taken a-and sold. That people died of drugsor were forced to do awful things. That I caused that. He said that I deserved to be in jail and the only reason I wasn’t was because I had a lot of information that people wanted. I want to make it right. I-I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I didn’t know. They didn’t tell me what I was getting the information for. They never said! If I knew, then I wouldn’t have helped them. Even if it meant I didn’t get to eat dinner or go outside. It would’ve been okay because I would’ve been saving people. But I was selfish and hungry and didn’t know!”
Brooks gasped quietly next to me, unable to completely mask his initial reaction. Matty’s jaw was clenched so hard I thought he’d break it. And me? Well, I was coming out of my skin. Typically, I had better control over myself. Being such a big guy, I’d learned early in life to control my emotions because I was terrifying enough to people around me even when I was calm. I’d learned to self-regulate and healthy ways to deal with my feelings, like cooking or working out. I didn’t let things get to me. I fucking couldn’t.
But Everett’s blurted confession shattered the little bit of restraint I was holding onto. I didn’t know what it was about the kid that triggered my protective instincts to this extent, but they were. The tiny bits of information that had eked out during his panic-induced word vomit were enough to send me through the fucking roof. I wanted to fucking break something.
That wasn’t me, though. That wasn’t my role. I was the planner. The doer. There was something wrong and I fixed it. I only wished I understood how to fix this.
I worked my jaw, desperately trying to think of the words to make this better, to make Everett understand he was the victim in all this.
“My brother, Diego, you met yesterday, remember?” Brooks cut in. His voice was a little shaky, but the conviction was clear. As confused as the rest of us, Everett nodded. “He’s not mybrother by blood. I don’t know if anyone told you that yet. We were both adopted by the same people. Before that, though, he had a bad start in life. I won’t go into all the details because it’s not my story to tell. But he was in a shitty fucking situation with his foster family, and they forced him and the other foster kids to do some bad stuff for them. Robbery, selling drugs, that kind of thing. They’d threaten and punish them if they didn’t. Diego was sent to break in and steal from my parents’ house. My dad caught him.” Brooks laughed a little at the memory. “Instead of going to the cops or getting him in trouble, my parents took him away from the foster family and eventually adopted him. He was twelve.”
Everett’s eyes widened as he made the connection. “L-like me. When I had to go live with Mr. Verlice.” That wasn’t how I’d phrase it, but it seemed like he was following.
Brooks smiled sadly. “Yeah, like you. Diego did some bad shit he didn’t want to do before that. Do you think he should’ve been punished?”
Everett shook his head, his thick hair falling into his eyes. He didn’t bother to take it out. “N-no. It wasn’t his fault.”
“Exactly. And it wasn’t your fault either. Yeah, it’s fucking terrible that people got hurt or died, but that’s on Mr. Verlice and whoever else was in charge. They were the ones who did that, not you. If you didn’t give them the information, they would’ve found another way. That’s what scum like them do.”
Everett shook his head but didn’t argue. “It’s okay to be confused,” I added gently. “It’s a lot. No one expects you to believe us immediately. But it’s okay to let go now. We’ll keep you safe. It’s okay to live. To be a teenager, for fuck’s sake. Do you think you can try that?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t know what that means.”
Matty stepped closer so that their arms were touching. “It’s okay. I didn’t really know until I got here either, but now I’m an expert. I’ll teach you, if you want?”
