“Can we talk in private?” he asks Lily as he glances up from staring at the floor.
“No.” Lily shakes her head, tugging me across the room and insisting I sit in the armchair as she gestures to it.
“I’ll get blood on it,” I remind her as she fluffs one of the cushions.
“I don’t care,” she mutters. “You got stabbed, Asher. You need to rest.”
As a hot sweat bursts across the back of my neck and pain starts to throb through my body, I give in and sit, noticing Barrett frown as he assesses me.
“If he got stabbed, he’ll likely need stitches,” Barrett grumbles.
“Already sorted,” I say. “AJ?—”
“I did it,” Lily interrupts. “Not the best job, but he’ll be fine.”
Barrett frowns again. “Youdid it?”
Lily throws up her hands in a huff, moving across the room to the kitchen.
“I raised twin boys, Barrett. You don’t think I learned a thing or two over the years?”
When he turns his confused glare on me, I just shrug, realising that Lily doesn’t want her cousin to know about AJ. It’s probably because of what I overheard. Stuff about Barrett’s dad, and how AJ wants him to pay.
Filling a glass with water, Lily brings it over to me and hands me a couple of over-the-counter painkillers that’ll likely do nothing, but I take them, not wanting to argue with Lily right now.
“We need to talk about… family stuff,” Barrett grumbles as Lily sits on the arm of the chair and looks up at her cousin.
“Asher knows who I am.”
Barrett’s brows hitch while mine tug in.
“Do I?” I ask, gaining those blue eyes again.
I haven’t had a chance to wrap my head around everything I heard. In one night, I discovered she’s related to the Marx family, whoever they are. I thought her maiden name was Tipping, but given the things I overheard tonight, I’m gonna assume that’s a fake name.
She still has secrets, though. So many fucking secrets.
“Seriously, Lil… What are you gonna do when he blabs to the twins?” Barrett juts an accusing finger in my direction, and I straighten in the chair, puffing my chest out, ready to go a few rounds with him.
“I’m no fucking snitch,” I snarl, pointing my own fucking finger back. “Lily’s secrets are safe with me.”
“Until whatever the fuck this is fizzles out,” Barrett seethes, balling his fists. “Then what?”
“Who I share my secrets with is not your business,” Lily hisses, leaning forward as she scolds her cousin. “He knows I’m a Marx, and he knows what our family does.”
Fuck… I don’t really know that but I’m not about to bring that up.
“Secrets are what destroys a family and relationships, so I decided to be honest with Asher.”
Fuck, she lies so well.
“You should know how much they ruin, Barrett,” she snaps, and they have a silent stare off for a moment.
“Family secrets need to stay in the family,” Barrett mutters.
“Asher is my family.” Lily holds up a hand when Barrett’s lips part to protest. “He’s always been around. Grew up in this house in a way. Now, his role in the family has changed, but it doesn’t stop him from being a part of my family. So, he knows my real maiden name isn’t Tipping. He knows I’ve stayed away from Australia and my family because it was the only way I could keep my pregnancy and raise my sons,” she sighs, and fuck, she’s saying all of these things so I learn what she needs me to know. “He also knows my uncle Ewan wanted me to abort the pregnancy and have a hysterectomy.”
Fuck. It really is true. I was piecing all of that together while she and AJ spoke, and I was pretending to still be out of it, but it hits differently to know she’s saying it out loud so I know.
