Page 68 of How Much For a Life of Lies?

Simple as that, I was labeled, and then she hurried away to join some other kids near the food table.

We stood in silence, and it was weird, but then Leo yanked me into a hug, and I was close to flailing out of it. “Hide from my brother again, and I’ll hurt you,” he growled.

I could have laid him on the floor, but I hugged him back, which surprised us both. When we separated, he cleared his throat, and we exchanged nods. I was warned, and he was happy he’d warned me, and I didn’t kill him for threatening me.

Win/win.

Leo looped an arm through mine and tugged me away. “Come meet Mom and Dad.”

I threw a glance over my shoulder at Kai, desperate for him to rescue me, but he smirked and accepted a soda from Lorna, and when Jax fell in step with me, I guessed I was meeting the parents. We found them sitting in the shade, a small, fiery Italian woman who demanded I call her Mama Byrne and her placid former cop husband who smiled and said hello. They’d taken in four children who needed a home and made them a family, and I had to fight the urge to thank them for looking after Jax and giving him such a perfect life. They wouldn’t want me doing that, and hell, I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact I hadn’t had that life, because it wasn’t their fault that I’d been the one my mom sold. By the time we were done with introductions, Kai was dragging a chair next to me, handing me a bottle of water, and then taking my free hand when he sat.

I really needed to hold his hand.

We talked for a long time about Iris and India, Jax’s daughters from his first marriage, his business, Leo-the-cop, his daughter Daisy, and his husband, and the names were so many I couldn’t keep track.

I relaxed after people went home, and the backyard and garden grew quieter. However, my heart didn’t crack until Mama and Papa Byrne headed out. Everyone said their goodbyes, and I thought that was the end of their visit, but then Mama Byrne tugged at my arm.

“I need you to walk me to the car, Zach. And you, Kai,” she said, so we took each side, assisting when she didn’t need help. When we reached the Toyota, she turned to face us both, grasping one of our hands each. “I have four children,” she began, and I tensed, waiting for her to warn me, or tell me not to hurt any of them. She squeezed his hand as if she could feel my reaction. “We could always stand to have a couple more,” she finished, then tugged Kai closer, kissing his cheek, before doing the same to me. “So if you need somewhere to go, a home and a family, you know where we are.”

I was speechless and my eyes pricked with tears. That was just fucking stupid, right? She patted my cheek and smiled and didn’t expect an answer, it seemed. Then we watched them leave, and I even waved as they turned out of the drive before we stood in silence.

“Did we just get adopted?” Kai asked.

I pulled him to my side, and he rested his head on my shoulder. “Maybe we could stand to have more family apart from just us,” I said cautiously.

“We should talk about Charlie, and how he fits into everything.”

“No.” He glanced at me with a furrowed brow. “I don’t mean Charlie. He’s in the right place with Jax and Arlo. He’s gonna be the happiest, luckiest kid, and it won’t ever be a secret who I am, but y’know, when we’re done with a job, or we’re just done… maybe having people to come home to would be cool?”

He turned in my arms and cradled my face, then tugged me down for a kiss.

“Sounds good,” he whispered into the kiss.

So good.

We stayed with Jax for the full week, and by the third day, I’d stopped jumping at shadows, and by the fourth, Kai had semi-relaxed as well. Not that I was rested because I didn’t sleep well, but I curled up with Kai and tried. I woke at three, same as usual, and eased myself out from under Kai, who, it turned out, had octopus arms. He wrapped himself around me as if he never wanted to let go, but when I kissed his forehead and reassured him I would be back, he rolled onto my pillow and muttered something in his sleep.

I swear it was about his damn HK pistol and god, I loved him for that.

The house’s quiet enveloped me like a warm blanket as I grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen and sat in the dimly lit living room. Soft lamplight cast gentle shadows across the walls, and it was so damned quiet and soft and… I needed it. Outside, the world was sleeping, and the only sound was the occasional rustle of leaves in the gentle night breeze. In the quiet of my brother’s home, I found a sense of peace that eluded me elsewhere, and it felt weird.

Wrong somehow.

As I leaned back into the plush cushions, lost in my thoughts, Jax emerged from the hallway, a small figure cradled in his arms. Charlie was fast asleep, his tiny chest rising and falling, and Jax grinned at me.

“Hey,” he said softly, a warm smile playing on his lips as he settled onto the sofa opposite me. “Couldn’t sleep?”

I shook my head, offering him a tired smile. “It’s too quiet,” I said without thinking and winced. Only Jax nodded, his gaze drifting down to Charlie nestled against his chest.

“I get that. I kinda like the quiet.”

“We’re different,” I said, gesturing to myself, “but the same.”

“Weird, right?”

“So much.” I was still finding my footing where my twin was concerned. I loved him and I wish we’d grown up together, but if wishes were horses…

I’d grown up thinking the world was hard, fighting for my place in it, and there’s something to be said about nature versus nurture. We’d been born the same but I was a trained soldier, I wanted to protect. I wanted to run into danger to keep my twin and Charlie safe.

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