Page 6 of Five Brothers

It’s nice of him to say, but being that way doesn’t seem to work out for me. Being gentle just makes me an easy target.

“Don’t change, okay?”

Yeah, okay. Whatever.

“Just take me to your house.” I push up my sleeves and fasten my seat belt. “I need to pick up my car.”

“Krisjen …”

“It’s fine, Trace.” I don’t look at him. “We’re not a couple. We never were.”

I lied to myself. I did it to myself.

I’m pretty sure I was officially a booty call from the start. One night last spring I followed Clay across the tracks into Sanoa Bay, the original settlement of St. Carmen.

Officially, we’re all St. Carmen now, but the Bay—where Trace and his family live—doesn’t like to hear that. They’re possessive of their land, and they want to rule separately.

They’re wild.

We hide everything.

They’re poor.

We’re not.

They’re Swamp.

We’re Saints.

Clay fell in love with Liv, the bad girl from the wrong side of town, and I fell into insanity with one of that bad girl’s brothers.

But it was never love like it was for Liv and Clay. Trace doesn’t think of me after I leave his bed, and if I’m being fair, I don’t think much of myself, either.

He turns the key, starting the engine, and in a moment, he’s pulling onto the road and heading left, toward the swamps.

We cruise past the gates of my house, and I glance to see the upstairs lights still off before Trace turns right onto the dark lane and then takes a another left, across the bridge and over the wetlands.

I take out my phone and DM my brother.

Running to the Bay to grab my car. Be back soon.

Marshall is almost thirteen. He usually has his headphones on so he won’t hear Paisleigh if she wakes up.

A text rolls in.How did you know I had the old iPad?

I laugh to myself.Because you’re smart, like me.

I took all of his tech when I put them both to bed two hours ago, but I didn’t ask for the one device he thought was still a secret. Maybe I should have. If my parents had been stricter with my bedtimes, maybe I’d be in college right now like all my friends.

But I also know Mars is going to do what he wants to do. I’m strict enough that he knows I care about him getting a good night’s sleep, but not so strict that all he learns is how to hide from me. There will be bigger battles than iPads and cell phones.

If he’s anything like me.

Love you. Give Jason a hug for me.

Leave my pillow alone,he fires back.

I laugh out loud, and I see Trace look at me out of the corner of my eye. My brother has a pillow with Jason Momoa’s face on it. It’s a good-looking pillow.

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