Page 30 of Clap Back (Carter Brothers)

“Hi,” Athena waved.

“You’re Gavrel’s sister,” Gable said as he leaned back in the chair. “How are you doing?”

Athena went sad for a short second before shrugging. “Making it.”

She was.

Day by day.

“I was just encouraging her to work on an app to help find her sister who went missing when she was a child,” I said, changing the subject.

It wasn’t that Athena didn’t want to talk about Gavrel, but she would start crying, and at least the topic of her sister wouldn’t make her cry at the drop of the hat.

Gavrel’s death was still too fresh. Her sister’s disappearance was a long ago wound that still hurt her, but she could cope with it.

“Your sister went missing?” Garrett asked. “What happened?”

“You know what happened, dummy,” Gable said. “This was the little girl who was playing at a park with a friend, right across the street from the friend’s house. Nice neighborhood, even nicer park. Upper crust of Dallas elite. That was why Gavrel joined the DPD. To help other kids who went missing like his sister did.”

“Oh, yeah.” Garrett winced. “I’m sorry. I should’ve remembered that.”

Athena smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“I’m trying to encourage her to make an app that’ll help her compare old missing persons photos. Ones that’ll transform the kids into what they’d look like today. Then create a database with all kinds of helpful stuff.”

“It’s already been playing out in my head for the last ten minutes.” Athena looked far away. “I have so many ideas.”

I grinned. “Go, friend.”

Athena glanced at me. “I was going to go to the lawyer with you.”

“Yeah,” I said. “But I don’t need a ride anymore.”

“You don’t?” she asked.

“She doesn’t,” Auden replied succinctly.

That hadn’t been what I meant.

“Okay then.” Athena stood up. “It was very nice to meet you all. Thank you for the save back there.”

She pointed at Scott and Sheldon who were still at our old table with our drinks, glaring.

Bruise my esophagus.

—Things you love hearing from your girlfriend

AUDEN

I’d, of course, clocked her the moment we’d come in.

I’d also clocked the douchebag and his asshole sidekick, Sheldon.

When I’d ordered, it’d been my every intention to walk right over there and invite the two women to my table.

Only, just before I’d taken a step in their direction, my eyes had caught on my brother, Gable.

He was looking like he’d seen a ghost.

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