Page 43 of No Second Chances

“What’s wrong, Kenny?” He tries to move me off him, but I’m not budging.

I may be almost twenty-six, but my brother never stands up for me like that. At least, not that I know of.

“No-nothing.” I cry even harder, my eyes closed and pressed against Remy.

“Can someone help me out here?” He starts to sound panicked, but that doesn’t stop me from using him like a tissue. “Come on, Linc. Why’s she cryin’ like this?”

“Be-because.” I sob, my breath catching in my throat. “You stood up for me. With the man I l-love.” Stuttering on my tears, I take the comfort that only my big brother can give me.

“You broke her, Linc.” Remy pries me off him slowly, wincing and complaining when I don’t let go easily. “You broke her and now you have to fix her.”

His words catch me by surprise.

Linc didn’t break me. Not at all. Linc is the only one who stood a chance of putting me back together again.

I let go of Remy, turning to see Linc staring at me with an inscrutable expression.

“Go away, Remington,” I snap at him. “And take your family with you.” I wink at Parker and blow a kiss at Nox as they leave.

Once Linc and I are alone, standing next to the destruction of his porch swing, I cough lightly.

“I love you too, Kennedy.” His eyes lock on mine and I have to bite my lip to keep from saying anything. “I love you. And I know you’re not ready to tell me what exactly happened with Royal. I know he hurt you, and I fucking promise… I will fix what he broke with tacos and sex.”

19

LINC

Remy’s annoying voice blares through the speaker on my phone, and I want to hang up on him, but not before I get what I’m calling for.

“I need your help, man. Are you going to do it or not?”

“No,” Remy snaps irately. “I’m not. You were supposed to watch Nox yesterday but you said you wouldn’t, and now I’m trying to work from home and keep him entertained on my day off and I wanted to go pick something up for Parker as a surprise. You’re annoying me. Why would I help you?”

Squeezing the steering wheel in my cruiser so hard I think it will break, I focus on my breathing. It isn’t exactly easy while I sit in the parking lot of Taco Bell after meeting Kennedy for lunch. My fuckin’ cruiser isn’t comfortable on a good day, and I’m definitely not having a good day.

“Because you love me, and you owe me, and I played roller derby again for you and your friend and ended up with my balls out.”

Silence on the other end of the line lasts way longer than it should have. Finally, Remy sighs, huffing and blowing loudly into the mouthpiece. “What do you want?”

“I need to switch shifts.” I tap the steering wheel more. “Seeing Kennedy randomly when our shifts work out isn’t cutting it for me anymore.”

“What do you expect me to do about it? I’m on the same shift you are.”

“I’m gonna ask Dom to switch with me. I just want you to... encourage him to take it. If I try, he’s gonna throw the balls thing in my face and shit.”

“Fine. But you owe me.”

“Done and done.”

My radio crackles loudly, ending our conversation. “Unit 14, please call in. 10-45 in progress.”

Fuck.

Domestic dispute was the ten code for 45, and dispatch wouldn’t be requesting that I call in unless there is a connection to the police department or county in some way. I check the CAD, my computer aided dispatch, but there is nothing there yet.

“Hey, Teri,” I say as soon as she answers the phone.

“I’ve got an active domestic dispute at 45 Oak Street.” She doesn’t pull any punches. “That address is in the system belonging to Royal Prince, Linc.” She pauses, which tells me Teri knows exactly what happened with him and Kennedy in the past. And it gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. “You need to know,” she starts again. “The report was from a neighbor saying that it looked like he was hitting a curly-haired redhead through the front window, but they couldn’t be sure.”

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