Page 49 of The (Maybe) Murderer Who Knocked Me Up

“Yeah. My brother said Slade needed some wheels to look for a job. He’s gotta get started on all that back-pay for child support.”

Stew runs a hand through his hair. “Oh. I didn’t know there was back-pay. Do you need some help, Slade? We could dip into our savings.”

“No. I’ll pay my own debts,” I insist.

Coin tosses me the keys. “Good. Let’s go. I have places to be.”

He walks out the door with the unaffected gait of someone who would rather be anywhere but here. He’s almost as attractive as his brother, but in a colder, jaded way. Where Quin is soft and sweet, Coin is all angles and hard lines.

The car outside is an old Buick, exactly like the one Georgina used to drive. It’s a little rusty in places, but not so bad for a free car. There’s a guy in the driver’s seat of a parked truck justbehind the Buick. He’s wearing coveralls and a baseball hat. He’s probably Coin’s ride.

“Meet Terrence. He’s my road trip car. Let me show you some brand new features I added just this morning.” Coin walks toward the left rear wheel. “This right here is a tracker. It will tell me where you are at all times, so if you decide to fuck around all day instead of searching for jobs, I’ll know.”

Or if I drive to his brother’s place, he’ll know.Fucking hell.

Coin opens the driver’s door and climbs inside. “You see this thing attached to the rearview window? That’s a camera. Same concept. I get to see where you’re going and who you’re with.”

So much for lying to Quin’s brothers.

“Quin invited me over for dinner tonight,” I say.

Coin clenches his jaw. His face looks eerily similar to Silver’s when he does that. “Why?”

“He wanted me to spend time with Chime before she finds out who I am.”

Coin gets out of the car and slams the door. “Give me the keys.”

I toss them back to him. It’s almost a relief. Lying to Quin’s brothers made me nervous.

Stew walks up to us, an easy, warm smile on his face. “He can borrow my car. It’s no trouble.”

Coin rolls his eyes. “So you think he should be involved in an innocent five-year-old’s life?”

“Yeah. If that five-year-old is his daughter.” Stew doesn’t even sound confrontational when he says it.

“How do you figure?”

Stew shrugs. “Slade isn’t a monster. He went to jail for protecting his brother. I don’t know what would have happened to my Jake if it hadn’t been for him.”

Coin’s gaze darts between Stew and me. “Is that true?”

“Yeah,” I say.

“Why do you think they only gave him ten years for murder?” Stew asks. “Well, six, because he got out on good behavior, but still. You don’t get ten years for killing somebody unless you had a good reason.”

Coin pauses for a long beat, then he throws the keys at my feet. “Fine. But you be careful with Quin and Chime. If you hurt them, there will be hell to pay.”

He turns around and walks toward the pick-up truck before I get the chance to respond.

Stew glances down at the keys by my feet. “That was interesting. I think you’ll fit right in.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you killed a man to protect your brother, and it looks like they’re about ready to do the same. Congratulations.” He pats me on the back and heads inside.

It isn’t until that moment that I know Jake never told Stew what he did six years ago. I always assumed he confessed because the two of them are so close. But if Stew thinks I killed a man, that means he doesn’t know Jake did.

I wonder why Jake lied, even after they bonded. Is he afraid Stew wouldn’t love him the same if he found out? My heart aches for my brother. Surely, he can see how forgiving Stew has been to me. But I get it. Stew is such a great guy. It makes sense that Jake wouldn’t want to risk losing him.

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