Page 118 of Things We Burn

“How you handling it, being out?” he asked, tone as soft as was possible for a man like Knox.

I gritted my teeth. He was worrying about me. Yet again. He’d seen the state of me after I got out of prison the first time around. It wasn’t pretty.

“I’m handling it,” I told him.

It wasn’t a lie. Yeah, I wasn’t sleeping. Yeah, when a room got even a little balmy, my blood pressure skyrocketed. Yeah, I was stripped raw from feeling like that helpless fucking kid again. But it was all still fresh. I’d get over it. I had to get over it. I had people to take care of.

“It’s a lot,” he pushed. “Shit that goes with being in. And out. And with you being a dad—”

“I’m handling it,” I cut him off, not ready to open that can of worms.

Knox nodded, respecting the boundary.

“Thank you.” I didn’t miss his flinch when I clapped him on the shoulder. Knox wasn’t good with human contact if it wasn’t violent. “For making sure I didn’t get shanked or anything in there.”

I watched as Knox gritted his teeth, causing a muscle in his cheek to tic. “Well, someone had to. You’re too fucking pretty for your own good.”

I shook my head and laughed. “Seriously, brother. Know you probably had to call in some markers.”

“Worth it,” Knox replied. “That’s the reason I collect markers after all.”

I knew that he was shutting down the conversation. It was getting too close to specifics related to his life in the underworld. One he was diligent about protecting me from.

Not for the first time, I grieved for the life my brother might’ve had, the relationship we might’ve had.

“You sure you’re good, taking care of that asshole?” I motioned back to where Brax was lying in the mud.

“Oh, yes. Consider it my baby shower present,” Knox’s eyes gleamed. “Now get back to your woman.”

I was already aching to. It had been less than an hour, and anxiety was building in the back of my spine. What if something happened? What if she’d fallen? Gone into labor early?

I picked up my helmet, ready to get back.

“Gladly will, once I get the promise you’ll come meet your niece when she’s born.”

Knox stilled. Me requesting a promise was as good as an oath to him. Knox didn’t make promises he couldn’t keep. And though he’d been there for me in many ways throughout theyears, vanilla, family shit like meeting babies was outside of his wheelhouse.

I saw him consider my request, waited half expecting a refusal. I wouldn’t be mad. Knox did his best, gave me what he was capable of. I took it because he was my brother, and I loved him.

“I’ll be there,” he said finally. “You call me, I’ll be there.”

I smiled at him.

“I’ll call you the second she enters the world,” I said, climbing on my bike.

“You may not need to,” he quirked a brow. “She might cause an earthquake or hurricane or some shit. I’ve got a feeling she’s going to be powerful.”

I turned on my bike. “Oh, I know she’s gonna be powerful.”

AVERY

I didn’t know what to do in Kane’s absence.

Which, of course, was insane since I’d been without him for months and about thirty-five years before that. And yet…

When he left, I’d stood in the middle of the living room, Blanche sitting contentedly at my feet as I stared into space, listening to the rumble of Kane’s motorcycle and then the silence once it drove off.

To be fair, I hadn’t exactly been a productive human since I arrived in Jupiter. Yes, I’d done the research to get a reliable car, I’d negotiated the best closing deal on the house, got a sensible mortgage, homeowner’s insurance, all of those things.

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