Page 10 of In Daddy's Hands

Ross nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He walked away, leaving Jupiter confused as hell.

With his mind buzzing, Jupiter moved to do his final cleanup for the night. Why was Ross sorry? Did he know something Jupiter didn’t? Jupiter’s breathing got heavier by the second until he was on the verge of a panic attack. The front door opened, pulling Jupiter’s gaze that way.

Ross rushed from the kitchen. “I’m sorry. That should’ve been locked. We’re—” His words died as he obviously realized who had waltzed in.

Banks’ gaze scanned the room, finding Jupiter. His face was set in a hard line. Jupiter’s pulse pounded in his ears. Banks pointed at him and then motioned toward the door. Jupiter looked Ross’ way. Ross threw his hands up, looking annoyed but resigned.

Jupiter rushed Banks’ way. “What’s wrong?”

Banks’ hand landed on the small of Jupiter’s back, steering him outside to his waiting car. “You’re needed.”

Jupiter wanted to scream. “Tell me what’s wrong. I’ve been texting Boone all night with no luck. My anxiety is off the charts here.”

“It’s fine.” He opened the door on the sports car he owned that looked exactly like Boone’s, except a different color. “He’s down with a migraine.”

Confusion washed over Jupiter as he watched Banks circle the car. Banks looked too pinched for a simple migraine. He watched Banks start the car. “A migraine?”

Banks buckled Jupiter’s seatbelt without looking at him. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but yeah.” He handed Jupiter a box. “If you can rouse him at all, get him to smoke one of these.”

Jupiter opened the box and peeked inside while Banks steered his way from the parking lot. The laced cigars both brothers smoked were inside. “What do you mean, it’s more complicated than that? He told me they were debilitating, but I haven’t witnessed one.”

Banks kept his gaze locked on the road. A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Boone wouldn’t like me telling you if you don’t already know.”

That stung. Banks made it sound like he wasn’t important enough to Boone to know some big secret. “That makes it a little harder to help him, but okay?”

Banks’ shoulders fell, as if he had been holding himself rigid. “He’s going to kill me.”

“Not if I don’t tell him you told.”

Banks shot him a quick glance. “I wouldn’t ask you to keep secrets.”

“It’s for the greater good.” Jupiter wasn’t above anything at this point.

“All right. He was shot in the head about ten years ago.”

Jupiter gasped. His mind raced. He couldn’t even imagine. When he thought about it, he had noticed a scar underneath Boone’s shaggy hair when it was wet.

Banks nodded. “I can’t go into details about how it happened, but only about five percent of people survive what he did. He was in a coma for about a month. Since then, he’s suffered constant pain. Even when it’s not migraine level, the pressure is there. It changed him, obviously.”

“Why wouldn’t he tell me that?”

Banks didn’t respond.

Jupiter hated there was still something he wasn’t being told, but at least he knew the important bits. The rest was the past. He set his hand on Banks’ forearm. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll take care of him.”

Banks shot him a quick smile. “Thanks. I’m glad he has you.”

Jupiter sat back and tried to be patient. Fucking Cali traffic. He couldn’t get to Boone fast enough. Another thought hit. “Will he be angry when I just show up? Is that why he called you and not me?”

“He didn’t call me.” That one surprised Jupiter. “I knew what was up as soon as all my calls started going straight to voicemail. Boone would never be unavailable to either of us unless he was completely down. Trust me, he’s too far gone to do anything but hurt. He won’t be mad.”

Jupiter nodded. The gesture was more for himself. He had this. It was time to take care of his daddy. He could show he was the best boy and Boone didn’t have to keep this a secret. Boone didn’t need to be strong all the time. When they finally reached Boone’s place, Jupiter was ready to jump from the car and run inside. Instead, he tried to measure his movements. He kissed Banks’ cheek.

“Thank you for the ride.”

Banks nodded. “Thanks for being willing to take care of him.”

“Of course.” That was something no one would ever have to thank him for. Jupiter climbed from the car and headed for the house. He set his finger on the scanner and the lock disengaged. Jupiter released a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding. Part of him still worried Boone had dodged his calls because he was done. The house was totally silent and dark. Jupiter stood still and let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He didn’t want to throw any lights on and cause Boone pain. Jupiter took off his apron and dumped it alongside his shoes in the mudroom. With the box Banks had given to him clutched to his chest, Jupiter tiptoed through the house, doing his best to be silent. He made sure Boone wasn’t on the couch before heading to the bedroom. He peeked inside. There was a lump on the bed.

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