Page 40 of Caged Bird

Spider glared at Zane. “This jackass totaled my truck.”

I peered past the squabbling men and gasped at the damage to the front of Spider’s vehicle. The bumper was barely hanging on, the headlights smashed, the nose of the truck so crumpled it was a miracle they’d managed to get it home.

Zane shrugged. “Not my fault that police car pulled out right in front of me.”

Eddie’s expression went from amused to furious in seconds. “You hit a fucking police car?”

Zane glared at his brother. “See, funny thing happened. There was a fire. And so all of a sudden, there were police cars and ambulances and fire trucks everywhere. The odds of hitting one went from practically nonexistent to high in the space of a few minutes. And since I was suffering from smoke inhalation, seems my reaction time was slower than normal.” He stalked past Spider. “Fuck you, and fuck your truck. Hit my brother up for the cost of the repairs. Because I’m not paying you shit. Consider it your penance for nearly getting me killed.”

Ward gawked at Zane’s back. “That’s fucking cold, brother!”

Zane flipped his middle finger into the air without turning back. “Not your brother, asshole.”

Spider looked unhappily to Eddie. “You’ll get it fixed, right, Ed?”

Eddie just laughed. “Not a fucking chance. Get your junk bucket off my lawn. Make a claim against the cops.”

Spider started up an argument, but Zane was rapidly approaching the house, and I stumbled backward, not wanting to get caught eavesdropping on the men’s conversation. I couldn’t count how many times Eddie had warned me to mind my own business.

I hurried back inside, but the screen door swung open just a second later, and I spun around, Zane’s sharp green eyes meeting mine.

Heat flushed through me at just the sight of him, but it was quickly followed by anger. I’d heard enough of their conversation to know Zane was taking over Eddie’s role. And that they’d set another house on fire today.

Somebody’s entire home had just been destroyed because of Zane and Eddie Sinclair. I’d lost more homes than I could count. I had nothing of my own. No trinkets from my childhood or high school. No photos or old videos with friends or from when Otis was a baby.

Losing your home meant losing a part of yourself, and these men had no idea how much that could hurt.

“Fawn.”

I didn’t answer him, even though his deep, gravelly voice sent tingles through my body. I went back to the laundry, picking up the shirt I’d dropped and refolding it.

His fingers caught my wrist. “Fawn. Stop. We need to talk—”

The front door slammed again, and I ripped my hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

He blinked but dropped my arm instantly. “Last night—”

“Didn’t happen.”

“Zane!” Eddie’s deep laugh echoed through the house, mixing with the groan of his recliner as he slumped back into it. “Bring us a couple of beers. I want to know everything about the job.”

Zane squeezed his eyes shut. “We need to talk,” he whispered to me again. “Not here. Somewhere he won’t interrupt us.”

I shook my head, picking up a pair of Eddie’s pants I’d scrubbed the grime out of. “Just go, Zane. I need to be here for Eddie. And whatever you have to say, I don’t want to hear it.”

It was a lie. Every word. Deep down, my body didn’t want him to go. I didn’t want to be here for Eddie. And I did want to know what he wanted to say.

I wanted him to say more of the things he’d said last night in the dark.

But he would back down. My rejection would hurt him, and I knew it. Zane was quiet and sweet, but standing his ground wasn’t exactly something I’d ever seen from him in the past, and I definitely didn’t expect it now that he was under Eddie’s thumb again.

But he caught my chin between two fingers and gripped it hard enough I had no choice but to look up at him. “We are going to talk, Fawn. Away from him.” He leaned in close, his lips brushing over my ear. “Because I’m still thinking about what we did last night.”

My fingers went weak, and the pants I’d been folding fell back into the basket. His breath on my neck was warm, dancing over my skin, reminding me all too quickly of how it had felt between my thighs.

“Zane!”

Eddie’s demands cut through the haze.

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