Page 30 of The MC's Little Brother

“I’m just saying. There’s an office in El Paso. You won’t be that far–”

“Salinger,” I growled, interrupting him.

Chuckling, he stopped trying to irritate me. “Right. Okay, so lemme wrap my head around this. Your little brother showed up out of nowhere, beat all to hell, and you took him in to stay with you. Is he a runaway?”

“Not technically,” I admitted. “He told me Jorge kicked him out, and he came here looking for help.”

He hummed, and I could hear him typing in the background. “I get that. Think his dad will report him missing? I don’t want that blowing back on you for harboring a runaway or something like that.”

“I doubt it. He never much cared about where his kids ended up. Besides, I got emergency custody. I’m working on getting permanent custody, but it’s a process.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, no shit. I’m assuming you looked him up?”

“Yes. Not a lot out there from what I can find. The kid somehow managed to get here all the way from Chicago, though.”

That made him splutter, and I felt a little vindicated that he was just as shocked as I was. It didn’t excuse my behavior from earlier, but at least I wasn’t the only one who was blown away.

“Holy shit. Alone? How old did you say he was again?”

“He’s twelve. And I’m not sure if he did it alone. He won’t talk to me about it.” I still wasn’t sure why. He was already here. It wasn’t like I was going to tell him to go back, either. So why the hell was it so important that he hid it from me?

“Think he did something illegal to get out there? Or someone else did, and he’s protecting them?”

That made me pause, considering it. It would explain why Xander was so reluctant to talk to me about how he got out here. But how? As far as I was aware, running away wasn’t a crime. And he didn't exactly run. He was kicked out. Yes, he should’ve gone to the cops or CPS first, but skipping that part wasn’t illegal. If someone moved a kid over state lines without a parent’s permission, though, that would be illegal. More and more, I felt like someone helped him get here. It was the only thing that made sense. I just couldn’t figure out who.

Salinger and I talked about adding Xander to my insurance and things like that, and he told me to take a few more days to figure things out before going back to work. Part of me wanted to start working again just for some normalcy, but I knew he was right. I needed to get a grip on the situation before I started disappearing into my office all day again. Once Xander was in school, it’d be easier. I could work while he was gone without feeling like a dick about it.

Mel and Xander got home later in the afternoon. Her tinkling laughter preceded her coming inside, and when I came out of my room, Xander looked a lot more relaxed than he had been that morning. I almost wanted to ask how the hell she made it look so easy to get him to open up.

“So, yeah. Never trust a biker when they say they’re fine. They’re never fine. They’re like farmers. They won’t admit they’re hurt because we make them stop doing the things they love in favor of healing.”

Thor shoved past me, going straight for the duo. Mel’s voice turned high pitched and squeaky as she smothered him in love. Xander kneeled down so he could greet the little shit, who’d been giving me the side eye all morning. I was pretty sure he was punishing me for making Xander cry.

When Mel looked down at Xander and tipped her head in my direction, I frowned. What the hell was she planning?

Xander pushed to his feet, grabbing a bag I hadn’t noticed that he’d set down on the side table by the door. He hesitantly crept closer, offering it to me.

“We got donuts this morning. I saved one for you.”

Surprise was a little bit of an understatement for how I felt. I acted likean ass, and yet he still did something nice for me. This kid was nothing like our old man.

I took the offered bag and peeked inside. It wasn’t anything fancy, plain glazed, but I happened to like the simple things. I wasn’t a big fan of sweets in the first place, so the lack of fancy toppings suited me.

Mel cleared her throat, giving me a significant look.

“Ah. Thank you. I appreciate it. I haven’t eaten yet today.”

Mel rolled her eyes. “Of course you haven’t. How is it that you’re such a good cook but you neglect feeding yourself?”

“I was busy,” I replied with a scowl. “I’ll make dinner soon.”

“Um… Maybe you should eat that?” Xander suggested, pointing at the bag. “To tide you over. I ate one on the ride here.”

Because I wanted him speaking up around me, I nodded. “I’ll do that. Is there something you’re hungry for?”

I had a list from the doctor on the stuff he should eat, but it was mostly ingredients. I could do whatever I wanted with them.

Xander shrugged, and he looked uncomfortable making suggestions, so Mel stepped in for him. “What about that stuffed chicken thing you made the last time we babysat together? It’s got tons of veggies, so–” She cut herself off with a laugh at Xander’s grimace. “Oh, bestie. We’re gonna give you tons of veggies. You better learn to accept that real quick. I’m a nurse. I don’t let the people in my life skimp on healthy eating.”

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