Page 59 of Walking Red Flag

“Fuck,” he groaned. “I have to go to work in fifteen.”

Chevy sat up and stretched his arms over his head.

He was studying Milena at the same time she was studying him.

Milena was right.

We all looked alike. Even Keely looked like us, and she was most definitely a girl.

My mom’s genes persevered in all of us, which was a good thing, because no one wanted to look like their sex offender father.

“You have purple eyes,” Chevy noticed.

“I have hazel-blue eyes that sometimes resemble purple.” She shrugged.

“Those are fuckin’ purple,” he disagreed. “Copper’s the one with colorblindness. I can most definitely tell my colors apart.”

Milena’s lips twitched. “Is that right?”

“That’s right.” He stood up, standing to his full height, which was just a hair shorter than my six-foot-three. “I hate to go, but if I don’t, I don’t get overtime, and I need overtime to pay for my brother’s house.”

Then he was gone, leaving Milena with a questioning look on her face. “What?”

I led her to the bar, got her a semi-cold beer, and explained.

“When my brother went to prison, the three remaining siblings decided that twenty-five percent of our paychecks would go into a savings account that would help set Copper up when he got out,” I explained. “When he gets out, he’ll have a whack in a 401K for him, as well as enough money in a high-yield savings account that’ll more than pay for any house he wants to build on the lake.”

“Wow,” she said, eyes wide. “That’s…” I waited for her to say ‘generous’ or ‘crazy’ but what she went with was, “Sweet.” She looked confused for a moment. “But didn’t you say that your sister ran your dad’s company for him?”

I grimaced. “Kind of. We’re not one hundred percent sure he’ll take any of the money from that place. Keely doesn’t. And so we’re preparing in case he won’t want anything to do with it.” My eyes narrowed slightly. “You don’t think it’s stupid that I live in a shitty house when I could be saving that money I’m putting into his account and putting it toward my own house?”

She was already shaking her head before I could finish. “To be completely truthful, I think that it’s very heartwarming to hear that you want to take care of your brother. You haven’t told me exactly what happened with your sister, but had Shasha gone to jail for beating up my attacker…” she trailed off. “I’d have done the same thing. I’d have given him my whole entire soul if he’d asked.”

She understood.

More than understood.

She’d experienced it with her own eyes.

Her brother might not have gone as far with Milena’s attacker as my own brother had, but she more than understood the feeling to make sure that Copper was always covered. He’d given up his life for our sister. It was only fair that we helped him when he got out.

I hooked my hand on her chair and turned her on the barstool so that her legs were between mine.

“Are you okay?”

She knew what I was asking despite not outright saying the words.

“I’m okay,” she admitted. “Not good. Not bad. Just okay.”

That was better than I expected, to be honest.

“Who wants another round?” Webber yelled.

Milena tossed back the last of her beer then stood up before saying, “Me!”

I grinned, loving the direction my night had just taken.

The day they handed out patience, Milena left because it was taking too long.

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