Page 4 of Unconditional

I would never be able to commit to anything with anyone so long as I held those thoughts and images andgod—fantasies in my mind.It wouldn’t be right or fair to Brantley or anybody, for me to try to fake it.No.I couldn’t do it, not even for a single, measly date.My pacing halted and I unlocked the device in my hand, fully ready to type out a quick and polite, ‘No, thank you,’ when a loud pounding on my door had me jumping so hard my phone flew from my hands, landing on the rug in front of my sofa with a quiet thud.

I swore, resting a hand over my pounding chest as if it would settle at the touch.I’d ordered pizza tonight instead of throwing a ramen packet in the microwave, and a neighbor must’ve let the delivery person up instead of making them hit the buzzer.I charged over to the door, grabbing my wallet off the buffet table beside it, flipping it open and rifling for some bills as I unlocked and opened the door with my other hand.

“You scared the shit out of me,” I said, still not looking up as I fished out a couple twenties.

“My apologies, ma’am.”Thatvoice.

My face snapped up and I felt the blood drain.Before I could scream, a large hand was pressed over my mouth, and I was crowded backwards into the apartment.

three

Talon

Itneverfailedtobecome my problem when mybrotherfucked up.Even when we were little kids and shit went down, our parents always made sure I was held responsible for whatever bullshit Milo found himself in.Maybe it was middle child syndrome, but at least back then I’d had Bri’s help.She had adored Lo, doted on him like he was her fucking kid.Not anymore.

The change had come drastically after the death of our parents, not that I could blame her.We went from having wonderful parents and a pretty decent family, to having Kyle.It was hard to believe we were even related to the motherfucker.But apparently we were, and he was the only family we had left.

Eventually we found a system, far from perfect, but a system nonetheless.Things were going okay.We all had our roles to play.That is, until Milo went fucking rogue.He’d always been the most resistant to the new order of things, and maybe that was because he was the baby of the family.But it was one thing to be a little rebellious and a whole other to be a fucking snitch.

It wasn’t like I gave a fuck that Kyle was arrested.The piece of shit had it coming.But he was our uncle, and you don’t snitch on family.That was our number one rule; the only rule that really mattered.You gotta get the heat off your own back?You get rid of the smaller fish.They knew what they were getting into—like lambs to the slaughter.Milo fucking knew that.And he knew Kyle would never take anything laying down.

And yet.

I blamed the bitch he’d shacked up with.I always knew that was going to be his downfall—love.Such a cliche, it made me sick.Milo was softer than he had any right to be, all things considered.He left himself open to care about others.Whole lot of good that did him.Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t in a much better predicament.I sure as shit hadn’t gone and fallen in love like some dope, but I’d done the single worst thing there was to do when you live a life like we do.

I hadn’t wrapped it up.The one fucking time I was in such a rush to get my dick wet, and of course, luck would have it, I knocked the bitch up.I didn’t even know her name.I sure as shit know itnow.She was just some girl that would come into the garage with her friends from time to time, hoping to use their cleavage to score a deal on repairs and maintenance on their cars.I’d been frustrated and horny and she’d been more than willing.Took her in the back, we did our thing, and she went on her way.That should have been the end of it.

Until she came back four months later with a small bump and determination in her eyes.I’d denied paternity vehemently, of course.All she’d done was roll her eyes and tell me there were no other candidates and it didn’t matter anyway.She was having the baby, and if there had to be a paternity test, so be it, but she expected me to be financially involved.She couldn’t give less of a shit of my involvement outside of that.

That was fine.I would send her her monthly dues and she would do what she wanted to do.I pulled her aside, away from the prying ears of customers and told her I couldn’t do more than that.That I wasn’t going to be a dad.I couldn’t, even if I wanted to.Not with the shit my family was involved in.And then there was the fact that I already had my hands full looking out for Milo, not that I would tell her or anyone else that.Again, the pretty brunette didn’t seem phased in the slightest.I had to give her the respect she clearly earned—she knew we were never more than a quickie in the back of my garage, and she was fine with that.

She went on her way and that was the last I ever heard from her, outside of dropping the envelopes of cash in her mailbox on the first of every month.I thought I’d done the right thing by her and by the child we’d created together.She’d gone and gotten married, and from what I could tell, they were raising my son like a proper family would, even getting him a puppy and a little sister.He’s like eight now andfuckhe looks like me, the only exception being that his curly hair has the same coloring as Milo’s.At least from what I could tell by the picture that Kyle had slapped in front of me five months ago.

I thought I’d been careful.There was no paper trail.I decided against the paternity test because I didn’t want a court case in the system.I told Kenna, the boy’s mom, as much of the truth as I could.That I had some people around that would not be safe around the baby and I’d do everything in my power to keep them away from her.That had been enough for her.But apparently, somewhere along the way, I’d failed.

Kyle came into the shop’s back office and slid into the chair in front of my desk like he had some right to it, a slimy grin on his chapped lips.There was an odd look of sick satisfaction pulling at his features like he knew a secret and was wondering what he could do to make me want to know it.

I didn’t greet him, only stared like I always do, letting him know perfectly well with just my eyes how much I detested him.It brought me perverse joy that the motherfucker still had to wear a brace on the arm my brother had shattered, the bones never quite healing the way they should.Knowing he was in near constant pain when he wasn’t high as a kite was like karma demanding her piece.

It was obvious he’d seen my gaze shift to the black brace, his own expression hardening.He bit out, “You still haven’t found your piece of shit brother.”An accusation, not a question.

“You know I haven’t.He’s covered his tracks pretty damn well.I told you that at our last meeting.”

Kyle and Bri knew to leave me alone if it wasn’t a meeting day.I retained my don’t-fuck-with-me status fairly well, my bulky stature giving me an air of dominance that Kyle didn’t ever try to impede on.We all knew he was the decision maker, but I was the muscle.And it would be too easy for me to turn that muscle towards him instead of our enemies.

Typically, Kyle respected the boundaries that I set, but when Milo took off and got him thrown in jail, he’s seemed nearly unhinged.Bri hadn’t been around as much, not that I could claim I missed her, but the last time I’d seen her, she’d had a black eye.I didn’t know the specifics behind how Bri and Kyle worked together, mostly because Bri refused to share any details despite years of prodding, but I had a feeling he was responsible for her latest bruise.

He was desperate to get his hands on our little brother, even though it wouldn’t change a thing.He’d still be due in court next month to plead his guilt or his innocence on a plethora of charges.Milo had done a bang-up job making sure that Kyle went down for everything, while still somehow keeping Briauna and me out of it.That little fact only seemed to enrage our uncle further, his mind already half gone from a lifetime of drug and alcohol abuse.And now here he sat, across from me atmyplace of business, on a non-meeting day, with an ugly smirk on his grimy lips.

A dirty, grown out fingernail tapped idly on my desk, his other hand rubbing absently at his jaw.“Oryou’re covering for him.”

I felt the muscles in my body tense up.I wish it had been that easy.“I know better than that.”

Kyle’s barked laugh was harsh and forced.“You better hope so.”

That felt like a threat.I don’t handle threats well.Cocking my head to the side I felt my brows narrow.“Oh yeah?And why’s that?”

Dull, beady eyes jerked over my features, drinking up any tells he thought he might find.Slowly, he pulled something from his back pocket, never taking his eyes off mine.He slid it across the desk until it was right in front of me, his mouth popping open on another deranged laugh as I allowed myself to look down.The blood left my face rapidly, something in my chest tightening painfully.

---