Page 62 of A Brother's Secret

“Cool.”

“Thanks, guys,” I muttered, a little blown away by their willingness to ride eight or nine hours in a single shot, only to turn around and ride it right back over a single booklet of images. I got it, though. That, and I know they knew what it meant. Shit, it was both Rev’s and Trig’s livelihoodtoo.

“I just want to go home…” Mali repeated with a long sufferingsigh.

“You are home,” Rev said and he didn’t getit.

“No, man… she means my place, our place. The house we pretty much grew upin.”

“Thought you lived in an apartment,” Reaver said wrinkling hisnose.

“No, man… I live in the house I grew up in. The one my folks left to me when theydied.”

“No shit? I thought you lived in an apartment or something, too.” Trig looked surprised.

“Enough of this,” Revelator said. “If I’m going on a long ride, I need some fuckin’ sleep and y’all do, too.”

“Right, night all.” Trigger left, I held out my hand to Mali and she put her cards away. She fell into step beside me as I led her to my room. She didn’t say anything, just tucked her deck away and stripped out of her clothes leaving them in a messy pile on the floor. I didn’t even care. I did thesame.

We got into bed and she immediately fitted herself against my side, her head finding that perfect spot that was both shoulder and chest.

“I know you’re disappointed…” I started and she sighed.

“Yeah, I am, but they’re right and the whole Lexi thing happened and is just as much a part of me now as being Amalia was when I was Lexi. I am never going to get those years back, but I can’t just erase them either. I should have taken the damn portfolio… I didn’t think.”

“We’ll get it,” I said and kissed her forehead.

She laughed a little and said, “Yeah, wewill.”

I would leave the question hanging for now, even though I wanted to ask, and what do you want to do after that? I knew she wasn’t thinking that far ahead, and that was okay. We had forever in front ofus.

---