Page 119 of Cold Hard Truth

In the photo, I’m smiling at the camera, but she’s looking at me. Her face is tipped toward me so she can whisper in my ear. And I don’t remember what she was saying in that exact moment, but the smile I’m fighting back in the picture from whatever she said swells a familiar feeling inside me.

It’s one thing to lose a sister—a twin—but she was also my best friend. She was my other half. She knew all my secrets before I did, and she deserved so much better than she got.

A knock comes from the front door, and it makes me jump. I’ve been staring at the photos, lost in my thoughts.

Making my way down the final step, I glance through the peephole and find Kane standing on the front porch, smoking a cigarette.

I still remember when Sage used to smoke. From what he said, he only recently quit when Fel wouldn’t stop giving him crap about it, and I’m thankful she did.

“Kane.” I swing the door open.

He narrows his eyes, hating that I call him that. But it’s better than Dad when he hasn’t really been one. I’m more likely to call him Prez. I might have half his DNA, but that’s as close to family as we’ve been.

“Where’s Sage?”

“Showering.”

Kane looks up at my wet hair, and he takes in a long drag of his cigarette. He might as well burn the entire thing with one inhale, he’s so tense as he breathes it in. At least it keeps him from saying anything about what he thinks of my relationship.

He’s accepted it. Even if it’s clear it only goes so far as he frowns and flicks his ash.

“Why? Is something wrong?” I step out onto the porch and close the door behind me.

Kane leans against the railing and dips his chin. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him show any sign of defeat, but whatever’s eating away at him lately has his hair graying and deep wrinkles forming on his face.

Walking over to the railing, I stop beside him.

From the front porch there’s a clear view of the clubhouse in the distance. A pinprick against the desert. Close enough to mark the center of the compound, but far enough that you can’t hear the music this far out when they party late into the night.

Most people who come to the Twisted Kings compound from the outside don’t get past the first turn, which is where Blaze’s bar sits. But up here, it’s exclusively Twisted Kings territory. And right now, a war is sitting on the edge of it.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Kane says, although he might be lying. “Steel’s guys just arrived, so I was coming to get Sage.”

“That’s good.” I think.

I don’t really know if any of this is good. Just that the clouds feel lower in the sky today.

I woke up before the sun, and when I drew my cards, I got The Lovers and The Fool. The funny thing about fate is that it’s unpredictable. Cards can be read in so many ways. What looks like peace can also mean cleansing. What might be a beginning can also mean an end.

While some might consider my hand a good sign, I’ve seen all the ones before it. Whatever scale has been on the verge of tipping is about to. Nothing about those two cards on this specific day is settling. So I put them away before Sage woke up and saw them.

The universe is talking, and I’m not sure I like what it has to say.

No matter what happens, we’re all going to get clarity sooner than we’re ready for it.

“Is Sage being good to you?” Kane asks, lighting a fresh cigarette when his last one is probably still hot on the end.

“Since when do we talk about relationships?”

Kane takes a drag. “Since I decided to let him live.”

I roll my eyes. “How very fatherly of you.”

“Humor me.” Kane leans against the railing, glancing down at me.

In the light of day, his wrinkles are more drawn out. And even if he had me and my sister when he was too young to make the commitment of being a good father, he’s much older than his years with all he’s been through this past decade. In the eight years I was gone he’s aged twenty.

“Sage is always good to me.” I shrug. “You don’t need to worry about him.”

---