Page 9 of Blood
“Well, we’re packed up and ready to go. We’ll be with you soon, baby,” Mom tells Lara.
“Great. Do you want to end the call?” Lara asks.
“No, no,” Mom rushes before pausing. “Unless you want to?”
“No, no.” I can hear Lara smile. “How about you guys play some music in the car ride, though, to keep me awake?”
“Of course!” Mom promises.
“I think we have one of Belle’s CDs in the car,” Dad adds.
Sam and I manage to smother our laughs, but Shelby’s giggle rings out loud and clear.
“What?” he asks, clueless.
“Nothing.” The young woman shrugs. “I’m sure nursery rhymes are exactly what she needs to keep her awake.”
Mom’s hand soothes Dad’s shoulder. “I think we can do better than that.” She laughs. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll keep you wide awake. And if the music fails, I’ll just talk to you.”
“You want help?” I ask Dad, seeing him start to pick up the bags.
“Yes, please.” He smiles gratefully when I take what he’s already holding and juggle the other bags until only one small cooler bag is left for him to grab.
I did try to kill the man not too long ago. The least I can do is get the bags.
“Good boy,” he praises, which just sets off another round of giggles. Only this time, all of the women are laughing.
“You’re all just jealous,” I call out, tipping my nose in the air. I keep my expression straight and turn for the door.
Dad’s chuckle joins the girls’.
“Let me get the door,” he insists, clapping his hand down on my left shoulder.
I raise my brows and lift the bags slightly. “I mean, it’s the least you can do.”
His grin matches mine.
Together, we make our way to my parents’ car, the stillness of the night contagious as silence falls between us. Even the thick wooden steps refuse to creak as we descend them. My dad seems to be lost in thought as he unlocks the car. I turn left to right, checking our surroundings as we step farther from the cabin. The rustling of huge trees in the slight breeze puts me back on edge.
Cromwell is a safe town. A go anywhere, anytime kind of place. It helps that my brothers and I are the only true danger in town, but these break-ins have everyone on edge.
“Kaleb,” Dad says, grabbing my attention when I reach the open trunk. Stopping next to him, I load the bags into the car. “Iknow you think Sam is a grown woman, but this whole breaking and entering has been happening all over town . . .”
“I’ll take care of her, Dad. No one gets to her without going through me.”
He sighs. “Well, after that display, I can’t really worry. Can I?” he asks, nodding at the house.
“The only danger to Samantha is my palm when she no doubt gets bratty and develops an attitude because she’s hungry.”
His loud laughter slices through the darkness. “You have to stop threatening that. One day, she’ll believe you.”
My laughter joins his. If only he knew how often his daughter has sported a red ass. My palm twitches just thinking about it. Our parents won’t amend her behavior . . . so I do.
My cock twitches at the thought. Feeling excitement hum through my body, I give myself a mental head slap.She’s your sister,I remind myself.Is she, though?
Memories of my childhood before the Cromwells assault me. Hunger, pain, and loneliness. Things a child should never feel, not from their mother. Not that the whore was much of a mother.
My years before joining the Cromwells were full of days sitting outside a small filthy apartment while my mother fucked whichever John had darkened our door.
