Page 67 of Another Damned Storm
The thought made me smile. “Never must have been a handful at that age.”
She paused to kneel and examine a section of fence that had been torn away. “You have no idea. Her mom was a piece of work, but Never gave as good as she got. The difference was she was always looking out for Matt.”
And that was where I feared Never wasn’t seeing clearly. “Do you trust him?”
She glanced up, a warning glittering in her eyes. “Careful, Atlas. We might not be as close as we used to be, but I still love the kid. I was there the day their mom brought him home, and I’ve been there every day since.” She let out a tired breath. “At least I was, until all of this started.”
I held up my hands. “No disrespect intended.”
She stood and scrutinized me for several seconds before resuming her inspection. “To answer your question: push come to shove? Yeah, I would still trust Matt with my life.”
“And Never’s?”
“Yes.” She shook her head as though it was a ridiculous question. “Matt adored—adores—his big sister. I’m sure seeing her like this after so much time has passed is throwing him for a bit of a loop, but he’s still her little brother.”
“Then why did I sense so much animosity from him?”
Lily let out a bark of laughter. “Seriously? He just got her back. After everything he’s lost…”
“And what is that?”
“His wife, for starters. His home.” She turned to face me. “The love of his life was killed in a demon attack three years ago, making him a widow and a single dad trying to survive in this nightmare.”
Ah. I could see how that would change a person. “Why didn’the take his daughter and leave Charleston? He has to know there are safer places in the world.”
“Maybe he stuck around because Charleston is all he really knows. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that stubbornness runs in their genes.” She shrugged. “He refused to accept that Never might be dead. Maybe he stayed in the hope that he would see her again.”
23
NEVER
I arrived right where I wanted to be, inside Matt and Angie’s little apartment in his compound. The only problem was no one was there.
“Isthat a problem?” I whispered to myself.
It would have been the perfect opportunity to snoop and learn a little more about my middle-aged brother and his daughter, if it weren’t for the rolling thunder that reminded me of precisely why I’d come back when I had.
I ducked out into the hallway, peeking in open doors searching for a familiar face. Not that Matty’s—Matt’s rugged features were all that familiar anymore. Or yet, depending on how I looked at it.
The corridor led to the main gathering area inside. While there were plenty of people talking quietly at tables as they cast worried glances up toward the skylights, I still saw no sign of my brother.
“Aunt Never?” I whirled to find Angie standing with her hands on her hips in a pose I knew all too well. It was a mirror image of the big sister boss pose I’d used on Matt about a million times growing up. “When did you get back?”
“I’ve been back for a bit. Just took a little break,” I lied. “I’m actually looking for your dad.” Yeah, it was still weird as shit saying that out loud. “Have you seen him?”
Her eyes narrowed. “He’s probably where he always is when there’s a storm.”
I arched a brow. Did she really expect me to know where that was?
“Outside,” she said, with a roll of her eyes. “At the gate. Maybe up on the roof. He goes wherever he’s needed,” she added proudly.
That pride softened some of the attitude pouring off her. “What would be your best guess?” I could flash to any of those spots, but I had a feeling that might not go over so well with the people in this camp.
She pursed her lips. “I would check the gate first.”
“Thanks.” I headed for the double metal doors at the far end of the room only to find her trailing behind me. “Does your dad normally let you go outside during a storm?”
She gave me a nod with the fakest smile I’d seen in a long time. “Of course.”
