Page 26 of Unhinged
Adam stalked towards Atticus, snatching his knife from the wall before storming out of the room. He walked through the kitchen to the garage, pulling a set of keys from the array on the board, choosing his father’s Audi R8 before jamming his finger on the button to retract the garage door. As soon as he dropped into the leather seat, he turned the engine over. It purred like a kitten.
He threw the car in reverse and slammed his foot on the gas, only seeing the older man behind him at the last possible moment. The breaks screeched as the car’s bumper stopped a hair's breadth away from his kneecaps. Adam’s heart jackhammered behind his ribcage as he watched his father approach the driver’s side, using a single finger to indicate he needed to roll down the window.
As always, his father’s voice was deceptively calm. “Adam.”
“Dad.”
He sighed. “Why are you trying to run me down at midnight with my own car?”
“I-I wasn’t. I just needed to clear my head, and I didn’t want to walk.”
“I’m quite certain I paid for a rather expensive BMW not six months ago. Please, don’t tell me you totaled it already.”
“No. I just wanted the R8. I need to break the law.”
His father chuckled. “Who pissed you off this time? Archer? Atticus? It couldn’t have been August. Avi and Asa aren’t even in town. Aiden doesn’t talk enough to piss you off. So, who was it?”
“Nobody. I just need to think.”
“You can’t lie to me, you know. I’m the one who taught you how. I know all your tells.”
Adam blew a breath out through his nose. “They were staging an intervention.”
“And why is that?”
“Because they don’t like my new boyfriend.”
His father gave a sage nod. “The Holt boy.”
Adam’s gaze went wide. “You know?”
“I know everything my boys get up to. It’s my job,” his father said. “How much have you told him?”
“He already knew a lot of it. But I filled in some blanks for him,” Adam admitted. He’d never been able to lie to his father, not even when he was little. It was hard to lie to somebody who seemed to love you unconditionally. No matter how unlovable you were.
“Do you think that was the wisest course of action?”
Adam nodded. “You tell us to trust our instincts. That’s what I did. Instinctively, I know Noah would never betray me,” he said. “Or you.”
“This could complicate things for the whole family if it goes sideways,” his father cautioned.
“I’m not giving him up,” Adam said defiantly. “I told them and I’m telling you. Noah’s mine. I choose him.”
His father chuckled. “Relax, Adam. I’m not going to tell you to stop seeing him. But he is your responsibility. The more he knows, the more of a liability he becomes. If he betrays us, the consequences will be…dire.”
The tone in his father’s voice sent an icy chill along his spine. “He wouldn’t do that. Not to me. Not to anybody. He’s…a good person.”
His father studied him for a long moment. “Alright. I’ll talk to your brothers.”
“They’re going to be pissed,” Adam warned.
“Why’s that?”
“Because as much as Atticus likes to say he’s your favorite, they really think I am.”
Once more, his father gave a low chuckle. “They think? But you’re not?”
“No.”
