Page 113 of Rescue Me (Forget the Past 1)

My heart freezes.

“What did you say?”

Triumph shines in my brother’s face like he thinks he’s just won something.

“I’ve been out for a while now. Didn’t think I’d check up on you? Saw you in the Quarter. She’s a hot piece of ass. Nice car, too.”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Thought she’d cry, though.” He continues like he can’t hear me. “When she saw how I slashed her tire. But no. You stepped in and saved the day. Her little helper boy. How long you gonna be her bitch? Girls like that take money to keep, and you sure as shit don’t have much of that.” Leo flicks his eyes over my rundown house before smirking at me, thinking he made a point.

Idiot. If anything, he’s just killed any chance of me having a decent relationship with him.

“Get the fuck off my lawn, and out of my sight. We’re done.”

“To hell with that. I say when we’re done.”

“That girl whose car you fucked with? Her dad’s a judge. You mess with her, the law is going to come down on you hard. You think Uncle Mike is gonna give you another pass?”

My brother’s face loses color as he comes to the same realization as me. Leo showed up here trying to get me to take my old job back, not realizing he might not even have one himself.

“Leave me alone, leave Luna alone, and leave that girl alone, or I’ll tell Uncle Mike you’re fixin’ to bring the law down on his operation.” That man’s loyalty only lasts as long as his business isn’t at risk. One of the reasons no one bailed us out or paid for a decent lawyer when we got pinched.

For a moment, Leo’s dark eyes glare into mine, but he eventually turns his head. “Fuck you both. You’re dead to me.” The declaration comes out on a heated mutter as he storms to his car.

After slamming into the vehicle and revving the engine to life, my older brother peels down the street, flipping us the bird out the window.

To my surprise, Luna snorts.

“You think that’s funny?”

“No. I think it’s sad.” She shakes her head and finally loosens her grip on the gun.

The gun.

“What the hell, Luna? You have a piece? And you brought it here? I’m on parole!” I back away to scowl down at her.

“Yeah. But I’m not. And I wasn’t sure who I’d run into in town.” Her hand waves down the street where our brother disappeared. “I have a concealed carry permit in Tennessee that’s also valid here. As long as you’re not the one handling the gun there’s no issue. So, don’t go grabbing for it, you idiot.” She glares right back at me, never one to back down even though I’ve got a good foot on her.

The fire in her eyes burns bright, and it’s clear to me at that moment that she doesn’t carry the weapon around for shits and giggles. My sister is too smart for that. If she has a gun, she knows how and when to use it.

“When did you get so scary?”

Luna scoffs as she brushes past me, heading back into the house. “I’ve always been scary. You were just too dense to notice.”

Chapter Forty

PAIGE

The second I open the door, I’m attacked.

“Pumpkin! Oh, baby girl! I missed you, too!” I crow the words in my ultimate baby talk voice, sitting on the ground in my parents’ entryway so I can embrace my happily squirming puppy. She wriggles and writhes in ecstasy.

I’m not embarrassed to admit a few tears slip out the corner of my eyes. Who knew I would come to love an animal so much? Every day in New York, even when I was having a great time with Charlie, there was a hole in my chest that ached for my puppy.

Right next to it was another hole, but I’ve decided not to acknowledge that one. Maybe if I spend enough time ignoring it, the pain will eventually go away.

When Pumpkin finally lets me stand back up, I set my suitcase by the stairs and go searching for my parents. My mom stands at the kitchen sink, using a bar of strong-smelling soap to scrub the grease off her fingers.

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