Page 93 of Hold

“No.” Jake made himself even smaller, if that were possible. “That’s not okay. Grandma and Grandpa are buried in that graveyard.” Now he was brave enough to look Thea in the eye. She reached for his hand, but he didn’t move it, so she grasped his knee instead. It was a small gesture of respect that he had shown, but he had shown it nonetheless.

“What did you do?”

“I told them to quit it.” Jake chewed on his lip. “Not that it made any difference. They just said I’d gotten boring now that I had a real job.”

“That’s my kind of boring,” Thea couldn’t help but say. Jake rolled his eyes, but she felt it was a reflex. His body language included her in his ordeal, reached for her sympathy. He needed her love, and that was all.

♦

When they came out of the interrogation room, Kane and Cat were still in the waiting room.

“Where’s Liam?” Jake asked at once, which Thea was grateful for. Without Liam there, she felt less able to make herself heard in front of her gorgeous, confident elder siblings. She could feel her voice being taken away while she looked at them, her throat being grabbed by that unseen, fifteen-year-old fist of uncertainty.

“I sent him home,” Cat said proudly.

“Oh God, Cat. What did you say to him?”

“Hey,” Cat bridled. “Youtoldmeyou weren’t together anymore.”

“But I called him,” Jake said. “It’s nothing to do with you.”

“Jacob!” Cat exclaimed. It was the rudest thing Thea had ever heard him say to his aunt.

“Why does everyone keep sending him away?” Jake went on. “First Mom, then Dad, now you.” He scowled. “He’ll never forgive Mom now if you two keep butting in.”

The three adults looked at him in comical silence. Kane recovered first. “Don’t hold back, Jake. Tell us how you really feel.”

The choking feeling left Thea. Jake was saying all the things she should. “We’re going home,” she announced. “Thank you for coming to help, but we’re fine.”

“Wait a minute,” Cat said. “You’re not ‘fine.’ Your son almost got arrested tonight. And he’s been—”

“Cat, you say one more word and I swear I will bar you from my home.”

Another stunned silence. Neither of them were used to such a vehement tone from Thea, such conviction in her words.

“Okay, okay,” Kane said. “It’s late, and we’re all upset. Let’s just go get some sleep.” He put a hand on Thea’s shoulder, which she let him leave there out of habit. But it felt more patronizing than comforting tonight, and she was close to shaking him off.

They left the police station, Kane giving another big smile to the duty officer, who preened. Did he even know he was doing it? Well, hell. If it got Jake out of that police station, Kane could smile at the goddamn chief commissioner for all she cared.

Thea got Jake in her car. Cat walked to her own car without saying goodbye.

“Did you mean that?” Kane said, folding his long frame down to look through her window.

“I don’t know.” She was cold, despite the late summer night, and focused on turning on the heater rather than look at her brother.

“We love you, you know,” he said.

“I know, Kane,” she answered a little tartly, flashing him an angry glance. “Cat’s version of that is just hard to take sometimes.” She didn’t add that his was, too. Kane had only started playing the dad when their own father died. Cat had always played the overbearing mother.

“Okay. Can we come check on you tomorrow? I’ll bring bagels.”

He’d just worry if she didn’t let him. “Only if you come in the late morning and bring crumb cake as well.”

“Donuts,” Jake said next to her.

“Okay!” Kane laughed and let go of the windowsill. “Safe drive,” he said, as he always did.

“You too.” Dammit. She loved them. She was going to kick some ass tomorrow, but she loved them all.

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