The MC’s Little Brother (Bikers and Babies #3)

Chapter 18

18

Wraith

A fter a long drive to clear my head, I went back home to make a few phone calls. Xander needed to check back in with the doctor before he could start school, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t start on the process now. I might not be able to talk to him without it blowing up in my face, but I was going to do everything I could to make sure he was okay. Including getting him back in school.

After calling first the elementary school, then the middle school after I was redirected because of Xander’s age, and getting the list of things I’d need to get him enrolled, I switched gears and called work. I’d told my boss I had a family emergency I needed to deal with, but it’d been a few days since then and he texted me while I was on the phone asking for an update. He needed to know what was going on because it might change my availability having Xander around. I sent him a text first since he was a busy guy, but when I got the message that he was available to talk, I called right away.

My phone rang a few times before he picked up with a gruff, “Salinger.”

“It’s me.”

“Yeah, no shit. I’ve got caller ID. Where the hell have you been? I thought I’d hear back from you after twenty-four hours. ”

I was a little tired of repeating the story to everyone I spoke to. The social worker, the hospital, the crew, and now work. It got tedious. If I could, I’d just send out a mass email saying Xander was in my care for his own safety. End of story. I couldn’t get away with that, especially with my work. So I forced myself to repeat it again, gritting my teeth when I admitted for the fourth time that my little brother was stuck in an abusive household and I had no idea.

“Shit, Ruiz. When you said you needed to talk, I thought maybe you were finally going to accept that promotion.”

If he could see me, I would’ve rolled my eyes. “I’m not moving to Texas. You can stop asking.”

“I’m just saying. There’s an office in El Paso. You won’t be that far–”

“Salinger,” I growled, interrupting him.

Chuckling, he stopped trying to irritate me. “Right. Okay, so lemme wrap my head around this. Your little brother showed up out of nowhere, beat all to hell, and you took him in to stay with you. Is he a runaway?”

“Not technically,” I admitted. “He told me Jorge kicked him out, and he came here looking for help.”

He hummed, and I could hear him typing in the background. “I get that. Think his dad will report him missing? I don’t want that blowing back on you for harboring a runaway or something like that.”

“I doubt it. He never much cared about where his kids ended up. Besides, I got emergency custody. I’m working on getting permanent custody, but it’s a process.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, no shit. I’m assuming you looked him up?”

“Yes. Not a lot out there from what I can find. The kid somehow managed to get here all the way from Chicago, though.”

That made him splutter, and I felt a little vindicated that he was just as shocked as I was. It didn’t excuse my behavior from earlier, but at least I wasn’t the only one who was blown away.

“Holy shit. Alone? How old did you say he was again?”

“He’s twelve. And I’m not sure if he did it alone. He won’t talk to me about it.” I still wasn’t sure why. He was already here. It wasn’t like I was going to tell him to go back, either. So why the hell was it so important that he hid it from me ?

“Think he did something illegal to get out there? Or someone else did, and he’s protecting them?”

That made me pause, considering it. It would explain why Xander was so reluctant to talk to me about how he got out here. But how? As far as I was aware, running away wasn’t a crime. And he didn't exactly run. He was kicked out. Yes, he should’ve gone to the cops or CPS first, but skipping that part wasn’t illegal. If someone moved a kid over state lines without a parent’s permission, though, that would be illegal. More and more, I felt like someone helped him get here. It was the only thing that made sense. I just couldn’t figure out who.

Salinger and I talked about adding Xander to my insurance and things like that, and he told me to take a few more days to figure things out before going back to work. Part of me wanted to start working again just for some normalcy, but I knew he was right. I needed to get a grip on the situation before I started disappearing into my office all day again. Once Xander was in school, it’d be easier. I could work while he was gone without feeling like a dick about it.

Mel and Xander got home later in the afternoon. Her tinkling laughter preceded her coming inside, and when I came out of my room, Xander looked a lot more relaxed than he had been that morning. I almost wanted to ask how the hell she made it look so easy to get him to open up.

“So, yeah. Never trust a biker when they say they’re fine. They’re never fine. They’re like farmers. They won’t admit they’re hurt because we make them stop doing the things they love in favor of healing.”

Thor shoved past me, going straight for the duo. Mel’s voice turned high pitched and squeaky as she smothered him in love. Xander kneeled down so he could greet the little shit, who’d been giving me the side eye all morning. I was pretty sure he was punishing me for making Xander cry.

When Mel looked down at Xander and tipped her head in my direction, I frowned. What the hell was she planning?

Xander pushed to his feet, grabbing a bag I hadn’t noticed that he’d set down on the side table by the door. He hesitantly crept closer, offering it to me.

“We got donuts this morning. I saved one for you.”

Surprise was a little bit of an understatement for how I felt. I acted like an ass, and yet he still did something nice for me. This kid was nothing like our old man.

I took the offered bag and peeked inside. It wasn’t anything fancy, plain glazed, but I happened to like the simple things. I wasn’t a big fan of sweets in the first place, so the lack of fancy toppings suited me.

Mel cleared her throat, giving me a significant look.

“Ah. Thank you. I appreciate it. I haven’t eaten yet today.”

Mel rolled her eyes. “Of course you haven’t. How is it that you’re such a good cook but you neglect feeding yourself?”

“I was busy,” I replied with a scowl. “I’ll make dinner soon.”

“Um… Maybe you should eat that?” Xander suggested, pointing at the bag. “To tide you over. I ate one on the ride here.”

Because I wanted him speaking up around me, I nodded. “I’ll do that. Is there something you’re hungry for?”

I had a list from the doctor on the stuff he should eat, but it was mostly ingredients. I could do whatever I wanted with them.

Xander shrugged, and he looked uncomfortable making suggestions, so Mel stepped in for him. “What about that stuffed chicken thing you made the last time we babysat together? It’s got tons of veggies, so–” She cut herself off with a laugh at Xander’s grimace. “Oh, bestie. We’re gonna give you tons of veggies. You better learn to accept that real quick. I’m a nurse. I don’t let the people in my life skimp on healthy eating.”

“No, you just skip it yourself like a hypocrite,” I pointed out as I turned to head for the kitchen. I was pretty sure I had everything I needed for the meal she suggested. And since I was cooking for little kids last time, I smothered it with cheese so I wouldn’t get any complaints on the amount of vegetables in it. Only Gracie really cared about eating healthy.

“I do not!” Mel argued, stomping after me.

I raised an eyebrow at her over my shoulder and she scowled, throwing her hands in the air. “It’s not my fault I can’t cook! I’ve tried learning! It’s hard!”

Xander looked like he was trying not to laugh. It was an improvement from this morning. I was sure I made the right choice, inviting Mel to stay for a while. Even if it meant a little torture for me being so close to the woman I wanted, but could never have.

Xander was wary of dinner, but he seemed to like it, and he was polite enough to offer to do the dishes afterward. I didn’t want him doing all the work alone and neither did Mel, so we all worked together to clean up. After we were through, Mel flopped onto the couch with a groan.

“I feel like it was a bad idea to come stay here. I’m going to get fat.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling, sitting on the far end of the couch to keep my distance. Xander chose the floor so he could cuddle with Thor, and I turned on something mindless while everyone came out of their food coma.

“When do you work tomorrow?” I asked, glancing at Mel. I did a double take and snorted. “Nevermind.”

Xander looked up with a frown. “What?”

I tipped my head towards Mel, who was out like a light. Xander made a face.

“She works really hard. She barely sat down all day. Even when things were slow, she found something to do.”

That sounded like her. She and her brother both had a serious issue with working too much. Not that I had much room to judge. The only reason I didn't work all day like they did was that I had to have a case assigned to me to do my work. When I didn’t, I had more time to relax and work on my bikes.

Since I didn’t want her to get a crick in her neck, I got up and pulled her into my arms. Xander followed after me, helping me get her door open so I could put her to bed. While I took off her shoes and tucked her under the covers, Xander turned on a machine on the dresser. It surprised me at first, I thought the noise was too loud and would wake her, but he explained in a bare whisper, “It’s a sound machine. She told me she wakes up a lot if it's not on. She doesn’t like the quiet.”

Somehow, that didn’t surprise me. Mel was always loud and boisterous. She worked in a hospital that was probably always noisy in some way. She spent her time with the crew or with her friends and all their kids. The quiet must have felt weird for her. I studied her face for a moment, taking in her peaceful expression. She was too gorgeous for words sometimes. I gave into the urge to touch, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. In another universe, I wouldn’t be able to resist her. Only the reminder that she was my best friend’s sister gave me the strength to pull away.