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

Chapter 32

32

Wraith

X ander hovered the rest of the night. I hated that asshole cop for scaring him. If he had just asked, he would’ve been able to look it up in the system why Xander was hurt and with me. Xander did the right thing by refusing to go with a stranger, but it all went to shit because of one asshole who thought it was smart to reach for a weapon in the face of a scared little kid.

We ended up skipping whatever Mel had planned. None of us felt up for anything that night. We camped out on the couch and watched movies until Xander fell asleep between us. Mel suggested moving him to his room, but I couldn’t make myself do it. I might’ve been in front of him, but he was in the line of fire today. I just needed to see my little brother and know he was okay. So I slept on the couch, shoulder to shoulder with him, while Mel got some sleep in my room. Her vacation was up and tomorrow she had the night shift, so she needed as much sleep as she could get.

I woke up to whispers and the smell of food. It took me a minute to come back online, and when I looked around, I was alone on the couch, covered in a throw blanket. Twisting, I looked over my shoulder to find Xander in front of the stove, sneaking Thor little bites of whatever he was cooking. Looked like scrambled eggs.

“You’re going to make him gassy,” I grumbled.

I heard Xander’s snicker, but I wasn’t fully awake enough to join in. Pushing to my feet, I stretched and worked out the sore muscles from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. I checked on Xander first, since I didn’t know if he actually knew how to cook or if he was just trying something new. He seemed to know what he was doing, so I left him to it, ducking into the bathroom to do my morning ritual. I hoped Mel would sleep in since she had a late shift, so I was as quiet as possible and when I joined Xander, I helped him wrap up a plate for her and stick it in the oven so she could eat it later.

“Did she not sleep well?” he whispered. We sat next to each other at the table while Thor ate his dinner by our feet.

“No, it’s not that. She’s got the night shift tonight. She needs extra sleep.”

Understanding washed over his face and he nodded, turning his focus to his food. It wasn’t anything complicated, scrambled eggs and toast, but it was good. The eggs weren’t rubbery, and the toast wasn’t burnt. He probably did a lot better than most twelve-year-olds.

“You’re a good cook.”

He looked a little uneasy when he admitted, “I’ve been cooking for a few years. Since my abuela died. Jorge doesn’t cook.”

I nodded. “I’m aware. How do you think I learned?”

I wasn’t entirely sure what age I learned to cook, but I knew I was young. Wyatt and Mel thought it was amazing that I could cook us some decent snacks after school. Mel still didn’t know how to cook, but that didn’t bother me. I’d take care of her.

The last time I tried to talk to Xander about before he came here, he lashed out and shut down. I wanted to ask about his abuela and if he was better taken care of than I was. I also still needed to know how he got here. But as I watched him wolf down his food and head to the stove to get more, I decided against it. We were going to a therapist soon. Maybe they’d have better insight on how to ask him without pissing him off. He’d been through enough after yesterday. I didn't want to upset him more.

“Can you teach me to cook like you?” he asked quietly .

I hummed, finishing my food and taking his plate when he was finished. “Sure. I started with recipe books and then moved on to experimenting. We’ll get you one of those so you can try whatever you want.”

My phone rang while I was washing the dishes, and I jerked my chin at it when Xander looked over curiously.

“Answer that. It’s my boss.”

He frowned but did as I asked, putting the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

He was standing close enough that I could hear Salinger on the other end.

“Hello. You must be Mattias’s little brother.”

Xander looked up at me, surprised. “He told you about me?”

Salinger chuckled. “Of course he did. Is he around? I’ve got news for him.”

“Put him on speaker,” I directed, since my hands were all soapy. Xander did as I asked, holding the phone up between us. “Salinger,” I prompted.

“Ruiz. I’ve got good news. The paperwork went through for your brother. He’s on your insurance and assigned as your next of kin. Thought you’d want to know.”

“Next of kin…” Xander repeated in a whisper. He looked up at me, eyes wide and terrified. “Is your job dangerous? Are you going to die too?”

Surprised, I didn't answer him right away. I was reeling from the look on his face. My lack of answer must’ve been answer enough for him, because he practically threw my phone onto the counter and took off, heading straight out the front door.

“Shit! Salinger, I’ll call you back!” I raced for the door, hoping I could catch up with him before he got very far, but Xander was faster than I anticipated. In the few seconds it took me to realize what was happening and go after him, Xander made it halfway down the block. When I came around the corner he’d turned down, the next street was empty.

“Xander!” I shouted, scanning the area for any signs of which way he would’ve gone. But there was an alley behind my house and several yards without fences he could’ve ducked into to get out of sight. Knowing the way he was raised, he was probably good at hiding. I knew I was at that age.

My phone rang in my hand. I hadn’t even realized I grabbed it. When Mel’s name popped up, I answered automatically, jogging ahead to look for signs of Xander .

“Mattias? What happened? I heard a shout, and the door was wide open.”

“Xander took off. I don’t know which way he went. Do me a favor and grab Thor. He can find him faster than I can.”

I heard her curse under her breath. “Alright. I’m on my way. Which way did he go?”

“Left out the front door. Tell me we have that appointment soon. He needs a damn therapist.”

“Right before lunch. Let’s find him first, then we’ll get him what he needs. Just stay calm, Mattias.”

Yeah, right. Like I could do that when my little brother was out there alone and upset. All the shit I’d been doing for him wasn’t enough. I needed to do better.

It felt like forever before we finally found him. It probably wasn’t actually that long, he didn’t go that far, but between Mel getting Thor and joining me and Thor doing his job, it took way too damn long. I didn't want Xander to get hurt.

I felt like I was drowning the entire time. I didn't know what to do to make him feel safe. The cops proved they wouldn’t help him. And the social worker hated me. It felt like the world was against me keeping him, and this just proved they had a point. He didn’t trust me enough to give me a chance to explain.

We found Xander in an overgrown, abandoned lot a few blocks away. It was probably a park at some point, but the playground equipment was all rotted and torn down, and the lot was empty. Xander was sitting by a tree, hugging his knees to his chest, his face buried against them. Hiding.

“Xander.”

He didn’t look up. He hugged his legs tighter, and I heard a choked sound, like he was trying not to cry. I stalled out, torn between going to him and giving him space. He was safe, that was what was important, and I never wanted to push him to interact before he was ready .

Mel had no such reservation. She walked right over to him and sat by his side, putting her arms around his shoulders. He let her draw him out a little, enough to lean against her, but he didn’t look up. Mel shot me a pointed look, then tipped her head to Xander’s other side. With a sigh, I moved to sit beside him and Thor nudged his arms until Xander allowed him into his space for a cuddle.

For a while, we sat in silence, but I knew this was my fault. Keeping my job a secret was supposed to be for everyone’s protection. But it wouldn’t help Xander if I left him in the dark.

“I work for the FBI,” I started, ignoring Mel’s head whipping around as she gaped at me. “I’m an ethical hacker. It’s not physically dangerous since I’m very rarely in the field, but because of where I work, I’m required to put a next of kin on my paperwork. It used to be Wyatt. He was like a brother to me growing up, and I didn't have any other family but him and Mel. When you showed up, I changed it.”

Slowly, he looked up, his cheeks tear-stained and red. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

I made a face. “I’m not technically supposed to. I’m good at what I do, but that means a lot of bad guys are caught because of me. Keeping it to myself is a form of protection not just for me but for the guys I work with. There’s no way for someone to come after me if I don’t exist. I don’t work in the office, I don’t go out into the field unless it’s an emergency. I don’t even work under my real name. My boss and the guys in our team know it, but when I’m working, they call me Adam. Just Adam.”

Technically, when I started hacking, I wasn’t doing it legally. I wasn’t doing anything dangerous, per se. I was trying to get emancipated without going through the system like I should’ve. I was a stupid kid with an affinity for coding. The cops found me hacking a government system, brought me in, and I was approached by someone in the FBI who said he’d train me to use that skill for good if I promised never to do something illegal like that again. I was just a kid, and I never wanted to be arrested. I just wanted out. He started paying for me to go to online courses and sending exercise routines, preparing me to join him after I graduated from college. It pushed me to focus more on school. I spent more nights at Wyatt’s so I could study in peace. And when I turned seventeen, I ran away and stayed at the clubhouse until I was legal and didn’t have to go back home. Jorge was gone by then, and thanks to the FBI agent who looked out for me, I was able to get a full ride to the local college. I buckled down, graduated with honors, and my job was waiting for me when I was finished.

“What happens if someone figures out who you are?” Xander whispered.

“They’d have to find me first,” I said bluntly. “I’m good at what I do. And you can’t tell anyone, but I can hack just about anything now. I regularly join a team hacking the CIA so they know where their weak spots are in their updates and can fix them so someone dangerous doesn’t figure it out. Hiding myself is easy online. And keeping my job to myself keeps me safe day to day.” I turned to look at him. “Not even Prez knows what I do for a living. I told him I worked in IT. It's close enough to the truth without putting either of us at risk.”

I hated lying to my friend, and I knew he’d be able to keep the secret without issue, but he spent most of our childhood watching out for me. This was one way I could return the favor. Keep my job to myself, keep him and the club safe.