CHAPTER TEN
Kye
IPROWLED BACK INTO THE STUDIO, THE DOOR SLAMMING BEHIND me. But the vicious bang had nothing on the darkness that roiled inside me. The oily blackness that felt like it was eating my insides.
Jericho looked up from the artful sleeve he was working on for a man in his mid-fifties. “Everything okay?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I cast a quick look at Bear. “Reschedule my appointments for the afternoon.”
Bear’s gray brows nearly hit his hairline, and I knew why. I never bailed on clients. But I couldn’t trust myself to ink anyone, not with where my head was at. Not waiting for an answer, I kept moving—right out the front door.
Instead of heading for my truck, I moved to the carport around the side of the building.
It gave my other pride and joy protection from the elements.
I’d done the Triumph’s custom paint job myself, mirroring countless tattoos on my body, but they were so interwoven it was hard to identify any one thing. But I knew all their hidden meanings.
I pulled out my keys and started her up. Within seconds, I had my jacket and helmet on and was flying out of the parking lot. I couldn’t think about the fact that I’d left Fallon alone with my mess of emotions without giving her a chance to say how she felt about it all.
God, I was a selfish prick. The wind hit me hard as I leaned into the turn that would take me out of town and toward the Monarch Mountains. I needed both—the cold bite of the air and the peace those peaks could bring.
A million questions and fears swirled in my mind as I twisted the throttle. There were times I swore Fal and I had never moved on from the bond we’d shared as teenagers. But there were others when I was convinced that she saw me as nothing more than an annoyingly overprotective brother figure.
One outcome hurt like hell—thinking it was easy for her to move on when I never could. The other? It had the potential to be lethal. Not just for me. For both of us.
I couldn’t help hearing Renee’s voice in my head, the tone swirling with the vitriol that coated her every move.
“You ruin everything you touch.” I gripped the handlebars tighter, and Rex’s taunting face flashed in my mind, right along with the knowledge that he was walking free after less than a decade inside.
I turned onto a mountain road, taking switchback after switchback until I reached the spot I was looking for.
I pulled my bike into the overlook and slowed to a stop.
The spot was completely empty, which wasn’t a surprise in November.
Tourist season had ended, and we’d yet to get the folks who braved the icy roads for the snow sports the area had to offer.
Swinging my leg over my bike, I pulled off my helmet and rested it on the seat.
A blaze of energy still coursed through me as I walked toward the stone wall at the edge of the overlook—a surge of anxiety and sheer terror I wasn’t sure could be snuffed out.
I stepped up onto the wall and just breathed deeply for a moment, letting myself teeter in the wind. Then I sat on the cold stone ledge.
The frigid feel helped somehow. Just like the air swirling around me. I stared out at the horizon, taking in the steep drop-off into the forests and fields below, and the golden faces of Castle Rock in the distance. If I squinted, I could almost convince myself I could see Colson Ranch out there.
I swallowed hard as I scrubbed my hands over my face. Such a goddamned mess. And it was all of my own making.
My phone dinged. I didn’t take it out right away, but when two more dings sounded, I twisted to pull it from my pocket. It was probably Fallon reading me the riot act I deserved.
Instead of glitter bomb threats, I found our sibling chat activated.
Cope has changed the group name to Middle Child Mafia.
Cope:
Who told Lolli I needed diamond art for our new house in Seattle?
A laugh bubbled out of me. It was the last sound I expected to make at the moment, but it was everything I needed.
My finger flew across the screen as I sent three raised hands emojis.
Cope:
Damn it, Kyler. Look what just showed up. It’s so big it had to be delivered by FREIGHT.
A grin spread across my face as I waited.
Rhodes:
The suspense is killing me.
Cope:
It’s Kye who’s in danger of getting dead.
Finally, a photo appeared. No laugh bubbled out of me this time. Instead, my jaw went completely slack. The piece had to be at least seven feet by five feet, covered in thousands of glittering gemstones.
Trace:
Is that a fairy orgy?
It couldn’t be anything but. And there were more sexcapades than could be found in the dark recesses of the internet.
Arden:
Lolli has truly upped her game. I’m pretty sure that’s a fairy sex club.
Shep:
I thought the penis pumpkins she gave Thea were bad.
Cope:
What the hell am I supposed to do with this?
Trace:
Burn it and claim it got lost in the mail?
Cope:
She paid for some expensive tracking. The delivery team took a photo of its arrival, and I had to sign for it.
A full laugh came this time.
Me:
You’re welcome, Copeypants. I just wanted you to have a reminder of us all while you’re away.
Cope:
A fairy sex club is supposed to remind me of you?
Arden:
I already have first-trimester morning sickness that lasts all day. I don’t need to think about you degenerates getting it on.
The chat devolved after that, everyone one-upping each other. The only one who didn’t join in was Fallon. And that only had my guilt mounting.
I needed to tell them all about the discovery of my sisters. And I had to apologize to Fal.
I stared down at my screen, watching every member of the chat other than Fal shit-talk each other. I’d already dropped one bomb today. Why not another?
Me:
I’ve got some news. Fallon found out yesterday that I have three half-sisters. Hayden, Clementine, and Gracie. Their home situation hasn’t been good, so I’m filing for custody.
I didn’t let myself wait or angst over word choice. I just hit send. Whether I followed through with Fallon’s ridiculous idea or went another route, I was fighting for those girls.
Staring at the screen, I waited. There was nothing for a long stretch, and then the texts came in all at once.
Arden:
The Gracie in my art program?
Cope:
Fuck. I knew there was something up with Hayden. Are they okay?
Rhodes:
What do you need, Kye?
Shep:
We can all write statements about what a good guardian you’d be. Do you need those?
Trace:
We’ve got your back. They’re so damn lucky to have you.
Arden:
You made Trace curse. He must really believe in you.
Then, finally, another name. The one I could never bring myself to change.
Sparrow:
We’re here. Whatever you need.
Pressure built behind my eyes. I didn’t deserve her. After everything I’d pulled over the years, she should’ve run for the hills. But here she was, still offering me everything.
Me:
Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without all of you.
It was the only thing I could say. I might not deserve any of them, but they were my lifelines. And I couldn’t risk losing any of them.