Page 81 of Midnight Salvation

Okay, so even I can admit that was an asshole thing to say. At this point, I’m just goading him into a fight. I don’t even know what I’m expecting him to say, but every time I think about the fact that he’s never said anything about it, it fucks me up a little bit. Like not a single thing in all these . . . however many fucking years he’s known. It makes me wonder what other secrets he’s kept from me.

The door opens before he can respond, and Bane stands in the doorway, his face like thunder. “You wanna tell me what the fuck is going on in here? If one of you assholes wakes my girl up, I’m going to put fucking centipedes in your beds tonight.”

My mouth drops open at his very creative, very alarming threat.

“What the fuck, Bane?” I hiss, wrapping the towel around me tighter as if that will protect me from those fucking evil bugs.

“Our girl,” Silas says slowly.

Bane slices him a dark look, but Silas looks unfazed. “What? She is.”

“You wanna tell me what the fuck you two are yelling about in the middle of the night in the bathroom?”

I shrug and paste a grin on my face. I can feel the sharp edges and brittle shape of my smile, but I don’t fucking care. “Nah, not me. I’m not yelling, that’s my half-brother Silas over here.”

There’s a moment of silence then, like the universe itself is holding its breath. I fold my arms across my chest, acutely aware that I’m only wearing a pair of athletic shorts for this conversation.

And to make shit just a little bit weirder, Bane slides inside the bathroom and shuts the door quietly behind him. The bathrooms at Evangeline’s house aren’t small, but they sure as fuck aren’t that big. And right now, the three of us are bumping into each other’s personal space too quickly.

“Fucking explain. Now,” Bane snaps, looking at me.

“Nah, brother. I think you have it mixed up. He should be the one to do the talking.” I shift my gaze to Silas, noticing the stricken look painted on his face. “Oh, shit. He didn’t tell you yet? Turns out, the three of us”—I circle my fingers in the air between us—“we’re all half-brothers. Fucking wild, yeah?”

I rock back on my heels, an angry smirk curling up the corners of my mouth as I study Bane’s expression. His eyes widen with shock, eyebrows drawn together. I watch, a little fascinated, as his eyebrows smooth out and his face falls into that neutral expression of his. My gaze slides to Silas, and I’m surprised to find an equally surprised look on his face.

“What?” Silas grunts.

“Details,” Bane barks at the same time.

“You want the details of how Margaret Thorne, Ma’s best fucking friend and better known as Aunt Maggie, fucked Raymond St. James, dad of the year? ‘Fraid I don’t have those specifics, brother.”

Bane steps toward me, aggression shattering that perfect blank expression of his. “Is this a fucking joke to you?”

I tilt my head to the side, giving him a flat look. “Do I look like I’m fucking joking, Lincoln? I’ve had to sit with this knowledge for weeks, but that motherfucker has known for years and years,” I seethe, pointing toward Silas.

“Bullshit. I didn’t know about this,” Silas blurts out.

Bane and I turn to glare at him as one. Silas exhales and looks at the ceiling for a moment. “What I meant was I didn’t know it was Aunt Maggie, okay? I only knew that you weren’t, you know, Ma’s biologically.”

I flinch at the reminder, even though it’s been on a loop inside my head for too long. “How? How long have you known?”

He looks at me, regret softening his face. “I was home sick one day in middle school, and some woman came to the house. There was yelling and screaming, and I crept down the stairs at one point, sure I’d find the house a mess or something. Shit was so loud, I was convinced Ma was wrestling a whole pack of bobcats.” He pauses and drags his hand over his head. “But when I got downstairs, Ma was crying in the kitchen. She was on the phone with Pops, and she was saying something about some woman coming over and trying to take Asher back, that she was ready to be his mom again. But Ma was inconsolable, so I knew Pops would be home soon. And I went back into my room and pretended it never happened.”

I bark out a caustic laugh, shaking my head at his easy explanation for the fucking complicated situation. “But it did fucking happen, Silas. And you should’ve told me.”

“I was a fucking child, and I was scared, okay?” Silas’s gaze darts around the room, never settling on one thing. “I thought if I told someone what I heard, they’d take you away.”

“What?” I mutter. His confession pierces the balloon of rage I’ve been harboring. It doesn’t pop, but it loses some of its steam.

“I don’t fucking know. Some kid at school had to leave his parents and he was separated from his little brothers, so maybe that shit was in my head. Honestly, I haven’t thought about this for years, Asher.”

The use of my real name isn’t lost on me. He only ever uses it when he wants me to listen.

“That’s fucked-up, Silas,” I mutter.

“Nah, you don’t get it. You were my brother, Asher, and it was my job to protect you. It’s still my fucking job. So if telling you meant that you’d get taken away from me, then—” He cuts himself off, shaking his head. He slides his hands into his pockets. “I’m sorry, man. You can hate me for what I did, and I’ll accept it. But to me, you’ve always been my little brother. Regardless of who your biological mom is.”

Fizzy emotion seeps through the cracks of my anger, and I fucking hate that there’s a tide of relief too. It was fucking exhausting being angry at him all this time.

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