Page 57 of Tattletale

I rub my forehead as the memories come into clear focus. “That’s the more macho version, I suppose. The truth is, I would’ve never pulled the trigger. I was too much of a chickenshit.”

“Well, if your brother was violent, that makes sense.”

I press my lips together and shake off the notion. “No, I wasn’t scared of him. I was scared of not having someone to boss me around. I never really had to think for myself up until that point. I was good at following orders. I couldn’t kill my brother because what’s a sheep without a shepherd, you know?”

Eden nods. “That doesn’t make you weak. Soldiers can be very strong. Not everybody wants to be in the control seat.”

“Except, had I stepped up, my mom might not be where she is today. She’s sick because I was scared. Maybe my brother would’ve hurt less people. Maybe I would’ve been the one to put my dad in his early grave.”

Leaning back, Eden settles deeper into her chair. “I’m sorry, Lance. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk about your family before and the details surrounding how you ended up with PALADIN.”

“Linc didn’t mention it?” I ask.

Eden shakes her head. “I never asked. I like to get to know my friends straight from the horse’s mouth.” She smiles. “I’ve always been curious about how you got into PALADIN. Vesper mentioned she was reluctant because she thought you could have a normal life.”

“Yeah, her first answer was no.”

Eden’s lips turn down. “What made her change her mind?”

I smile, remembering the first time I met Cricket. A memory that I’ll treasure until my dying breath. “Cricket did. Here, I’ll tell you the story…”

SIXTEEN

LEVI

NINE YEARS AGO

I’ve learnedtwo things about Linc within the few hours we’ve been introduced. One—he doesn’t talk much. His responses to my incessant questions are just grunts and dirty looks. Two—he seems to think that two hours constitutes the phrase, “We’re just up the hill.”

He knocked my brother out, tied him up, and threw him on the floor of the back seat of his unmarked, blackout sedan. I had the privilege of riding shotgun, but I have a sinking feeling that Colt’s fate and my own might not be too different after all.

We’re well outside of Denver now, somewhere deep in the mountains on a windy road. This late at night, it’s hard to make out any real landmarks. If Linc decides to ditch my ass on the side of the road, I’ll have a marathon to walk before I hit civilization. This far into the mountains, he could easily hide a dead body.

The car stops abruptly at a property gate that seems to appear out of nowhere. I fly forward in my seat, knocking my knees hard on the dash.

“I warned you to put on your seat belt,” Linc murmurs. He can’t be that much older than me. But he’s definitely more serious than any teenager I’ve ever encountered.

“Would you also like me to stay off the green lawn you just mowed, Grandpa?” I snark, righting myself into the seat.

“Are you always this mouthy?” He turns to face me and arches one brow.

“Yeah... Why?”

“Because your chattiness may determine how hard I work to convince Vesper to let you stay.”

That wipes the smile right off my face. “What would happen to me?”

“You’re seventeen. Even with government assistance, your mother can’t take care of you. It’s pretty obvious she needs to be institutionalized.”

I stare into my lap and am silent, picturing my mother’s hollow, pale cheeks. My stomach twists thinking about the fresh bruises my brother left on her, and how she was so frail she didn’t even flinch when he hit her.

Linc must read the shift in my demeanor, because for the first time since I met him, he reaches over and places his hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t mean that disrespectfully. I meant, she needs help, and it’s a shame no one intervened sooner.”

Linc arranged a hospital transport for my mother, but the ambulance had to arrive after we left. He didn’t want to be seen at our house.

“She didn’t always look like that,” I say. “My mom was really pretty. Likereallygorgeous back in her day. She was smart and kind, too. The only ugly thing about her was her love for my dad.”

“Your dad is—”

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