Page 86 of Her Brother's Keeper

“Yeah. She and I are solid, bro. More solid than anything I’ve ever had before. I feel it in my bones. She’s young, but she’s got an old soul… you know?”

Archer shook his head smiling, his long hair dragging across the patches on his cut, “Don’t start with that meta-whatsit, magic, mumbo-jumbo, new age bullshit.”

I laughed lightly, “’Scuse the fuck out of me for being more spiritually enlightened that you sorry fucks.”

“Whatever you say, kid.”

Worry crossed his face, flickering through his eyes for a moment that was clear as day, and it knocked me off my reservation. I straightened and went for the paper towels, pulling some and squashing them against my face to soak off some of the water trying to drip off it before I completely straightened up.

“This ain’t a catastrophic divide between you two fucks that I’m dealing with, is it? Because I ain’t suited to try and fix that shit. I ain’t Grind.”

I shook my head, “No. He’s my twin, Archer.”

“Never seen you go at him like that before. Not for anything.”

“I will, and I did, for her… Doesn’t that tell you something?”

Archer was quiet for some long minutes before he finally nodded, “It does,” he said quietly, and something passed between us. I could see it then, in my brother from another mother…

“You’d do the same for Mel, now wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah, I would,” he said without missing a beat.

I tipped my head back and rolled it on my neck, sighing out. “Never thought I’d see the day, man.”

“That makes two of us,” he said staring at the toes of his boots. He heaved a sigh and fixed me with his considering, calculating stare, “Welcome to the club, I guess.”

“What club?” I asked with a reckless grin.

“Club pussy whipped,” he said and I laughed.

“Nah man, this is just welcome to what it’s like to love and be loved. As far as clubs go, it ain’t half bad, is it?”

“No two I’d rather belong to,” he confessed and I nodded.

“It’s different,” I admitted.

“It is at that.”

“Just hope our brother gets to join it soon.”

“That makes two of us, maybe then he’ll pull his head out of his fuckin’ ass.”

“Amen to that,” I muttered.

I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Archer grunted, and asked, “She do that epic freak out shit often?”

“Used to, but it’s been a while.”

“Didn’t I always tell you not to stick your dick in crazy?”

“Sure did, but it’s not that kind of crazy. Just got to her a little too late when it came to that school of hers.”

“Ah, that little problem you cleared up left a mark, huh?”

“That it did.”

“Well, it looks like you got instant family, just add relationship, so you got some responsibilities now. Best get back out there and live up to ‘em.”

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