Page 23 of Finn

I grab the crystal pitcher that doesn’t scream my brother at all. I almost place it right on my flaming cheeks but manage to restrain myself and bring it back to the table. Cole gestures toward the two chairs on the opposite side, and Jax and Finn sit. One looking about as unhappy as he can get, while Finn appears as if he’s struggling to stay neutral.

I wish I could do that.

Cole starts digging through the boxes. He spoons plentiful portions onto his plate before stopping when no one else moves. “Dig in,” he says, lip quirking into a smirk. “I’m sure as fuck not going to serve you.”

Finn doesn’t hesitate. He starts looking through the different dishes, even asking Cole to pass him the fried rice. It’s Jax and I who are sitting with glares on our faces. This just doesn’t seem...normal. First, I haven’t had a meal with my brother since he returned to Rawley Heights. Now, I’m about to have it with the two people he threatened yesterday. What world is this?

Oh, right. It’s the Dragons. This is probably par for the course.

Cole hands me the lo mein because he knows I love it. “I bought two, so this one is all yours.”

Even though I’m still wondering what his angle is for inviting the two brothers, I still get a rush of sweetness that he remembered something from that long ago. Do normal gang leaders do that? I somehow don’t think so. “Aww, thanks, bro.”

I watch his profile to catch his reaction. His lips thin a little, which tells me this isn’t supposed to be a friendly meeting. He’s not about to ask Jax and Finn if we want to start a sibling rivalry game night. Like, Mondays we play Monopoly. Wednesdays, Pictionary. No, this isnota social call. Cole definitely has something in mind.

By the time everyone else is shoving food into their mouths, Jax is still sitting there with his arms crossed. Finn nudges the sweet and sour chicken his way, and he just glances at it.

“Which one of you is older?” I ask, even though I already have my suspicions.

“I’m younger and cooler,” Finn remarks.

Jax scoffs, but then the hard look on his face returns, deep wrinkles marring his forehead. I keep staring between the two. They have different physiques and personalities, but I notice matching characteristics too. Their facial structures are similar with angular, sharp edges, though Jax has a somewhat rounder face that matches his stockier build. Their parents didn’t just give them names that would help them get laid for the rest of their lives, they gave them looks, too. However, Jax’s personality is a bit of a turn off.

“You’re not going to eat?” Cole asks, and I swear he sounds like a judgmental housewife. Almost like he slaved over dinner all day and his kid is refusing to eat it.

“I really want to know what this is about first.”

“After,” Cole says easily. “I need some food in me before we talk business.”

“He hasn’t touched her,” Jax spits. “She came to him.”

“I know,” Cole growls. “Just eat.”

“We have a deal,” Jax continues, unable to let it go.

“Jesus Christ.” Cole drops his fork and leans back in the chair. He glares at Finn. “Does he not eat? Can’t we eat our Chinese in fucking peace?”

Finn smirks. “He’s this intense all the time. Well....” He pauses, pretending to think. “I’d say about eighty nine percent of the time. When he watches superhero movies, he relaxes.”

Jax turns a glare at his brother that would turn him to stone if he was Medusa. It’s so comical that both Cole and I chuckle, even though my brother stifles his quickly. So fast no one else probably even noticed he relaxed enough to do it. “Just fucking eat. I’m not talking with you on an empty stomach.”

Finn grabs the fried rice and starts dumping some on his brother’s plate. Then, he grabs the extra lo mein and gives him some of that too. He stops short of placing his fork in his brother’s hand, though I swear his fingers twitch to do it. Jax ends up grabbing the silverware first, poising it above his food. If there’s such a thing as anger eating, Jax does it. He chews so hard I’m afraid he might break a tooth.

Finn and I share conspiratorial smirks. Then, once that happens, it’s hard for us to look away from each other. I take a drink of water while still watching him. “So, what did you do today?”

“Really?” Jax fumes around a noodle.

I shrug. “If we’re all here, we might as well talk.”

“I...” Finn starts with a gigantic grin toward his brother. “...went through my training sessions. Watched some tape with our fighter from last night. Oh, and I punched my brother in the gut when he wouldn’t let me stop you from walking out of the gym.”

Jax’s brows lower over his eyes.

“Huh.” I say, looking between the two and trying to keep a straight face.

“What did you do?” Finn asks.

“I went right from your gym to here. Been hanging out with my brother all day.” I peek at Cole, who is about as stone-faced as you can get. I obviously won’t go into details about anything he’s told me. “It was nice,” I say instead. “We hadn’t gotten to hang out in a long time.”

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