Page 26 of Finn

He raps his knuckles against the table in front of him. “You watch her starting now. I’m leaving tonight.”

My mouth drops. “Cole. What the fuck? You didn’t tell me you were leaving so soon.”

Turning toward me, he still holds onto his scowl even though his eyes say a different story. “I found out earlier that my window of opportunity is quickly coming to a close, and I have to leave. You got what you wanted. The smart brother is all too eager to watch you.”

Afterward, he starts spouting off orders to Jax and Finn that I only half listen to. I drift toward the couch, nerves stretching me thin. He hasn’t said much about what this business is, but I doubt Cole does anything that isn’t at least a little dangerous…. And I literally just got him back. I swallow, fear gripping me. I don’t want to lose him again.

The voices in the other room remain low, and all three participate, so at least Jax has come to the conclusion that he actually has no choice in the matter. Yes, I’m mad about this, but what Cole said makes sense. Dempsey can watch me, or he can actively try to find out if this is a threat that we need to be worried about. Maybe I’ll only need to bebabysatfor a week, max. Since I also told Cole I would make things easier on him, I won’t fight it. I know the pressure he’s under, and I don’t want to keep pushing him anymore.

And really, there are far worse things than spending a bunch of time with Finn.

A pair of jeans step into my view, and I work my gaze up to meet my brother’s shadowy eyes. “Leenie Bear.”

I cringe at my nickname. He’s called me that since I was a toddler. It sounds foreign coming out of the mouth of a tattooed-up, personified bad boy, but whoever Cole is on the outside, he’ll always be my brother.

I gulp, unable to keep the dread from rising again. “What if you don’t come back again?” I ask, a tremor in my voice. “Or what if this takes another five years?”

Cole’s face falls. It lasts a split second until he gazes over the couch. “You two wait outside,” he orders.

I don’t watch Jax and Finn go, though I can feel a pair of eyes trained on me. As soon as the door clicks, signaling that my brother and I are alone, Cole sits next to me. “I’m coming back this time. I can promise you one hundred percent that I’ll be back. I don’t know when,” he hedges. “But I will be. You can text me. I’ll answer every single time. I promise. The worst thing I ever did was take my family for granted, and I’m not going to do it again.” He reaches over to cover my hand with his. “I took over the Crew as a favor to Mag, but I did it for us too. I did it because I want a relationship with you, Leenie. And Mom and Dad. I couldn’t stand being away another year, so no matter what the growing pains are to get there, we’re going to get our family back. I won’t leave again, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you either.”

For the third time today, I wrap my arms around my brother. “Just be careful.”

“Promi—” He breaks off. “You can count on it,” he says instead, squeezing me tighter.

When we pull away, I wipe under my eyes to catch some of the tears threatening to fall before he can see.

Cole punches me playfully in the arm. “Well, hey, at least you don’t like the asshole brother.”

That makes me laugh. “He is a bit of a dick, huh?”

“He has balls though. I’ll give him that.” The way he says it makes me think Jax earned a grudging respect out of him. “Doesn’t make him dumb for trying though.”

“So...Finn?”

He frowns. “I meant what I said before. One, you’re too good for any guy here. Two, Finn’s total focus needs to be on keeping you safe. Don’t distract him,” he warns.

I want to argue, but I’m pretty sure I just made a pact with myself about not placing anymore shit on my brother’s plate. In this case, I’m going to go with what Cole doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

We hug goodbye, both of us slowly returning to the familiar stages of being a sibling again. “I’m always available,” he says, gesturing toward his phone on the coffee table.

“Same, big brother. If you need me.” He smirks, and I shrug. “You never know what you might need advice with. Clothes. Girls. Peni—”

“Just get the fuck out, Leenie,” he grunts.

I laugh as I pull the door open. “Love you too, grumpy.”

I step out, my heart beating in my throat. For the longest time, I stand there with my hand still on the doorknob. I don’t have a good feeling about this, but there’s nothing I can do. Instead, I peek toward the elevator and find Jax and Finn waiting for me.

My hand slips from the handle, and I walk toward them, leaving my brother behind to do his gang leader shit. Finn looks up when he hears me approach, his lips pulling apart into a broad smile. Instantly, some of the stress of the last half an hour lifts from me. I can’t think of a better person to pass the time with than someone who literally emits his own light.

Hot damn.

11

“Your brother’s a dick.”

Man, I’m going to start putting money aside every time someone says that to me. I bet I walk out of this with a fortune.

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