Page 32 of Blade

“They give it to him.” Emryn tries to defend her brother. I want to get pissed, but if roles were reversed, I would be defending my sister too.

Yet, I lay it on the line. “Babe, he cons them out of their money. Including you. The reason you do it is out of love. That’s the only difference. That’s why you left the last place you lived. You didn’t want to live with the reputation he left behind,” I tell her, putting it all together.

Emryn looks up at me with huge, glossy eyes, trembling lips, and quivering chin. I’m fucking right! She doesn’t need to confirm it with words; her face tells the whole story. The little sister keeps pulling her big brother out of the fire and, in return, has had to start over.

“How many times have you moved?” I ask.

“Pardon?”

“You know what I’m asking, babe.”

“Five.” She tucks her lower lip between her teeth. Her brother has gotten into a nasty habit of turning to Emryn every time he gets himself in trouble. The question is, what brand of trouble is he in? What’s worse, Emryn doesn’t live the high life and doesn’t have the kind of money he’s looking for, but he takes advantage of anyone she gets close to.

I suck in a breath, calming myself from going down the hall to throttle her brother with my bare hands. “That stops now. We’re building something, and he doesn’t factor into us. Are you with me?”

She nods. “I want that. More than anything,” she says quietly. I put my arms around her and kiss the top of her head.

“We’ll talk more later,” I reply with a grin.

Ryan returns as I carry the platter of fajitas over to the table. He saunters in with an air of sophistication, and I see how his presence would turn heads. His mask never slips, not through dinner, or afterward. He casually talks up a storm about anything and everything. The thing is, he says so much that means so little. A master con artist also knows when he’s got his prey in hand, and Ryan is well aware that I’m not buying what he’s selling.

So, it stands to reason that his next line of offense will be to get rid of me. Ryan’s going to find out that won’t be an option. He keeps glancing at his watch. A gesture that seems innocent enough, but I think it’s his way of telling me to leave.

Instead, I get up, taking Emryn with me. “It’s late, baby. Why don’t you get ready for bed, and I’ll clear away this stuff, then lock up, and I’ll be right in,” I say. Emryn blinks, obviously not expecting me to stay when her brother is visiting, but there’s no way Ryan’s going to get her alone to sing his sad sob story to.

“Are you sure? I can do it,” she mumbles.

“You’ve had a long day. I got this.” I then turn to Ryan. “Maybe you can give me a hand?”

Direct hit! Finally, a chink in his armor. The mask slips, just for a millisecond, but I see his annoyance, and I take it as a personal triumph. Ryan recovers quickly. “Glad to help.” He goes through the motions of picking up the coffee cups and setting them in the dishwasher as Emryn says good night and goes to the bedroom.

As soon as Emryn disappears, Ryan also retires for the night, giving me the opportunity to make some calls. I step out onto the front porch and call Guard.

Guard answers the phone. “Yo, man, you okay?”

“That storm, it’s here,” I reply.

“Damn,” he swears, then I hear him shuffling around and telling Ava he’ll be right back. “Give it to me.”

“Her brother blew into town. He’s trouble, and he brings trouble to Emmy. I need to know what sort of shit he’s mixed up in,” I tell him. I go on to explain what Emmy relayed and the gut feeling I have about not leaving her alone with him. “I don’t think he’d dirty his hands by physically assaulting her, but he fucks with her head, pouring on the guilt. And he’s smooth, brother, like a crocodile wading in the swamp, ready to strike.”

“Orion and Wildcard will get on that in the morning. If there’s something to find, they’d be the ones to uncover it. In the meantime, we’ll think of a way to keep Emryn busy, putting some distance between her and her brother,” Guard returns.

Together, we formulate a plan, and the first one up is Ava. She’ll be by tomorrow morning and will need desperate help that only Emryn can provide. Emmy’s already shared that she’s meeting a couple tomorrow evening for work, so by the time she’s on her way home, I’ll be here. I feel better knowing that we have the day worked out.

The bedside lamp is on, and Emryn’s sitting up in bed. “You’re waiting for me,” I say.

Her expression is pensive and sad. “I didn’t tell him I moved. My own brother, and I didn’t tell him where I live. What kind of sister am I?” She goes on, answering her own question. “I’m selfish. Family sticks together, like yours does. But mine’s a mess, and as much as I love Ryan, I don’t like him very much right now.” Emryn stares at me. “He’s right, you know. I never said, ‘Hey, big brother, I miss you.’ But how do I do that knowing he’s going to mess up my life all over again?”

Emeryn covers her face with her hands and begins to weep. I go to her, take her into my arms, and let her get it all out, at the same time silently vowing that Ryan won’t take advantage of his sister this time.

Eighteen

The Parents

Blade

Ryan is still in bed while Emryn and I are having breakfast. Emryn finally fell asleep last night, but it took me a lot longer. Mainly because I was seething with fury and barely controlling the urge to beat her brother to a pulp.

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