Page 40 of Their Property
“Oh, I T-boned a supposedly armored SUV with my bike back when I was just a prospect. It was some protest riot like twenty years go, I don’t remember. But the dumbass inside kept yelling that it was armored and he’d turn me into roadkill.” T-Bone shrugged, bringing his hands together on Grudge’s chest. “I called him out. Turned out, he was bluffing. Long story short, I survived and he didn’t.”
“Oh my God, how did you know it wasn’t armored?” Kyrie demanded.
“I didn’t.” T-Bone stroked over Grudge’s chest and stomach, a motion that Kyrie followed with her eyes. “See, that’s what happens when you havenosupervision when you’re young. You don’t care if you die or not, and you do stupid shit.” He rested his cheek on top of Grudge’s head. “That is, until you find people that make you care about living.”
“Aw,” Grudge said, reaching up to scratch the back of T-Bone’s head.
Kyrie smiled at the affection, then her head tilted with a puzzled expression. “How old were you twenty years ago?”
“Eighteen, I think.” T-Bone smirked at her then pointed at his temple. “Things have gotten scrambled up in here over the years, so don’t quote me.”
Her eyes widened. “So you’re…thirty-eight?”
“That’s right, little lady.”
“All of you?”
“Grudgemightbe forty,” I said. “He doesn’t know his exact birth date, and he’s got more gray than any of us.”
“Meh.” Grudge rolled his eyes and raised his middle finger at me.
“The gray’s sexy,” T-Bone assured him, stroking a hand through the salt and pepper of his beard.
“And you?” Kyrie asked me.
“I’m thirty-nine,” I told her, unable to resist adding a wink. “Had me for younger, didn’t you?”
“Oh my God, I figured you for late twenties.” She scrubbed her hands down her face, cheeks reddening.
“Most people do,” T-Bone said. “It’s his Indigenous side. He doesn’t fuckin’ age.”
“Remember that time Chris thought I was your son?” I laughed.
T-Bone nodded, grinning. “And I told him, ‘Well hedoescall me Daddy’.”
“Except I don’t,” I snorted.
“Yes, you do. I just make you come so hard that you black out and don’t remember.”
Grudge slapped at T-Bone’s arm then, giving him a disapproving look and gesturing to Kyrie, who was holding back adorable snorts of laughter.
“What? She thinks it’s funny.”
“Please.” Kyrie held up a hand, swallowing another laugh. “I hate it when people act like I’m a delicate fucking flower.” She lowered her hand to her lap, eyes taking in all three of us. “I like seeing you guys as yourselves. It’s refreshing. Please don’t feel like you have to watch what you say around me.”
“Be careful what you wish for.” I gave her a playful nudge. “Uncensored Sons of Odin tend to get in trouble.”
Her smile went a little wobbly. “Does it bother you guys that I’m only twenty-three?”
“Why would it bother us?” T-Bone demanded, his tone bordering on aggressive.
I wanted to smack him for that response. It sounded reactionary, defensive. A foolish denial of thesomethingthat existed here between the three of us and this woman nearly twenty years younger. Perhaps it was good to remind everyone that we could never indulge in that something, but not at the cost of her crestfallen face.
“What T-Bone means is,” I said carefully. “You’re very driven and accomplished for someone your age. None of us did a fraction of what you’ve done by twenty-three. You’re a remarkable person, regardless of how old you are.”
“Aww. Thanks, Dyno.” She leaned closer toward me, and damn if I didn’t stop myself from going for a kiss. Thankfully, T was there to ruin the moment.
“Hey, I resent that! I T-boned a whole truck when I was younger than her.”
