Page 79 of Bad Boy Next Door
“Did they ever hurt you?” I ran my finger along a thin scar on his forearm.
“Sure.” A short laugh burst from his chest. “We used to play this game, like tag, except when you got caught you got tied up against this tree in the backyard. The other guys threw stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“I dunno.” His fingers trailed up my arm. “Stuff. Dirt, crab apples, balls, rocks, whatever was around. Tools.”
“Tools? Like hammers?”
“Sure. Screwdrivers, pliers, whatever Da left around.”
“That’s dangerous. You guys could havekilledeach other.”
“Brothers do that kind of stuff.” His fingers stroked my back. “They got me good a few times, though. Couple of times knocked me out.”
“Knocked you out?”
“By accident.” He shifted. “After that, they laid off me for a while. Got to the point where I hoped for a head shot, so I could fake passing out.”
“That’s nuts!” I was suddenly glad I’d had only a sister. “And you threw stuff at your brothers, too?”
“I guess.”
“What do you mean, you guess?”
“I’m the youngest.”
“You werealwaysthe one caught and tied up?”
“Pretty much. Maybe Shane a few times. Not sure.” He grunted. “But the tables turned when I hit my growth spurt.”
“When was that?”
“Around fourteen. Keagan was already an adult by then, 18 or 19.”
“Wait.” I turned to lie sideways on his chest so I could see his face. “You’re telling me that there are five of you, and the age span is only four years?”
“Five. Nearly five and a half, and Mac and Dill are twins.”
“Wow. And your dad was on his own after you were born.”
“Yup.”
“Starting to understand the lack of discipline.”
“Guess we were pretty wild.” His fingers traced circles on the small of my back.
“But you’re done with all that.”
“Playing tag and tossing things at my brothers’ heads?”
I smirked. “The stealing. Whatever you used to do for your brothers.”
“I was mostly the lookout. A few times when we highjacked trucks, I’d, um… Let’s just say my size and reputation helped convince the drivers to get out of the cab. Brute Squad. That’s me.”
“Brute Squad?”
“FromThe Princess Bride. I’m the Brute Squad.”
