Page 88 of A Wrench in the Plan
“Well, now we all need a shower,” Ev said, a tinge of humor in his tone. “But, uh, that thing isn’t big enough for three of us.”
“We could try,” Chry said hopefully.
Ev and I shared a look. I loved him, but…
“Think we’re good on that,” Ev said for me, and then we laughed. “I’ll be quick, then you can jump in with him.”
“I’ll take care of that,” Chry said as he set the trash bag right outside the bathroom.
Evan kissed me on the cheek before I darted out of the bathroom, closing the door behind me to give them a little private moment.
I guessed I’d be scrubbing the tub with bleach in the morning. I was too… wound up to do it now.
“Don’t worry. I got it,” I said snatching the bag up.
The water in the shower started and I heard the curtain draw open then closed again.
I stood there for a second, giving my mind a chance to catch up.
Holding a trash bag full of clothes that were bloody from a kill, I wondered if I ever saw my life here. Sure it was a noble kill, a worthy and just one, but it was still a kill. Then I thought back to what Evan had very hesitantly told me about the man I’d once called my boyfriend. I thought about those girls that he’d tortured and raped. Thought about the ones he’d killed. Thought about how that could have been me, could have been other women.
Then I simply found peace in what Chry and Evan had done.
“I still expect tacos once we’re clean!” I shouted before I headed for the door like I was about to take out a normal bag of house trash and not bloody clothes that would likely need to be burned and buried in a location I wanted to be clueless about.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Wrench
“I got the DNA results back,” Evan said. He was talking to me, but he was staring out the window of my room. Since there wasn’t anything exciting out there, I figured he was in shock or lost in thought.
I knew he’d been antsy about getting the results. Even though he tried to hide it, I knew he was constantly checking his emails to see if they were in, then checking his online medical chart to see if it had somehow been put up without sending a notice through email.
“Abigail is my aunt… so that would make Dade my dad. Unless there’s another brother she has out there that she doesn’t know about.” He was trying to joke, but I could see through that bullshit. Yeah, it was hitting him hard.
It was like having those results in his face made it real. Made it true.
“You okay?” I asked as I leaned against the desk. Shoving my hair back, still damp from the shower, I studied him just to make sure I saw the truth in his answer.
His eyes blinked rapidly before he met my gaze.
“I think so, yeah,” he told me. I believed it. It was probably a shock. He had answers now, but with that came more questions, and with Dade gone, he might not ever get some of the answers to those. “I have an aunt. That’s kinda cool.”
“She’s a good one too,” I said, sending him a smile.
Abigail was sweet and amazing. She made some damn good food too. She and Charming never had children of their own. I wasn’t sure why, but since she loved being around the club kids, I figured she’d be excited about having a nephew. I got the impression that her family situation before she came here hadn’t been so great. I was sure this would be good for both of them.
“Should we invite Cat?” Ev asked, obviously changing the subject. There would be a time when he was ready to talk about it, and I’d be there for him. He pulled on his boots like he was ready to go.
I paused, feeling like an asshole that I didn’t have an answer for that question.
It was a little late now, seeing as it was about time to head out the door to go to dinner at my parents’ house. I’d missed a few. In fact, I’d missed a lot lately. I’d been avoiding them, which was shitty of me. It was also really hard to do when they were here a lot. I got tired of reassuring everyone that I was fine, when clearly I hadn’t been for a while. But I was ready. I was working through the darkness and trying to focus on the good things I had going on in my life. One of which was my family. I’d never take them for granted, yeah, but I hadn’t treated them right lately.
“Wouldn’t that be weird?” I asked. The question itself felt fucking weird. No, it shouldn’t have been that way, but I knew we were trying to keep this on the DL, and bringing Cat to family dinner would be out of the ordinary. Evan was the one that came with me, not Cat. Except, the thought of her not being there now that we were together left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“I guess…” Evan answered, looking as confused as I felt. “I don’t want her to feel like we’re leaving her out. It’s kind of like I’m part of the family but she’s not, ya know? I don’t think I like that.”
“Yeah, I get what you’re sayin’. Once we…”
