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I give her a closed-mouth smile. I feel drained physically and mentally, but I need to know what’s wrong with Rague. She pulls me to the table, and I sit between Sully and Lori. I grab my brother’s head and bump his forehead with mine before letting him go. The familiar gesture grounds me. He looks okay, a bit freaked out by all these new people and by what happened. But all in all, okay.
“Before explaining to you about the red haze attacks, can you tell us what happened?” Linda asks me.
I’m about to open my mouth when Sully suddenly stands up, dropping his chair on the floor. “It’s all my fault.”
“Sully! That’s codswallop,” Lori squeezes his arm.
“It’s what?” Michael asks, confused.
My brother continues, “No, it isn’t. If I didn’t come back early from my trip and let Ollie know, he wouldn’t have come to Dick’s house, and Rague wouldn’t have…hulked out.” He glances at Rami for confirmation, and the big bearded guy nods at him.
“And Dick would have used you as his punchball,” I retort.
“He hit me once beforeyouarrived and did what you always do.” He stops to wipe away the tears from his red eyes, pushing his glasses up and looking so damn young and miserable. And fuck, I feel the tears forming at the back of my eyes as well. “Provoke him, so that he focuses on you and leaves me alone. Because I’m so fucking weak.”
“You are not weak. You’re so smart and good, Sully-doo. So good. You have a real chance at doing great things,” I assert vehemently.
“And you don’t?” Sully counters.
“No.” Maybe. Maybe it’s too late.
“That’s rubbish, you git,” he snaps at me. My brother spends too much time with Lori.
“Well said,” my best friend promptly agrees with him. Gabe sniffs at that, and Lori sends him a blazing glower. What did I miss? What’s all this animosity between them?
“If you’re thinking about all the shitty things Dick forced you to do, you did them for me. To protectme.” Sully doesn’t let it go.
And fuck, I don’t want to have this conversation in front of all these strangers. Even though they’ve been helping us, I can see the caution, especially in Raph and Gabe’s gazes.
Sully moves his regretful eyes to Meg and Linda. “It’s not his fault. This mess is all on me. Please believe me. He’s the best brother I could hope for, and he really cares for Rague.”
“I can attest to that, Mom One and Mom Two. I’ve never seen Ollie so smitten. I mean, he forced me to stalk him!” I roll my eyes at my friend’s idiocy. Way to turn me into a nutcase in front of Rague’s family.
A couple of brows kick up, and my brother looks at me with a, “Really? You loser!” kind of expression. To which I answer sarcastically with a, “Like my moronic behavior still surprises you,” look.
“Is it true?” Raph is studying me with those dark, no-bullshit eyes.
“That I stalked him? Yes. And Rague made us easily since Lori is a danger to society when he drives,” I reply with my most unashamed tone. I won’t shrink and tremble under anyone’s stare.
“Fuck off, you lily-liver. My driving is…”—Suicidal? Losing-your-lunch terrible? Making-a-deal-with-the-devil scary?—“…sporty.”
Sully produces a very loud snort at Lori’s ridiculous word choice.
“Of course, Rague made you.” Linda sounds smug. “Itaught him.” That’s a weird statement. Especially since she looks like a dainty angel. But one look from her, and my mischief wants to come out and play.
“Do you care about him even after seeing what he’s capable of?” Raph tries again.
“Yes.” My voice comes out steady and strong, “And that’s all I’m going to say to you. Because the rest is between Rague and me.”
“You were right, the kiddo has big balls,” Linda stage whispers, looking at Rami. Kitty, kiddo…I inspire really shitty nicknames.
“Stop questioning him, bully boy! And start answering why you all were so unaffected by the goryGame of Thronesscene we stepped into at Micro Dick’s house!”
Lori is staring daggers at Raph, but he just glances back with a bored expression, like he’s gotten his answers and is done talking.
“Raph, rein thepsychoin,” Michael sighs. Psycho is kind of fitting for his fiancé.
“Bro, we never see your ass-kissing alter ego, let him out for a change,” Rami adds before taking a sip from his can of Coke.
