Page 91 of No Apologies
“Yeah, of course he’s here, now, but I don’t need him now. I needed him when I was fourteen and Decker broke Cash’s arm. I needed him when I was seventeen and I had to call an ambulance because Chrissy tried to drown herself in the bathtub. It would have been nice to have my big brother around to help me with those things but I don’t need his help anymore.”
“Bullshit.”
“Bullshit? You know what’s bullshit? I don’t even know why he left. Why’d he leave? Why’d he stay gone for ten years? Where was he when I was trying to hold our fucking family together and keep Cash alive huh?”
“Why don’t you ask him?”
“No, I…” Colt opened his mouth to continue his rant and then paused, “Wait. You know don’t you?”
Lincoln shrugged and Colt barely resisted the urge to grab his cousin and shake him until his teeth rattled and all of his secrets spilled out. He knew everything, about all of them. Of course he knew why Remy had left.
“Damnit Link.” He growled, “What aren’t you tellin’ me?”
“Nothin’ I’ve got a right to tell. You want to know why your brother left, you ask him. Until you man up and do that, don’t you dare say another bad word about him to me, got it?”
He flinched backwards at the venom in his cousin’s voice. So protective. That was Lincoln. But this was something more than just protection, something else, and it didn’t sit right with him that Lincoln knew more about Remy’s choices than he did.
“Remy’s back. He’s been helping around here. I ain’t got nothin’ bad to say about him but I’m not going to start trusting him to have my back instantly either.”
“Are you fuckin’ kidding me?” Lincoln snapped.
“No, I…”
“Listen up you little shit because I’m only gonna say this once. Your brother didn’t abandon you. He left because he had to. If he’d stayed…” Lincoln shook his head as if he couldn’t even find the words, “He had his reasons for leaving and he had his reasons for staying gone. He knew you wouldn’t understand and wouldn’t welcome him home but he came back anyway because you needed him. He’s staying because you need him.”
“I don’t need Remy!”
“No? So, is Cash gonna climb in the cage for you then?”
Colt froze. All of the heat of his anger dissipated. He faltered, unsure if he’d heard his cousin correctly.
“What?”
“That’s right. You heard me. Remy’s takin’ your spot in the cage.”
“No.”
It came out choked with denial. No. Remy wouldn’t do that. No way.
“Yes.” Lincoln sneered at him, sharp eyes flashing with barely restrained anger of his own, “He offered and Abel and I accepted. He’s in. You’re out and that’s thanks in large part to your big brother so you better show a little respect around me or what those guys did to you won’t be half as bad as what I do.”
Colt felt lightheaded again, “But… but… but what about the money? Remy doesn’t have that kind of cash. I don’t just owe the fights.”
“Your girl took care of that so we’re square.”
“My… what?”
His head exploded. It was the only explanation for the ringing in his ears. The pain in his body receded, replaced by the pounding of his heart, by the rush of blood in his ears. His hands curled into fists and he was up with his feet on the floor before he even realized he’d moved.
“Hey, easy there.” Lincoln reached for him but Colt jerked away.
“Fuck that. Say it again. Tell me what you just said.”
“Shit.” Lincoln scrubbed his jaw again and looked strangely apologetic when he met his eyes, “I figured she’d already told you what she did.”
“What did she do?”
He felt like the world was shifting under his feet and he didn’t think it was his body’s reaction to standing up after days in bed. No. No. Disbelief coursed through him. There was no way Lincoln meant what he thought he did. There was simply no way.
