Page 135 of Love Thy Brother
Decoy was already placing a medical kit on the bar.
Nash took his seat.
Rubi opened the box.
They didn’t look at each other and Cam sighed, only Saint distracting him from someLoose Women-style meddling. “You okay?”
Saint nodded. “Tried to fix it on the road, but it’s a bleeder.”
“Not what I meant. I know that bozo’s fine.”
“Don’t be rude,” Rubi chided. “Saint, look at this. You think it needs stitching?”
He gripped Nash’s jaw, tilting his head for Saint to see better.
Nash let him.
All without eye contact.Fucking idiots.
Saint peered at the wound. “It needs stitching. You want anaesthetic?”
“Nah.” Nash jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. To the bar. “Get me some whisky.”
Decoy was busy. I hurdled the bar and found the bottle of Bushmills behind the shite stuff. Refilled Cam and Rubi too, before I took the bottle to Nash.
He necked a healthy swig while Saint got set up. “Go okay in Truro?”
Cam shrugged. “Same old shit.”
A deep, unconvinced frown creased Nash’s handsome face. He cast me a glance. “What happened?”
I wasn’t a liar. And Nash knew me almost as well as the others did. But this shit, man. What Rubi and Folk had seen. Nash’s soul was too kind for it. “It was too easy. Cam’s annoyed he didn’t brain anyone.”
“You didn’t give me a chance,” Cam retorted. “That cunt was out cold before I’d got through the door.”
I leaned on the bar. “What can I say? I’m efficient.”
“You’re brutal. There’s a difference.”
“All right, all right.” Rubi broke it up. “He gets the fucking picture.”
Me and Cam bickered enough that Nash was placated. He shut his eyes, drinking, while Saint went to work, and Cam and Rubi hovered. But eventually, Rubi met my gaze and subtly inclined his head to the door.
I took my cue and hopped over the bar again, still wearing Cam’s jacket.
He noticed. “You keeping that?”
“Maybe.”
My brother smiled. Like,reallysmiled. A month ago, I’d have ripped the jacket off and tossed it in his face. Because making him happy had been the last thing I wanted to do. But I wanted it now. As much as I wanted Rubi to be happy too.
And Nash.
Couldn’t fix that, though. Not tonight.
I left the bar, sensing Rubi a heartbeat behind me, and pushed outside, the cold air hitting harder than it had on the long ride home in wet clothes. Mad what a soul-searing blowjob did to your body temp.
Mad that I missed Rubi when he was barely a half-step away from me.
