Angie opened her mouth, but Carolina chose that moment to yell at me. “Kin. Let’s go. Mother is expecting us.”
At least it was Carolina. If it had been Georgia, I might have gone all Tasmanian devil on her ass.
Keep your nose clean, Kin.
I gritted my teeth as I reminded myself. Just a few more months until I was eighteen.
Still, I gave the twins a teasing grin. “Did you guys bring cash with you? You might have to bail me out of jail later after I beat the shit out of those two.”
Angie’s brows lifted, her blue eyes full of interest. “You scared to get into more trouble?”
“Ang,” I covered my heart with my hand. “really? Have you forgotten me so easily?”
Nose. Clean.
Fuck that shit. Angie was there. I was going to have some fun, damn it.
Angie grinned. “I’ll call you later, sugar bug.”
Seeing that evil-ass grin on her beautiful face filled me with so much love it almost hurt. “Did I mention I missed you? Because I have. So. Bad.” I blew her a kiss and then turned to hurry to the car where Georgia was laying down on the horn and not letting go. Fucking cunt.
While Georgia drove us back to their house, I pulled out my cellphone and pulled up Jace’s name. I needed to at least warn him that the twins were in town.
Seeing that I already had one unread message from him, I opened it.
Will you come to First Bass tonight?
My teeth sank into my bottom lip.
I’m grounded. Lucy will be there though… With Caleb and Angie.
As soon as I hit send I saw that he’d gotten the message and was already reading it, like he’d been waiting on me to message him back. Did he do that often, I wondered? Had he been waiting after every text he had sent me over the past months? There had been a lot of them, and if he had been waiting for a reply to each one, that had to mean something.
Right?
Fuck, I didn’t know, but my heart ached to believe that it did.
YOU ANSWERED!!!
I rolled my eyes at the shouting, excited text.
Thought I should warn you that Caleb was in town with Angie.
I tried to emphasize that to him, but he didn’t seem to care that I was trying to help him. He was still too excited that I’d replied to his message.
When is the grounding over? Can I see you soon? Can you CALL me?
I muttered a curse under my breath. If Jace had been sitting beside me right then, I would have shaken his shoulders. Or beaten some sense into his hard head.
ANGIE IS IN TOWN, JACE. ANGIE. SHE WILL BE AT FIRST BASS TONIGHT WITH LUCY AND CALEB. ANGIE. ANGIE. A. N. G. I. E.
I hit send and hoped that he finally got what I was attempting to make him realize. Caleb was in town with Angie. Angie who would kick him in the balls if she saw him without warning. Angie who would do so much more damage with just the smallest provoking. He didn’t have to worry about Caleb who was so much harder to piss off and wouldn’t dare hurt anyone unless either Angie or I asked him to kick their ass.
Angie would tear Jace St. Charles apart and smile like an angel when she was done.
Yeah. Got that, babe. Don’t care. Want to see YOU. Want to hear your voice. Call me.
Before I could make up my mind to call him or not, the car came to a jerking stop. If I hadn’t been wearing my seatbelt I would have gotten whiplash for sure. Fighting back the kind of nausea that came with the kind of rollercoaster ride Georgia took me on every time she was behind the wheel, I quickly typed out one last text before reluctantly getting out of the car.
I’ll call you later.
Chapter 15
Jace
She was going to call.
Fuck yeah.
Finally.
That Kin had actually texted me back had put a stupid grin on my face. With her promise to call me, I was actually walking around the apartment singing along to one of my favorite songs on my playlist as I fixed myself a late lunch.
Mostly all we had in the fridge was milk, eggs, a hell of a bunch of condiments and a shitload of beer. The pantry was just as bare with only a few half-empty boxes of cereal, some canned soup and an assortment of flavors of protein powder that Gray kept stocked up. He was a total freak about his protein powders.
I scrambled some eggs, added a few slices of toast smothered in grape jelly and headed into the living room to watch some TV while I waited on Kin to call. I had no idea when—or even if she actually would—call, but I wasn’t going anywhere until she did.
As I was stuffing the last of the toast in my mouth, Gray walked into the living room in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist and his phone to his ear. “Yeah, he’s here,” I heard him say to whoever he was on the phone with. “Looks fine to me, Kas.”
I shot him a look as he fell onto the couch, stretching out before crossing his legs. “No. You don’t need to talk to him. I just told you he was fine…Because I want to talk to you, that’s why. He can suck it.”
I rolled my eyes and washed down the toast with a big swallow of coffee. Knowing Gray wouldn’t hand over his phone to me or anyone else when it was Kassa on the other end, I cleared my throat. “I’m good, Kas. Love you,” I called out so she could hear me.
“See? He’s fine, just as I told you.” He listened for a second before grunting. “Fine. Kas says she loves you too, dickhead.”
Gray stayed on the couch, talking to Kassa about anything and everything that seemed to come to Kassa’s mind. I knew my sister loved me and confided in me, but not the way she did Gray. I was glad that they had that kind of relationship. I was thankful that Gray cared about her just as much as I did and would listen to her complain for two hours straight about her day without grumbling about her taking up his time.
They were still on the phone when my own cell buzzed with an incoming text. I picked it up, saw it was from Kin and pulled up the message.
Will be at First Bass in an hour. You coming?
My brows lifted at that. Thought you were grounded.
ANGIE IS HERE.
Of course. That answered that particular question perfectly. Smirking at the screen, I quickly sent her a text back, letting her know I’d see her at the club, before getting to my feet. Gray didn’t even spare me a second glance as I took my dirty dishes into the kitchen to put them in the sink before heading into my bedroom to change.
Pulling a clean shirt over my head, I picked my phone up again.
You gonna need bail money and a lawyer?
There was a long pause but I soon saw that she had read my message.
Funny.
I grinned at the text and then at the next one that followed.
Maybe…
Laughing, I grabbed my keys and headed out.
Kin
Angie had called and told me to be waiting on the curb. I hadn’t questioned her, just gotten dressed for a night out in my favorite jeans, a tank top and my coat. I’d tiptoed downstairs in my sock feet and silently closed the front door behind me as I’d carried my boots with me.
She was already waiting on me when I got to the curb and I jumped in without giving my father’s house a second glance. Angie gunned the engine of the powerful car Caleb must have rented, burning rubber for a moment before she was pulling out into traffic.
I started slipping my feet into my boots, already laughing at the fierce look on my stepsister’s face. I’d just snuck out, but there hadn’t been any problems with getting caught. Jillian and her daughters were out, but Scott was somewhere in the house. But the look on Angie’s face and the smirk on her lips made it seem like she had just helped me escape Folsom or some shit. From the way she was driving, I was pretty sure she thought the cops were going to appear at any moment and try to take me away from her.
“You okay?” Angie asked five minutes into the drive.
“With you and Caleb here, I’m more than okay.” It was the truth. I had never been more okay than I was right in that moment.
“Good.” She nodded, her blond hair falling into her face. With a sigh she pushed the thick locks back. “Where ya wanna go, little sis?”
“First Bass,” I didn’t hesitate to tell her. “It’s where Lucy will have taken Caleb.”
“The rocker boy’s club, right?” She nodded to herself. “Cash and the guys play there, right?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. Every Thursday night. Cash won’t be there tonight, though. Not unless Caleb called him.”
“He couldn’t get hold of Cash, so it’s just us.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and glanced at the texts Jace and I had been sending back and forth before turning my gaze back to Angie. “Jace will be there.”
She didn’t even blink. “Will he? Good.”
“Please be nice,” I told her. “Don’t start trouble in Harris’s club.”
Angie was quiet for so long that I wasn’t sure she was going to answer me or not. Then she blew out another sigh and shot me a smirk. “Not in Harris’s club. Gotcha.”
I couldn’t help but laugh again and it felt like it actually came from my soul. It was so good to be so close to someone I loved more than life itself. I was happier than I’d been in a very long time and it made my heart feel warm in a way it hadn’t since the day I’d known my mother wasn’t going to be with me forever.
Thinking about my mom, I couldn’t help but feel tears sting my eyes. I blinked them back and turned my attention out the passenger window of the powerful sports car, not wanting to be a downer when I should be ecstatic that Angie and Caleb were actually there for me.
The car came to a slow stop and I frowned, noticing that we hadn’t stopped for a light or traffic. “What…?”
Loving arms wrapped around me, shutting off my question. “I miss her too, you know,” Angie whispered. “She was the only mom I really knew and I miss her every damn day, Kin. It’s okay to miss her. It’s okay to cry.”
Pain tightened around my heart and I tried to pull away, but she only tightened her arms, forcing me to stay in the hug. The tears filled my eyes without my permission and suddenly I was sobbing. Sobbing for all the lost time I’d missed out on with my real family. Sobbing for the loss of my mother. Sobbing for the loneliness.
Sobbing for me.
It was the first time I’d let myself really cry since my mom had died. The first time I’d let the tears fall so freely and openly. And even though it hurt to cry so hard, it felt good too. It was cathartic. I’d tried to be so strong for so long, but right then, I needed to be weak and it was okay because I knew Angie could be strong enough for the both of us. If only for a few minutes.
Jace
As soon as I got to First Bass I headed straight up to the VIP floor. Friday nights weren’t as wild as it was on Thursday nights after a Tainted Knights’ show, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t any less full. Especially on the top floor. Everyone who was anyone that wanted to be seen was there, hoping to rub elbows with each other.
I didn’t give two fucks about the celebrities there. All I wanted was to find Kin and hopefully have that damn talk we should have had the night before. Knowing that Lucy liked to stay in the back corner where it was quieter and more private, I headed straight for the couches back there.
Finding Lucy sitting on Harris’s lap while they sat talking to Caleb surprised me. The two guys were laughing and drinking beers while Lucy rested her head on Harris’s shoulder and sipped her usual ginger ale through a straw. She looked sleepy, but her eyes glowed with amusement as she sat on my friend’s lap, listening to the two guys talk.
Marcus was in a chair a good ten feet away. He had a glass of ice water in his hand, but his eyes were ever watchful as he seemed to consider everyone near Lucy as a possible threat, as if they might snatch her at any moment. Shrugging, I headed toward the three.
Harris saw me first and lifted his beer in greeting. “Hey. Didn’t think you were coming tonight, bro.”
“Kin texted me,” I told him as I dropped down on the second couch beside them. My gaze went to Caleb. “Hey, man. How’ve you been?”
Caleb didn’t give me a death glare like I would have expected, but then again I knew he wasn’t the real threat. “Can’t complain. You?”
“I’ll be better when your sisters get here,” I assured him as I glanced around, hoping to see them. “What time did they say they’d be here? Kin told me an hour.” I had gotten there within forty-five minutes, so I knew she still had a little while to go before the time she’d said she would be there, but fuck, I wanted to see her.
“Angie said she was breaking Kin out, so I guess it depends on how that goes.” The big guy’s eyes were full of amusement as he tipped the beer to his lips again. “I wouldn’t be too eager to see them, though. Angie can hold a grudge a hell of a lot longer than Kin.”
I leaned back against the couch, stretching my legs out in front of me. “I’ll take whatever Angie wants to dish out as long as Kin’s here.”
“So that’s where Angie is?” Lucy lifted her head, pushing her curls back from her face. She shifted, but Harris tightened his hand at her waist, as if making sure she didn’t go too far. “Is that what you meant when you said she was dealing with ‘girl things’?”
Caleb grinned. “Yeah. Kin wasn’t kidding about bail money earlier. Angie can be a handful when she gets in one of her moods.”
“Sounds like she’ll fit right in with Lu,” Harris muttered, which got him an elbow to the ribs by the girl on his lap. He laughed and pulled her head back down onto his chest and rested his chin on top of her curls with a look of pure contentment on his face.
Seeing the way his eyes were just as heavy as Lucy’s made me wonder what had happened between the two, but all thoughts of them were suddenly cut off when I heard Angie’s voice calling out for Caleb.
I jumped to my feet, my eyes already searching for Kin. Angie was smaller than her stepsister, but I was able to spot Kin’s red hair easily. I moved forward, needing to see her—touch her. As they came into view I stopped in my tracks when I saw that both she and Angie had bloodshot, puffy eyes.
They’d been crying.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded, moving to take Kin’s hands.
She didn’t pull back immediately. “Nothing,” she assured me with a small smile. “I’m just happy to see my family, that’s all.”
“Oh.” I pulled her toward me and she came closer a few steps. “You’re sure you’re okay? Everything at home all right?”
Her jaw clenched and she pulled her hands away. “That’s not my home.”
“Okay, sure.” I grasped one of her hands and tugged her toward the couch I’d just vacated. “Come on. Let’s sit.” I glanced at Angie over my shoulder. “You gonna kick me in the balls?”
“Not in the club,” Angie told me as she bypassed me and took the spot I’d been in earlier. “Promised Kin I wouldn’t touch you. In the club.”
“Right…” I chanced a glance at Kin, who only smirked. Shaking my head, I took the other end of the couch and pulled her down onto the middle cushion that separated me from Angie. “So as long as I’m in the club I’m safe, huh?”
“Basically,” Kin said with a laugh. “Might want to talk to Harris about putting you a bed downstairs or something.”
“Angie, this is Harris,” Lucy said, introducing them. “Harris, Angie. She’s Caleb’s twin.”
“Good to meet you,” Harris told her, offering his hand.
Angie shook it, but quickly pulled back, looking around for a waitress. “Anyone else thirsty?”
“What’s your poison?” a waitress asked as she approached after Harris had waved her over.
“I’ll have a shot of 151,” Angie told her.
“You planning on fueling up a rocket?” the waitress asked with a lifted brow. “That stuff is powerful.”
“It’s my favorite,” Angie told her with a wink. “I like powerful things.”
“You got ID?” The girl glanced at Harris. “Woul
dn’t want the boss to fire me for not checking.”
Angie pulled out her license from her back pocket and handed it over. “Make it a double shot,” she told the girl after she’d checked her birthdate. “And a bottle of water.”
“What d’you want to drink, babe?” I asked, draping my arm across the back of the couch.
“I’ll just have water,” she said with a shrug. “I could really go for something to eat, though. I haven’t had dinner yet.”
Harris pulled out his phone. “Pizza? I’m hungry too.”
“Not me.” Caleb rubbed a hand over his stomach. “I’m still stuffed after what Lucy fed me earlier. Ang, that was the best Mexican food I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Jealous!” Angie pouted. “Kin, we have to go there one day.”
“I’ll take you both,” I told her, letting my fingers skim over Kin’s bare arm.
Angie’s blue gaze shot to me and her eyes became menacing. “Sounds like a plan. Then I can kick your ass and have some fried ice cream when I’m done.” When all I did was grin at her, she lifted her brows. “Something happen to you, St. Charles? You get your brain scrambled since you’ve been out here in Cali?”
“Nope. Just happy to be here with Kin. You kicking my ass would be worth it if she’s gonna go out with me.”
Kin’s head snapped up. “I didn’t say I was going to go out with you.”
My grin didn’t drop. “You will.” I could see she was weakening. She’d texted me earlier. She had warned me about Angie being in town and had even told me to meet her at the club. Whether Kin wanted to admit it or not, she was close to giving me a second chance.
And I wasn’t about to fuck that up.
Chapter 16
Kin
Sneaking out of my father’s house had been easy. Sneaking in? Not so much. I had my key, so I got into the house easily enough. Trying to avoid getting caught going up to my room was like trying to break into Fort Knox.
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