“I’ll think about it, Cart. How many mixed martial artists are walking around town that I’ll have to defend myself from?”
He grinned. “Yeah, all right. But I’ll pester you ‘til you agree.”
“Yeah, love you too. Now go get your lunch. Don’t you have a class soon?”
He looked at his watch. “Shit, yeah. Thanks Lulu.” He kissed my cheek. “Bye Brit!” he called as he hurried out.
Brit sighed as she brazenly watched his arse retreat. I rolled my eyes and threw another cushion at her.
****
The night started off well. There was really only one place to go in town, and that was the local pub-slash-club. Carter had said he’d stay with Oscar for a bit and then he was going to come out and meet up with us. As much as he was a dick at times, he was a good big brother.
“What’s Luther up to tonight?” Brit asked.
We sat at a table and watched the world go by. Brit had her eye out for a guy called Josh, who was a friend of Tommy’s. The downside, Josh came with a friend I liked to call Lecherous Brett. Thankfully, neither of them were here tonight…yet, at least.
“Don’t know,” I said as I sipped my beer. “Probably hiding in his room while Oscar ruins the kitchen.”
“Ha! And he says he doesn’t like you using it when you’re drunk.”
I laughed. Oscar was very protective of the kitchen. He’d had it renovated with his share of Dad’s money after he died about nine years earlier.
“Yeah. Well, obviously he only ruins it a little, whereas I ruin it a lot.”
“Of course,” Brit nodded as though it all made sense and we laughed. “Oh, oh! The boys are here!”
Every time she said that, I couldn’t stop myself hoping it was my boys, my four childhood protectors, who had always stood tall and indestructible between me and the world. But one of my boys had left six years earlier and not been home since. So, even if it had been my boys, there’d still only be three…even though I always pictured four.
I looked around and saw Tommy, Josh and Lecherous Brett walk in. I figured we’d have about five or ten minutes until they noticed us, depending on how keen Brit was to get in Josh’s pants that night. Based on the three cocktails she’d had, she would be very keen but was at the point he had to notice her first. Brit worked in predictable ways, odd but predictable.
The three boys headed for the bar, but I could see Tommy was keeping an eye out for me. Luckily, if I faced Brit, I was facing away from the door and had a decent excuse that I hadn’t done the dutiful girlfriend thing and run up to him when he first arrived.
I downed the rest of my beer and the cocktail Brit was hugging, forgotten, as she gazed at Josh. Honestly, everyone would be able to tell what she had on her mind – everyone but Oscar, that is. But Josh was either as clueless as Oscar, or he was seriously not interested in my best friend. Sometimes it seemed like it could be either.
An arm went around me and I felt a kiss on my cheek. “Hey, babe.”
I hid my cringe at the way that particular term of endearment came out of Tommy’s mouth and turned to him with a smile. “Hey, yourself.”
“What are you girls doing way over here?” Lecherous Brett asked.
“Carter was going to join us at some point, but I suspect he’s been dragged into Oscar’s experiment night.”
I felt Tommy shudder. “Poor bloke.”
It was always okay when Luther, Carter or I paid out Oscar’s experiment night, but there was always something in the way Tommy did it that annoyed me. I shrugged out of his arm and turned to face him properly.
“I should probably head home and check they’re okay. Oscar’s probably burned himself again.” I made to stand up but Tommy blocked my path, a frown on his usually quite placid face.
I noticed the quick departure of Brit, Josh and Lecherous Brett. I rolled my eyes and sighed, more like Traitorous Brett at this point.
“I only just got here, babe.”
“I know, Tommy. But we’ve been here for hours. Cart and Luther aren’t going to tell me if Oscar’s at the hospital again, I’ll just get home and he’ll be bandaged up. You know how it worries me.”
He sighed. I knew he hated how close my family were. Usually, he let it go, but tonight it seemed he’d had some pre-party drinks that made him more aggressive than usual.
“You know, Lucy, I put up with a lot from you–”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You ditching me constantly to hang out with your brothers or Brit. It’s like you look for any excuse to not spend any actual time with me.”
“Tommy, that’s ridiculous. You know we’re close. I get you don’t like it and it seems weird, but it’s how it is. You knew that going in.”
“Yeah, I also knew you had it bad for another guy. But I thought you’d grow out of that and realise I’m the only one waiting for you.” He raked his hand through his hair. “How am I supposed to compete when you’re in love with someone else, Lucy?”
“I’m not in love with someone else, Tommy,” I told him. “That’s stupid. We’ve been together since high school, who could I be in love with?”
He stared at me stonily. “You know as well as I do. And I’m not saying his name. Although, you seem to have no problem with it.”
“What?” I feigned total ignorance, hoping he’d been more asleep than I thought at the time and not heard me moan Caden’s name in my sleep. Seems I wasn’t in luck.
“You know you said his name that night.”
It was vague enough that I could have pretended I had no idea what he was talking about, but I couldn’t do that to him after almost five years together.
I groaned. “Seriously? Tommy, I also say Oscar’s, Carter’s and Luther’s names in my sleep but you don’t seem too fussed about that.”
“They’re your brothers, Lucy. I’m pretty sure not even your fucked up mind would have dirty dreams about them, especially when you’ve just had sex with your boyfriend.”
I slapped him hard. “He’s as much my brother as they are, you arsehole. He’s been in my life since I was two. You think I’m love with him? How could I be in love with him?”
I didn’t even know the how part, only that it had happened without me realising it and I wasn’t telling anyone but Brit. And that had been a drunken accident soon after he’d left. Thankfully, she’d managed to keep it to herself.
“The same way you should be in love with me,” he replied.
“I do love you, Tommy. But I don’t have to stand here and be falsely accused and insulted. I’m going home.”
I pushed past him, ignoring him when he called out to me.
We’d been tiptoeing around that incident for a long time. I shouldn’t have been surprised it had culminated in a semi-drunk fight. The air outside was a welcome chill after the heat of the pub as I walked home, furious and wondering how much truth there was to his words.
3
Caden
I relived the moment Petrelli died, over and over again in my dreams.
I sat up, breathing hard. It was night, but lights pulsed and machines beeped. I reached for the cup of water by the bed. But I moved awkwardly with almost my whole leg in a cast and I knocked it off the table.
“Fucking shit,” I cried and flung myself back into the pillows.
There was a chuckle to my right. “You always hated inactivity, Reece.”
“Commander?” I turned and squinted through the semi-dark room.
He flicked a switch and soft light came on.
“Well, you still look like shit,” he remarked.
I laughed. “Thanks, Phillips. I feel it.”
“You’ve barely been awake a week and you were out for over seven. What did you expect?”
“I dream about him, sir.”
“So do we all, son.”
I sighed and knew we both needed a moment to remember our fallen teammate.
After a wh
ile, I felt him shift and looked over to see he’d leant forward. He looked odd in his jeans and t-shirt, much too casual. Even when we weren’t on mission and at base, he always wore a suit.
“We’re sending you home, Reece.”
“What?” I was ready to argue, tell him I’d be good after a few more weeks of rest, a good dose of physical therapy. But he held up a hand and shook his head.
“No, I just mean for recovery.” He chuckled. “We’re not firing our best agent, you idiot.”
“I… I don’t need to go home, sir.”
“No, you don’t need to go home. But it could take a few months for you to fully heal, Reece, and I want no excuses for you to come back before you’re ready. We’re sending you home and that’s the end of it. They’ll discharge you in the next couple of weeks at most and everything’s set up.”
“Phillips…my home town doesn’t have anything in the way of rehab…” I said slowly. I liked the idea of going home for a bit, but it also scared the crap out of me.
But my commander just chuckled again. “All taken care of, son. Morrison has it all sorted. She’s bought a place around the corner from the Sykes’ and renovations are almost complete as we speak. She wanted you to stay there, but I told her you were going home properly.”
I smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
He waved my words away. “You’d all do the same for me.”
“Ah, Mr Reece, you’re awake,” a voice said and we turned. “Oh, Mr Phillips, nice to see you again.”
“Nurse, likewise.” Phillips smiled as he stood. “Remember, you’ll be out of here in a few days. Might want to tell Carter to expect you by the end of the month. I’ll be by to check on you tomorrow.”
“Okay, will do. Thanks again.”
He waved again as he left me to the nurse who checked my vitals and cleaned up the mess I’d made with the cup of water.
“Is this Carter someone special to you, Mr Reece?” she asked pleasantly. I hid my smile as I could tell there was more than polite small talk on her mind.
“He is. My best mate from school. I’m going to go stay with him and his family while I recover.”
She gave me a flirtatious smile. “Oh, that’s nice. It will be a shame to lose you, although of course I’m pleased you’re getting better.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be back before too long.”
She gave me a small frown. “You have been in a lot the last few years…”
I gave her a wink. “I have a dangerous job.”
“Well, I hope they compensate you well,” she giggled.
“Oh, they do and they have very good insurance.”
She smiled. “Anything else I can get you before I finish my rounds, Mr Reece?”
I sighed and stretched my arms behind my head, ignoring the stiffness and pull of my wounds. “Nothing I’d be up to just yet. Thank you, though.”
She blushed a beautiful shade of pink as her eyes scanned my body. I gave her another wink and she giggled again before she hurried out.
At least, even beaten, bruised and broken, I could still get a response from the female population. I was going to need the ego boost if I was going home; not only would I go back to being my lame-arse self in the eyes of the Sykes boys, but I needed something to help me keep my mind and my hands off Lucy.
****
The car pulled up outside the familiar house. We’d taken a brief detour past the place I knew Morrison had set up for my recovery. It hadn’t changed on the outside, but I was interested in seeing inside. Morrison, our boss, was a woman who didn’t believe in saving money when it wasn’t needed. Knowing her, it was kitted out in stainless steel and glass and all the modern accoutrements.
“Need a hand, sir?”
“Nah. Thanks, Burnley. I’ll be right,” I replied, reaching forward and patting him on the shoulder.
“Are you sure, sir?” I was touched by the concern in his voice. He knew I was trained for pretty much any shit that was thrown my way, but he was like a doting uncle to us all.
“Once I’m through those doors, I’ll have no help, so I’ll need to learn to stand on my own…one foot…” I petered off, looking down at the moon boot and realising that statement probably had less impact than I’d intended.
“All right. We’ll be around the corner if you need us. Obviously, the extent of the operation is to be kept a secret, sir–”
I nodded and smiled. “Yes, Burnley. I know, thanks.”
I opened the car door and dragged myself out. I was getting the hang of crutches again, though I certainly wasn’t going to miss them. At least the cast had been off for almost two weeks, replaced with a moon boot about as long as the cast had been. Theoretically, I could walk on it, but it was a bloody nuisance. I pulled my duffle out of the boot, gave the car a couple of taps and watched it drive away before I hobbled to the front door and rang the bell.
I waited, stressing that Lucy was going to open it. Phillips’ hadn’t been able to resist giving me some parting advice; “this break might be just the time to relieve yourself of some of those secrets, son”. I was more than relieved when Carter’s was the first face I saw.
“Fucking Caden Reece as I live and breathe,” he laughed, looking me over. “Although, only just by the look of it. Dude, what happened to you? And since when are you early anywhere? I wasn’t expecting you’d actually show up for another two weeks at least!”
I smiled and pushed past him. “Shithead. Mission went wrong. Got exploded off a building.”
“Whoa, you look like death warmed up!” Luther crowed, though his eyes told me he’d been worried about me.
“Exploded off a building? Is that even a thing?” Oscar asked.
“Well, it happened, so I’m going to say yes.”
“But exploded…”
“I’m fine, man. Need a bit of healing time, but what else is family for?”
“It’s good to have you back, brother!” Carter slapped me on the back and I winced.
“Jesus, dude. I was in a coma for seven weeks, give me a break.” I smiled, but they all looked slightly horrified – Luther had been told I’d been injured, but I don’t know if he knew the extent of my injuries. I waved their concerns away. “It was induced, it’s fine.”
“Shit, don’t explain it like that to Lulu when you see her. She’ll give you a whole new set of bruises,” Oscar said.
“Here, let me take your bag to the study. Good thing we’ve got the fold out bed, you’re not getting up to your room easily like that.” Luther reached out and I passed him my bag.
“I’m sure as hell not carrying you.” Carter shook his head. “Beers? Beers!” he agreed with himself before anyone could answer and headed to the kitchen.
Luther was back and we were sitting down when Carter came back.
“So, tell us what the fuck happened. Your email just said you were coming back home for a bit, not that we had to take care of you.” Carter passed me a beer.
I removed the cap threw it at him. “We had a little hiccough.”
Luther eyed me up and down. “That is a little hiccough?”
I looked into my beer. “I sent the others ahead and gave them cover fire. I almost got them all before one threw a bomb at me. It wasn’t big itself, but the blast was enough to push me backwards. I fell off the building and landed on one of our SUVs.” I grinned as they all winced. “Five of us got into the other car, then it flipped before we made it to the chopper…”
“Five?” Oscar said slowly, leaning forward.
“We lost Petrelli.”
I heard three indrawn breaths. Like my work family knew about my home family, so my home family knew about my work family. They didn’t know exactly what we did, those weren’t secrets I could divulge, but they knew who my team was and what they meant to me.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, man. How about–?”
The front door slammed and we all turned in that dire
ction. Lucy was yelling at someone.
“…it’s really a conversation for now? I think sobriety and clear heads is probably a better idea than this.” There was silence, so whoever she was yelling at was probably on the phone. I looked to the boys, but they shrugged. “I don’t need to listen to your bullshit! Let me know when you’re not being a paranoid, delusional arsehole, and we’ll talk.” Another pause and I heard a clunk as something dropped on the wooden entry tiles. “You’re being ridiculous. If you decide to talk to me like a proper person, then I’ll be here. Until then, you can piss off!”
“Uh…Luce, is that you…?” Carter said hesitantly.
Lucy screamed in obvious frustration and stormed past on her way to the stairs.
“Lulu–”
“Not now, Carter!” she snapped as she took the stairs, not even looking at us.
I was looking at her though, and the tiny black shorts she was wearing only accentuated her amazing arse. I hurriedly looked back at my beer.
“Oh, she’s pissed!” Luther chuckled.
“Shit…” Oscar muttered and stood up. “I’d better go check on her.”
“Hey, Oz?” Carter said slowly as he was heading off.
Oscar looked back. “Yeah?”
“Did you ever tell Lulu that Cade was coming home?”
Oscar paused on the stairs and didn’t look back. “I never found the right time…”
“And…?”
“Now is definitely not the right time,” we just heard Oscar mutter as he ran up the stairs after her.
“Well, welcome home, mate,” Luther laughed.
“Nice to see you crazies haven’t changed since I’ve been away.” I smiled, holding up my beer.
There was a crash and Lucy was yelling. “Now is seriously not a good time, Oscar!”
“Now is seriously not a good time to throw a tantrum,” we heard Oscar call back.
Caden (Loving the Sykes Book 1) Page 2