I entered the room and sat on the bed beside her. “Take these.”
She stared at the pills I dumped into her palm. “What are they?”
“My mom calls them happy pills. They’ll help you sleep.”
She took the glass from my hand and gulped down the pills. “Thank you. I’m sorry for acting like a crazy person. It’s just... You don’t understand. I searched for my brother for years. We promised never to be apart from each other again.”
He was the reason she left a decent foster home and lived on the streets. Olivia would rather have been homeless than spend another second without Tate. I didn’t know how that felt, not until I brought them into my home and made them part of my family. The thought of losing either of them, even after only a few days together, filled me with dread.
I covered Olivia’s hand with mine and smiled. “It’s okay, Liv. I get it. There’s no need to apologize.”
“I promise not to cry the entire time Tate’s gone.” She sniffed back more tears. “Please don’t send me away.”
“Never,” I said without hesitation, shocked by her words. “You’re part of my family now.”
“Did you get the DNA results yet?”
I shook my head. “Still waiting on the lab. I should hear something by tomorrow.”
“What happens if…” She paused, biting her lip. “Will the results change anything for you?”
“Regardless of the results, you and Tate are Battles now. This is your home. Everything I own is yours now.”
At that, her face lit up with a grin that touched her pretty blue eyes. “Thanks, Drake. You’re my hero.”
My mouth fell open at her confession. Even Tate seemed surprised, his eyes widening at his younger sister. Then, he tipped up his eyebrow at me in question.
We sat in silence for a while, tension lingering in the air. I already knew Olivia would be my downfall. She wiggled her way into my heart and carved out a place for herself no one else had before. My carefully erected walls came crashing down, ready to let her inside.
Olivia’s eyelids fluttered as she fought sleep. The pills worked quickly for my mother. She practically lived on them when my father was alive. He flaunted his mistress in her face. A few times, he even answered the phone while he was with one of his professional whores. My mom put up with a lot of shit.
I was glad he was dead.
Good fucking riddance.
After Olivia passed out, Tate followed me downstairs to the Battle Cave. The room had dozens of monitors, most of which flashed with code. My programs ran twenty-four hours a day, optimizing with the help of Lovelace.
Oversized monitors hung from the ceiling. To my right, there was a massive flat-screen television and a leather sectional couch, more than twice the size of the standard ones. Closed doors lined the far wall, where I kept private servers containing some of Lovelace’s code.
I also had a bedroom, though most nights I fell asleep holding my laptop on the couch. My sanctuary spanned the length of the house. Down here, I had everything I needed.
At the long oak bar, I grabbed the decanter and poured two glasses of scotch. Tate raised his drink and took a small sip. Unlike me. I gulped down the amber liquid, enjoying the burn as it slid down my throat. Licking my lips, I savored the taste.
“Liv will be okay,” I said to assure Tate. “Don’t worry about her while you’re gone. I’ll take care of her.”
“I know.” He patted my shoulder. “I just worry about her mental state. She seemed fine after I joined. This is what we talked about for months but?—”
“She needs time to adjust. It’s a lot for her to handle all at once.”
Tate tipped the glass to his mouth and nodded.
Lovelace chimed with a new notification, the sound coming through the speakers.
“I’ll never get used to that,” Tate said, laughing, eyes pointed up at the ceiling. “What does she want?”
“I programmed her to alert me about important events, calls, or emails.”
I checked my cell phone and clicked on the email containing the DNA test results.
