“Remi? What’s in your trunk?”
She flashes me a confused look and joins me. “Pop it open. Maybe I left my tool kit in there.”
“Well, unless your tools move on their own—and laugh—I highly doubt it.”
I hit the latch, already bracing myself for something dumb, but notthisdumb.
The lid pops open, and out bursts chaos…times four. My siblings, plus Gio and Matteo, crammed together like a pack of overgrown sardines, laughing so hard they can barely breathe.
Remi and I exchange a look that says everything. She leans forward, gripping the edge of the car.
“Giovanni! What the fuck are you guys doing in there?”
“It was AJ’s idea!” Matteo blurts between gasps of laughter.
“Snitch! We all agreed!” AJ fires back.
Remi levels her glare at her little brother. “Gio, care to explain? Does Mom know you’re not in your room? No wonder I felt the weight shift when I was testing her earlier.”
He hops out, stretching his arms like he’s done nothing wrong. “Mom doesn’t need to know. C’mon, Remi, let us watch. We’ve been stuck at home all day.”
AJ hooks my elbow, looking up at me and batting her lashes like she’s innocent. “Please. We won’t cause any trouble. You won’t even know we’re here.”
“Alessandra, this isn’t a place for you. Not yet. Things can go south fast. Sometimes cops are on us?—”
“So,” she cuts in, “you mean more dangerous than beingshotat?”
I glare. “You know what I mean. I’d never intentionally put you in danger.”
“Well, you didn’t,” she says, crossing her arms. “We snuck here on our own. And we can handle it.Ican handle anything.”
I roll my eyes. “Bravery and stupidity aren’t the same thing. Learn the difference.”
Madden steps between us like the peacemaker he always is. “I’ll watch out for her.”
Another dramatic eye roll from AJ.
“We won’t be any trouble. Promise,” Matteo chimes in, a wink and a grin aimed directly at Remi.
She grimaces, mushes his face back, then grabs Gio by the scruff of his shirt, dragging him toward the sidewalk. “I’m not driving you all the way back home, so sit your ass over there and lay low.”
“You got it, boss,” Gio teases, his grin spreading wider.
“She’s even hotter when she’s pissed. Did you see her touch my face?” Matteo’s whisper isn’t as low as he thinks.
I can’t suppress my laughter when Gio slaps him upside the head and growls, “Shut up. That’s my sister.”
“Madden,” I say, pulling my attention back to the twins, specifically the more level-headed of the two. “I’m racing tonight. So, stick with Remi. And if anything goes down, if the cops show up, you know what to do.”
He nods, serious now. “Understood.”
AJ’s expression shifts from annoyance to...sadness.
She turns away, her lips trembling with quiet disappointment. AJ is young, but I’ve always said she has an old soul, wise beyond her years, but impulsive to a fault. I know how brave, how capable she is, and I hate for her to think I don’t.
The world is a cruel place, and I refuse to help snuff out the fire that keeps her fighting.
A hollow feeling in my gut tells me she’ll need it someday.
