PROLOGUE
TREVOR
Years ago...
“They’re late.”
Trevor sighed and moved his queen on the chessboard. “They didn’t say when they’d be back, so how can they be late?”
Andy shrugged. His thick glasses always looked like they were about to fall from his nose, yet somehow, they never did.
Trevor glanced at his watch, also wondering where his parents were. The drive to the group home should have taken around two hours, and they had set off early this morning. He hoped things hadn't gone south. Robert had taken care of the adoption’s legal aspects in advance, and the man rarely left room for mistakes.
Trevor’s family had spoken for months about making such a drastic move, and after a long and discreet search, they found someone who agreed to help.
What if he double-crossed us?
Trevor pushed the thought away. They hadn’t doneanything illegal; simply bent the law as far as they could without snapping it.
“Your turn,” Andy said.
Trevor glanced at the board. Andy was an average chess player and painfully predictable. Often, Trevor would make deliberate mistakes to give his little brother a chance, but Andy rarely seized the opportunities.
They sat on the wide front porch, the evening breeze warm and sweet. Out here in Connecticut’s countryside, it tended to feel like a secluded bubble. Trevor had grown up wishing to live somewhere more exciting, but after living for a bit in Boston last year, he’d hurried back home, where there were no strangers to deal with and pretend to tolerate.
“Do you think he’ll like me?” Andy asked.
The childish way in which he spoke made it easy to forget that there were only two years between them. “Of course he’ll like you. Just... you know, take it easy. Give him time to get used to us.”
“Okay. I always wanted a little brother.”
Trevor frowned. “He’s sixteen, a year older than you.”
Andy shook his head. “I was here first, so he’s the little brother.”
“Sure, let’s go with that.”
Out of all the things that worried Trevor about the adoption, Andy was high on the list. He could try talking sense into his brother till the cows came home,but Andy danced to the beat of his own drum, and that drum was out of tune as fuck. Some of Trevor’s first memories were of his little brother bringing him animals he had caught and killed. It had taken Andywaytoo long to understand that Trevor wasn’t a fan of carcasses in his room or in general.
Andy suddenly straightened, squinting behind his thick glasses.
Trevor turned around, his lips stretching into a smile at the sight of the approaching Mercedes. He stood up, not yet able to see Daniel in the back seat.
“Is he with them?” Andy asked and got up to his feet.
“Not sure.”
As the car drove closer and took a turn toward the garage, Trevor finally managed to catch a glimpse of the figure in the back seat. “They have him.”
Andy started to walk toward the garage, but his natural clumsiness caused him to hit the small table and knock down the chessboard on the floor.
Trevor rolled his eyes and walked on. When they reached the garage area, the car had already parked outside. Kim got out and patted her immaculate dark hair. She smiled at Trevor. “Darling, we’re back!”
You don’t say.
Robert looked tired. The man hated long drives, and Kim hated driving at all. But the last thing Trevor cared about was Robert or Kim.
Daniel climbed out of the car and pulled out a wornsuitcase. He wore a black jacket that seemed too short, likely something he had owned for years. His blue eyes darted around restlessly, his posture stiff and alert.
