Atlas wasn’t the bad guy after all.
I had all this misplaced anger.
What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to tell –
Kor stops rubbing my back and tilts my head to look up at him, “How come you haven’t asked how we know Roman?”
I see Atlas tense to my side, but I shoot him a small smile and roll my eyes. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist. Both Italian, all these phone calls he’s been making in secret and the boss he’s been talking about but won’t name. It’s you, right?”
Atlas watches me for a moment, his eyes narrow, before he gives me a slow nod. “Yeah, but we’re also cousins. More like brothers, really.”
I turn my head toward Roman to find him watching me with careful eyes. “When did you know who I was to them?”
He leans toward me and reaches into my shirt, grabbing the chain I always wear around my neck and pulling it out for everyone to see. I hear Atlas suck in a breath behind me. “Family ring. Atlas had me steal this and fly it to Florida for him ten years ago for a girl he met. Never even saw a photo of her, but I’m glad she was a mystery.” He leans in and licks his way up my neck, hitting where he left a hickey the night before. “It made things a hell of a lot more interesting now.”
My body shivers, and it hits me that I’m still sitting on Kor’s lap while surrounded by the others. I turn, looking to Wylder for silent help that he immediately gives me by reaching over and plucking me right off of Kor’s lap and placing me on his.
His lips press tiny kisses along my neck, right over where Romen licked, before grazing the shell of my ear and whispering, “What’s the plan, love?”
I’m facing all the others, so it’s not like I can be obvious with my words. Whatever the plan, I need to figure it out – fast – and I need to be conspicuous.
A shrill ring sounds around the room and everyone begins to look around before my eyes land on my cell phone lighting up on the floor by the front door. “Ro, can you go grab that?”
“Sure thing, Eve.” He jogs over and picks it up, looking at the screen in confusion before walking back over to me. “Who is Coach Davis?”
“Oh shit!” I grab my phone from him and quickly swipe to answer, pressing it against my ear. “Hey, Mr. Davis!”
“Hey there, Miss Patton! I’m just giving all the parents a call, we’re about fifteen minutes from the school so I wanted to remind you about pick up.” Coach Davis’s gravelly voice is nearly covered by the yelling and laughing of prepubescent boys in the background, no doubt mine being one of them, but the coach sounds happy all the same. I have no clue how he stays so patient being the baseball coach and boy scout leader for Abel’s class when even one night of hosting the boys for sleepover was enough to drive me crazy.
“Of course! I’ll see you there, Mr. Davis! Thanks for the reminder.”
We hang up and I turn to look at Wylder, my eyes wide and desperate. “I need you to get these three toyour house, I completely forgot Abel comes home from camp today.”
“Shit.” Wylder stands, putting me on my feet and dropping a quick kiss on my lips. “Be careful and call if you need me. We’ll have this placed cleaned up before you get back.”
I nod and take off for the stairs, leaving Roman, Kor, and Atlas alone with Wylder to clean my house and move next door.
A throat clears behind me before I can get too far, and I turn to see Atlas and Kor standing shoulder to shoulder, a snickering Roman standing behind them.
“Yes?”
Kor shoots a quick look at Roman before turning back around and saying, “Roman said we should ask you a question.”
I shoot Roman a look before waving my hand for them to continue, “And?”
Atlas crosses his arms over his chest and takes a small step forward. “Who is Abel?” His voice wavers as if he’s scared of the answer, and really, he should be.
I give him a wicked smile and a quick wink before turning around and walking up the stairs. Before I get to the top, I yell out, “He’s our son!”
Chapter 19
Wylder
If I wasn’t so crazy about Evie, I would be angry at the fact that she left me to deal with the three stooges with only a kiss on the cheek and a quick ‘good luck’ to tide me over until she returned.
Atlas is back on the couch, eyes wide as he stares off into nothing and lips speaking words too low for me to hear from across the room.
My eyes travel to find Kortez and Roman in the kitchen, drinkingmy fucking beeras they talk. Roman shakes his head and spreads his arms out wide, spilling some of his drink in the process – and for some reason, that’s what tips me over the edge.
