“I’ve said it before but thank you.” I wrapped my arm around his middle and squeezed him before burrowing my face against his shoulder. His cologne tickled my nose, and the joy growing inmy chest exploded again until I was laughing. The sensation of insanity crept up on me until every fiber of my being was buzzing and alert.
Mike was dead. Fucking dead.
And Eddie? He gaped at me with shock and confusion.
I needed to show him how much this meant to me. A crazy urge surged up inside me. Something wild I’d never felt for anyone.
I seized his face and dragged him down, slamming my lips on his. My mouth melded against his. At first, he was soft and pliant.
Eddie grasped my cheeks and took control. He kissed me hard, tongue searching out mine, and while I was surprised by the passionate response, I fell into it.
I hadn’t meant for the kiss to become this frantic jumble of tongue and teeth and lips, but excitement weaved around my bones and held me tight. My fingertips tingled and goose bumps jumped out of my skin along my arms and legs.
It was Eddie who tore away from me, eyes widening until they were the size of saucers. “Oh.”
I smiled. The fact that he was my ex-stepbrother didn’t scare me. Fuck it, right? We weren’t related.
“Thanks, Eddie.” Being mad at him was difficult when he’d just killed one of the biggest tormentors from my past. He deserved whatever he wanted. Hell, I’d bend over against this wall for him right now. “You’re the best.”
“So... you forgive me?” He blinked at me. Even in the falling darkness, it was easy to see how handsome he’d become during the years he’d been away. The stubble was sexy. He’d had a baby face growing up, and while his features were still rounded and a little soft, the point of his jaw stood out more than I remembered. There was wisdom in those royal blue eyes thatdrew me in. He’d always been smart, but he seemed like he’d become a more thoughtful person. I liked it.
The tattoo on his neck was new. I’d never thought he’d be the kind of person to get ink, but the cursive words “Live Your Life” swirled upward, positioned more toward the back. I brushed my finger over the letters, and he ducked his head, leaning into me.
I hesitated. I hadn’t thought this far ahead. Could I forgive him for leaving me behind? I wasn’t sure, but right now I was too happy to care. “I guess so.”
He grinned and inched toward my lips again.
Two sharp lines of light cut across the alleyway. I blinked at the brightness as it blinded me, and I squinted as a shadow of a person broke through the glare. I tensed, ready to run, but relaxed immediately when the face of the man became visible as the headlights were switched off.
Ari. He got out of the car.
“Where were you? You got here quick.” I hopped to my feet, ignoring the way my knees wobbled and the back of my head pulsed with pain. I wasn’t sure if the sudden surge of anxiety that clogged my throat was from the fear of what we’d left in the pawnshop or what Ari might say.
“I was picking Jules up from work.” Ari’s suspicious glance cut to Eddie and he stepped forward to grab my arm. “Come with me. I want to talk.” He began to lead me to the car, but when Eddie started to follow, he shook his head sharply. “Not you.”
Eddie froze, eyes wide. “Uh, Tyler? You okay with that?”
“Yeah, I called him.”
He backed away again but didn’t look happy about it. But he’d proven he cared about me already tonight, so that tracked. There went that good feeling again, blooming in my chest.
Ari practically dragged me to the car and shoved me in the front seat. I grunted when he shut the door behind me and slipped into the back seat. The interior light switched on, andJules stared at me seriously from the driver’s seat. He hadn’t changed much since I’d last seen him. Still the same old cop with his stern expression. His dark hair was cut short in a military style and he wore his uniform, the navy blue material clinging to solid muscles.
Ari was exactly the same, too. His dark hair was an artful mess that fell almost to his shoulders and a dangerous glint filled his deep brown eyes. Ari didn’t try to be attractive, it just happened on its own. He’d always been a wild card. From the moment I’d met him when he’d come into our joint room at the homeless shelter, I’d known there was something different about him.
“Who is that?” Ari nodded toward Eddie, who shifted his weight between his feet awkwardly. At least he hadn’t fallen over again. Chuck, Eddie’s asshole father, had constantly been on him to act like a man and keep on his feet.
“My ex-stepbrother.” I chuckled, the high of seeing Mike’s very dead body still bouncing around in my head. It was hard to be annoyed when I was so fucking happy. “He killed Mike. He’s dead. Very dead. In his shop.”
“Why?” Jules grunted out, his grip on the steering wheel tightening enough that I could see his knuckles turning white. Jules clearly wasn’t happy about this situation. I didn’t blame him. He owed me nothing. Ari was my ... friend, not him.
“He went to see Mike to ask him questions about me. Whatever Mike said was probably horrible, terrible enough to get Eddie, who was always really nice, to off him with his own gun. That big one he always kept behind the counter to flash at people when he was pissed off.” I shook my head. “I’m not sorry it happened.”
Ari leaned between the front seats. “What did Mike do?”
We hadn’t talked a lot about Mike when Ari shared a room with me, other than what I was able to pawn to him. He didn’tknow the full story, and I wasn’t in the mood to divulge the extortion Mike laid on me.
“All you need to know is that he was a predator. The worst kind.”
