The car was Juana’s, driven by Locke.
The bike was Embry.
Liliana bounced out of the car. A second later, Mateo surged through the door at the bottom of the stairs, blowing through the bar to greet his daughter outside. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, silly.” Liliana took advantage of his distraction and sprinkled glitter in his wild hair, a trick she’d learned from Ivy, who’d learned it from Rubi. “We came to say goodbye because you’ll be gone a long time.”
Three days. But still.
Juana gave Mateo a platonic kiss on the cheek. “I know we said goodbye yesterday, but she wanted to do it all over again.”
“Fine by me.” Mateo hugged Liliana and took Hope from Locke’s big arms. Somehow I’d missed him levering the baby from the car.
Mateo said goodbye to her too, then Juana took the kids inside, bypassing me where I’d paused in the doorway.
“Morning, Decoy,” she said. “Devilishly handsome as always.”
I rolled my eyes. Juana always said shit like that to me. Charity flirting, but I took it.
She led Liliana upstairs, leaving me playing third wheel to Mateo and Embry.
Fuck that.
I abandoned the bar and escaped to the HGV hub across the yard. The rig that me and Mateo were taking on a three-day tour of the midlands was at the front of the convoy waiting to leave, loaded and ready to roll.
Didn’t stop me checking anyway. I peered into the back, then hauled myself into the cab. It smelled of coffee and cigarettes. Of leather and man.
It smelled nothing like Folk, which upset me more than it should, considering Folk had no cause to be saturating my lorry cab with his cleansing ocean scent.
You’re obsessed.
Old news. To me, at least. It was gonna shock anyone except Folk if they ever found out.Right. Because he has any idea how much you think about him?
I checked the cab had everything we needed—emergency kit, maps,weapons. Mateo had a knuckleduster stashed next to a giant bag of Frazzles. We didn’t have much in the way of real food, but I’d driven with Mateo enough to know he’d want to rectify that six minutes after we left home.
“Morning, Deeky.”
I pulled my head from the open bench seat I was rummaging in.
Rubi’s sunny grin greeted me, and he handed me a warm, foil-wrapped parcel that smelled of brotherhood and bacon. “There’s a couple more. Shoutypants is putting them in the cooler.”
I followed his gaze to the scruffy, green-eyed brother who’d somehow hopped into the cab without me noticing.
Saint. He had grass in his hair and a bag-for-life he was silently loading the contents of into the mini fridge at the back of the cab. He met my gaze, didn’t smile, didn’t speak. But he didn’t need to. He was my friend. My brother. His presence alone made me feel good.
I turned back to Rubi. “This is early, even for you. Everything okay?”
“It ain’t early if you ain’t been to bed yet.” Rubi stretched his big arms over his head. “And I came to see you off, though don’t think you’re getting the same treatment Mateo is right now.”
Rubi jabbed his thumb behind him, but this time I didn’t look. If Mateo was getting an intimate send off, good for him. “Thanks, mate,” I said instead. “For the food.”
And the company. Being single was starting to be a lonely occupation around here. Almost as lonely as being without my daughter for days at a time.
Saint finished loading the fridge and came a little closer, peering at me with his all-seeing gaze, a question in everything he didn’t say.
You good?
Was I? Some days it was hard to define what that meant. I allowed myself the briefest glance at Mateo and Embry. They weren’t doing much—just standing close with Mateo’s hands on Embry’s shoulders, doing something with his fingers that made Embry’s eyes heavy and soft. Did I want that from someone? Or was it too much to ask on top of the plea I made to the universe every damn day?
