“What’s up, man?” I asked as I climbed the stairs to the porch, leaning to give the First Lady a kiss on her cheek when she came out of the house with a tray of what looked like lemonade. We all did it, she deserved the recognition for beingour first lady, and she smiled brightly at me before continuing down the stairs to the picnic table that was already laden with food and drinks. Whenever Maggie was in charge of feeding people, she always made enough for an army. She had to, feeding a crew of fifteen guys, plus all the kids who ate almost as much as the crew members did.
“What’s worse? Gas light turning on while on an open road, or engine light turning on before you leave the house?”
“Gas light,” I answered without thinking.
Butch made a face. He was sitting in a camping chair nearby, Ellie in his lap painting his nails like it was no big deal. It probably wasn’t. Butch didn’t give a shit as long as his kids were happy.
“Engine light means you can’t drive at all,” he argued. “At least I hope none of you dumbasses are driving around with an engine light on.”
I shook my head. “No, but think of it like this. You’re out there, nothing but the road and wind and the bike beneath you. Nothing is better than that feeling, right? Then the gas light flicks on and boom. The joy is gone and you’re stressed about how far the next station is and whether or not you’ll make it. It ruins the whole vibe.”
Vegas jabbed a finger at me triumphantly. “That! That’s what I’m saying. An engine light might ruin your morning, but the gas light would ruin the entire day.”
“Okay, so what’s worse?” Sierra called from where she was sitting by Melissa and Skylar with the babies. “Gas light, engine light, or flashing lights.”
We all winced simultaneously. “Flashing lights. Definitely.”
“No contest,” Vegas grumbled. “Those pigs are out to get us.”
The conversation helped me relax a little, but I kept an eye on Jasper and Isla out of the corner of my eye. Jasper reluctantly put Isla down to play with the other babies when Skylarbeckoned him over, but immediately withdrew once she was settled, retreating until his back was against the house and there was a distance between him and everyone else. I felt my face twitch watching him pull out his phone and ignore the world. What was it going to take to get that kid to open up?
The back door opened and Xander wandered out, a smirk on his face as he held up a bright pink phone triumphantly. “Found it. You left it in the car again.”
Melissa cheered, laughing as he jogged down the stairs to hand over her phone. “You’re my favorite person, Xanny.”
“You need to put that thing on a lanyard or something, Mel-Mel,” he teased. “How do you not lose it at work?”
She lifted a shoulder, taking the teasing in stride. “Scrubs have deeper pockets than women’s pants. It’s an injustice just how little room we have in our pockets.”
Xander rolled his eyes, but the smirk on his face said he wasn’t actually bothered by the conversation. He was so different from Jasper, so relaxed and happy. When he wandered closer to join his brother and Prez at the grill, I leaned over the railing of the porch and beckoned him closer.
“Hey, Little Wraith. Come here a sec.”
His expression was curious as he came back up the porch and leaned against the railing next to me. “What’s up?”
I tipped my head subtly toward where Jasper was glowering at the entire yard. “You two are the same age. Think you can help me figure out how to crack him? I think he’d rather murder me than open up.”
Xander snorted, patting my shoulder. “I’m sure it’s not that bad. But sure. I think he’s in my class. I can say hi, at least.”
Thank god for Little Wraith. He didn’t have an easy go of life before he arrived here, but once he came out and felt safe around us, he became part of the crew. I was pretty sure he was thereason Wraith came out of his shell. The dude actually said full sentences now instead of just grunting all the time.
I moved closer to the other side of the porch as subtly as I could to listen in, hoping beyond all hope Xander could make the headway I hadn’t been able to yet.
CHAPTER FIVE
JASPER
This was so stupid. I didn’t want to come to this thing. I should’ve argued more. If it wasn’t for the promise of food after days of takeout because Zero couldn’t cook to save his damn life, I would’ve outright refused. But I was getting tired of pizza and my moms never taught me to cook. Mom said she’d teach me soon, but hadn’t gotten around to it, and Mama was like Zero. Couldn’t be trusted in the kitchen with anything more complicated than a toaster.
The thought of my parents made my chest ache and the familiar urge to grab something and throw it made my fingers twitch. My eyes flicked automatically to Isla, tracking her as she munched happily on one of those baby cracker things that she didn’t need real teeth to eat. She was the only reason I hadn’t left yet. I had to watch out for her. Mama made me promise when she was born that I’d protect her.
My gaze drifted to the idiot who took us in. It was kind of insane that the social worker trusted him. He was clueless. He couldn’t cook worth shit, he tried weighing Isla in that vegetableweigher in the grocery store so he could figure out what diaper size to get her, and he kept trying to act all buddy buddy with me even though he didn’t know shit about me. I almost wanted to ask what his deal was. Why the hell would he take us in if he couldn’t handle it?
A kid about my age hopped off the porch and headed my way. I felt my spine stiffen and I glared at him as he approached. I didn’t recognize him, and I didn’t want him thinking I wanted to make friends. I had friends. I had to leave them all behind when–
“Hey,” he greeted with a quick upnod.
“What?” I growled back.
