Woodenly, my head moved so I could take in the men in theroom.
Every last one was scowling at me.
Because it wasn’t that my sister and all her friends’ men(and okay, also my friends) werebadassesand assumedthey could take care of all the women in their lives’ problems, no matter whatkind of satellite that woman was in their life.
It was that all my big brothers had been kept in the darkwhen something was threatening me.
I didn’t…
I didn’t know.
I was just Lottie, Jet’s little sister.
I had no idea they felt this deeply for me.
But they did.
They did.
They felt really fuckingdeepfor me.
It was then my throat closed and my eyes got hot.
“You didn’t come to me.”
My attention went to the man who spoke.
Eddie.
Oh boy.
“Eddie,” I whispered.
“If they didn’t have it…” He shook his head.“If somethinghappened to you…” He couldn’t finish that either.
And I knew that, now, he couldn’t not only because his lifewould be hell if something happened to his beloved wife’s beloved littlesister, his beloved boys’ beloved aunt.
Also because something would have happened to hissister-in-law, a woman he cared deeply about.
Oh God.
“It didn’t.It was Hawk Delgado, Eddie,” I said quietly.“Hehad it.”
“I’ve been to this guy’s house, Lottie,” Eddie retorted.“Ifthey didn’t have it…”
He again didn’t finish.
With not a small amount of difficulty, I swallowed.
“Lottie, honey, look at me,” Hank called.
I looked at Hank.
“There was more than just finding this guy,” he said.“Youhad to be out of your mind worried.You should never take that on alone.Itdoesn’t help you or the situation and it doesn’t save the people you’re keepingin the dark from anything.They’re just going to feel what you’ve endured overa week in a second,” he lifted a hand to indicate the room, “as you can see.”
To be honest, I hadn’t even thought of that.
I just put my head down and got on with it.
