“Afraid she will lose?”
“I’m afraid she will win,” I admit sheepishly.
He shudders.“As enjoyable as it would be to see the look on Max’s face, I wouldn’t like to be Malia if that happens.”
He gets it.“Exactly.”
“Dickhead, did you forget you were coming out with me to check where I can put up cameras?”Liam calls out, startling me.
Reid throws his hands up, letting go of my legs for a minute.“Why is everyone in a mood today?I didn’t exactly have a choice about leaving,” he states, gesturing to me with his thumb.“And I still don’t understand the reasoning behind the cameras.”
Liam pinches the bridge of his nose.“Reid, if you wanted to get to someone, what would you do?”
I lean over to see Reid’s face scrunch up.“Knock on the front door.”
Exasperated, Liam lets out a sigh.“If you didn’t want them to know you were coming.”
Reid shrugs.“Again, knock on the front door.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Liam grumbles.
Milly pops out from behind Malia, her head shaking side to side.“I had hopes for you.”
“You did?”Reid asks, his shoulders shaking with a chuckle.
She huffs then eyes Liam.“If someone was to hear a noise, they automatically look to the front or back, or the road.Whilst they are doing that, enemies are coming from another angle,” she states, pointing to the open land.“Having cameras or even motion detectors at human level would help find the unsub quicker.”
Reid shrugs.“I would still go through the front door.”He pauses.“Or the back.No point in hiding my presence.”
“I wish you would,” I grumble.
“Lies,” he whispers.
Milly glances at me.“I would rethink your choices.He won’t make it here,” she warns sternly before making her way into the house.
Liam chuckles.“I like her.She reminds me of someone.”
“Hayden?”Reid growls, his shoulders slumping.“I’d totally make it here.”
Malia laughs.“No, you wouldn’t.I want to protect my sisters and I can’t do that if I don’t know where my enemies are.Because whilst we are punch first, ask questions later kind of family, we aren’t stupid.We don’t look for trouble.”
I snort.“And you like that they will think they are hunting you when really, it’s you hunting them.”
She shrugs.Liam turns to look at her.“Is she right?”
I laugh.“I’ve never been wrong.Before their parents moved them away, and Magnolia was still in school, a kid was bullying her at school.He hated that nothing got to her.One day, when he was following her home, ready to corner her when no one was around, Malia was following him.I’m pretty sure he had to have surgery because she broke his nose.”
Malia shrugs.“Little dweeb texted what he planned to all of his friends who forwarded it on, and someone messaged Mercedes to tell her.I wasn’t letting it lie, and our parents just told Magnolia to ignore it.”
“But not you?”Liam asks, his eyes distant for a moment.
She shakes her head, laughing.“Rules are meant to be broken when they fail to protect people.”
“Then do the same camera viewpoints as you’ve done to our land,” Reid suggests, lifting me higher up his back.
Liam’s neck flushes.“We haven’t spoken about costs.Whilst I won’t be charging for the labour or stuff I have spare at home, there will be somewhat of a cost.Unless...”
Malia arches her eyebrow, her back straightening.“Unless what?”
