“You live a boring life, Ambros. I think if I were going to stalk someone, they’d be more exciting than you. Who’d want to stalkyou anyway? Saying that, you need more coffee. And you got an invite to some amateur fighting thing in Seattle.”
I blink, then blink again. “You were in my kitchen? I haven’t even been in my kitchen lately. And you don’t think that’s stalking?”
“Not at all. It’s all part of my community outreach program. The MC is the community, and I like to reach out and…flick people who annoy me, mostly.”
I sigh and shake my head, wondering how many times she was dropped on her head as a kid. “You still haven’t told me what you want.”
“What makes you think I want anything? Maybe I was just being friendly. Did you ever think about that?”
I cross my arms and glare at her. “You just said ‘I need help.’”
“Okay, fine. I want to know what’s going on with my sister.”
“No.”
She splutters. “No? Did you just tell me no?”
“Why does Tink look like she’s about to stomp her feet?” Dice asks, moving up beside me.
“I just told her no.”
“Ah, that will do it.”
“You guys are making me sound like a spoiled brat.”
We both look at her.
“Wait. You really think that?” Her lip quivers, making me sigh.
“Come on, Tink, we don’t mean it in a bad way, but you have to know everyone here would bend over backward to make you happy.”
“I cannot help being awesome, Ambros. It’s a defect I was born with. I’ve tried to make people dislike me before, but it’s impossible. Turns out I’m just an adorable bundle of joy.”
“Do you shit rainbows too?” Dice teases.
“Only when I eat Skittles,” she quips back, making him snort.
I shake my head. “Okay, I’ll concede, you’re pretty awesome. But right now, I want to choke the life out of you.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot.” She sighs before leaning closer. “I’m not asking you to spill her secrets. I’m glad she has you. I mean, sure, I wish she’d confide in me, but I get that she doesn’t feel like she can. I’m just…lost. I don’t know how to connect with her. But I want to. I’ll do anything she wants me to. I just want a chance to get to know her again.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her closer.
“Gotta have a death wish hugging Tink. You know how Havoc is when another man touches her,” Dice mutters.
I ignore him and lean my chin on top of Tink’s head. “I know you love her. Citi knows you love her. But what happened to her isn’t something that can be fixed and put away. She knows this, so she’s learning ways to cope with her new reality. And yeah, sometimes that means retreating to lick her wounds. She has to be selfish here, Tink, because if she doesn’t fortify what that bastard broke, she’ll still be trapped. Even without the shackles holding her.”
She tips her head up to look at me. “I get it. I mean, I do and I don’t. I don’t want to push. I just worry. She isn’t returning my texts or calls. I need to know she’s still hanging in there and knows she only has to pick up her phone if she wants me.”
“Want me to go over and check on her?”
“Yeah. I’d go, but I’m not sure I could handle her closing the door in my face.”
“I get it, Tink. It’s hard all around.”
She gets to her feet just as Havoc walks in. He scans the room before his eyes land on Tink, and he heads our way.
“Good timing.” Dice chuckles behind me until I elbow the fucker.
