Mason nods while forcefully brushing his teeth. Some toothpaste slips out when he mumbles, “Took some meds already. I’m gonna go to sleep.”
“Can I cuddle you in your sleep?”
Mason’s eyes light up enough without words to tell me that’s okay. I press a kiss to his forehead, then get dressed quickly in the bedroom. What am I going to walk into downstairs? I don’t know. But I can’t delay it because Hayden needs to be tended to and we’ve also got to figure this shit out.
I dress in sweatpants and a T-shirt, feeling beyond wrung out and tired. The lights are on when I step onto the first-floor landing. I spot Reid and Dante speaking in hushed whispers on the couch. I expect to find Hayden with them, but he’s sitting outside in the dark, cradling his still bloody hand.
“Has anyone checked Hayden’s hand?” I ask while standing in the middle of the living room having a slight out-of-body experience.
“It’s broken,” Reid says evenly.
“Fuck me.”
Reid stands in a rush. “You were atotalasshole back there, by the way. Saying what you said to Hayden about Jacob.”
“It’s the truth though.”
Dante swears and drops his head into his hands. “You’re so oblivious, Parker. Anyway, I called Mandy to see what we can do for Hayden’s hand because he’s going to argue until he’s blue in the face about getting medical care for it. And you need to contact Alexis.”
“Oh god, why me?” IhateAlexis. She’s terrifying and she gets mad when we have legal questions, as if she isn’t paid a small fortune to be on retainer for us.
“Because you’re an asshole,” Reid retorts. He shoves his shoulder into mine as he heads toward Hayden on the back porch.
“Hey! That’s mytwinin jail right now, you know!”
Reid aims a glare at me over his shoulder. “It should be you. You have the highest kill count.”
“Reid,” Dante hisses, but Reid just slides the door open with a glare and joins Hayden.
But Reid is right. It should be me in jail right now. That had been my plan if they caught on to Mason. What’s any different now? I grab my phone out of my pocket when it buzzes.
“Oh fuck, it’s Alexis callingme.”
Dante gasps. “Shut up.” Dante leaps up to come stand beside me, a silent show of support. I’m so screwed.
Clearing my throat, I lift the phone to my ear. “This is Parker.”
“No shit it’s Parker. That’s who I called,” Alexis sounds stern and irritated. “It’s the middle of the night, you know? And your brother is in jail.”
“Fuck. He called you?”
“He knows who his first call should be. Do you want to know the charges they have on him?”
I can’t do it. I hand Dante the phone with a scared flourish, hands shaking at the idea. Dante takes the phone and listens to Alexis go on and on andonfor what feels like forever.
“I understand, Alexis.” Dante glances at me out of the corner of his eye, sending a shiver of fear through me. “Mhmm. Nope, we’ll all stay clean while you figure Jacob out. Yes. Oh, I’ll tell Parker. Thank you.”
“And?”
Dante hands my phone back to me with a grimace. “She said to sit tight.”
I narrow my eyes. “That’s not all she said.”
“No…” Dante hunches his shoulders in defeat. “She said Jacob said to tell you to remember Hayden’s six. Also, he’s been pinned with the Hyland and Warton murders.”
The world spins on its axis.
“He’s beenwhat?”
