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I release a heavy breath and head straight to the fridge. My knuckles are throbbing, but there’s a savage satisfaction pumping through my veins that no lecture can kill. Cracking open a beer, I take a big drink and lean against the counter, looking at my brothers.
“Do you have something to say?” My voice comes out gruff. I’m tired of them, especially Knox, always telling me what to do or what not to do or how much I fucked up.
Knox and Brax share their who’s gonna deal with Jax’s shit this time look.
Knox breaks the silence first. “Helen called.”
I huff. Fucking snitch. So much for keeping it between us.
“Don’t be mad at her,” Knox says, reading my expression. “She was worried about you.”
“I don’t know why.” I take another swig. “I’m not the one in the ambulance.”
The words hang in the air. Brax sighs and leans forward, elbows on the table. “Do you want to tell us why you did it?”
My fingers tighten around the can, and the aluminum crinkles. Derek’s words replay in my head. The slimy, shit-eating grin on his face when he’d called Callie a slut. Fuck. Now I want to break his kneecaps all over again. “You should’ve heard what he said about her.” I drain the rest of the beer in one go. “He called her a slut, asked if she was still sucking my cock.”
Knox’s scowl deepens. “So you broke his kneecaps? What about fire fighting? You think they’ll let you do that if you go around putting people in the hospital?”
No. The job is to save people, not hurt them, but I don’t regret what I did. Not for one second. “You didn’t see the devastation on her face. It was almost like she believed what he said about her.” I rest my butt against the counter. “This was an even exchange. Probably should’ve chopped off his dick,” I mumble.
Brax chuckles, and Knox sends him a glare that could freeze hell. Brax’s mouth snaps shut.
“You think this is funny?” Knox demands. “He could wind up in prison. Is that what you want?”
“Get off your high horse,” I snap, pushing off the counter. “The Knox I used to know would’ve done the same thing for Callie. For one of his brothers. We protect our own, that’s what Dad always said.”
The color drains from Knox’s face and I know I’ve hit a nerve. Good. He needs to remember who he used to be before he became this brooding, closed-off version of himself.
“I’m trying to keep you out of trouble.”
“No, you’re trying to control everything like you always do.” Anger boils in my gut. I take a breath. “None of this would have happened if it weren’t for that fucking video Penelope took.”
The room goes silent. We rarely mention the catalyst that sent Callie running. That video tore our friend group apart. Her leaving broke each of us in some way.
“About that,” Brax cuts in, shifting uncomfortably. “How do we tell her it was Penelope and not Knox?”
I glance at Knox. “You have to do it.”
“She won’t even talk to me.”
“So make her!” My shout reverberates around the kitchen. “We can’t fucking lose her. Not again.”
“He’s right, Knox.” Brax runs a hand over his face. “It’s been ten years and she’s finally here. I don’t want to lose her again.”
Deep down, we’re all just little boys waiting for their mom to come back. Dad said she would. She never did. She left without even a goodbye. It’s hard not to think about her when I think about Callie.
But Callie came back.
Knox brushes his fingers through his hair, and I watch emotions play across his face—anger, sadness, pain, and something else I can’t quite name. “I don’t want to lose her either,” he finally says, voice rough.
Hope flickers in my chest. For the first time in years, the three of us are on the same page about something.
“Good. Then you go get our girl.” I cross my arms, waiting for him to agree.
Knox lifts an eyebrow. “Right now? It’s two in the morning.”
Jesus Christ. I roll my eyes. “Tomorrow then. Her mom will be at the summer festival committee, and I heard Maura talking at the bar, Callie will be there too.”
