to like him, he didn’t have to like her. But they could just be together, him watching the TV and her reading because that was it. They were linked, tied intrinsically together.
It was a simplistic way of viewing the world, but Ama was young. I knew—for a fact, because it was how Flame had been with me when we were kids—that she’d get so used to Flame being there, her second shadow, that he’d seamlessly become a part of her days until she couldn’t actually think of one when he wasn’t there.
Dagger, on the other hand, wasn’t like that. He overthought shit, and his father had been a crappy role model. He’d beaten the fuck out of Dagger and his mom, and making friends had been hard for him. If it weren’t for the fact that they’d all been councilors’ sons, I wasn’t even sure if Dagger would have hung around the others.
That he’d befriended Ryan came as a huge surprise.
“I’m building up to it,” was how Dagger replied to Flame’s question.
Flame, of course, made a disgusted noise. “Why? She ain’t a DEA agent. You don’t have to think before you speak. Fuck, you can even swear. Lucie said she knows not to copy what we say.”
My lips quivered as I recalled that conversation. Flame had tried, I had to give him that, but he’d lasted about a minute before dropping F-bombs here and there.
Dagger grunted. “Just give me time.”
“How much time? She’ll be eighteen soon.”
Laughing, I patted Flame’s knee. “Don’t worry, love. There’s no rush.”
“Sure there is,” Flame grumbled. “She needs us all around her. Especially if you’re taking her to live elsewhere.”
My nose crinkled at that. “You’re coming with me.”
Dagger cleared his throat, but I knew he did that only to hide his laugh. “We are, huh?”
I tilted my face to the side. I could only see part of his expression, thanks to the light on the back wall, but I shrugged. “Of course. You didn’t think I was moving away, did you?”
“Well, you should probably have led with that, Luce,” Flame groused, and I squeezed his leg again.
“Sorry. I thought the whole ‘you’re mine and I’m not going anywhere’ was clue enough.”
He grunted. “Maybe a man likes things clarified.”
“Maybe a woman doesn’t like repeating herself,” I retorted, twisting around to glower at him. “You got a problem with moving out?”
“Nah.”
“Well, then why you arguing?”
“Just making a point.”
“Your point sucks,” I grumbled. “Anyway, where the hell do you think we’d sleep here?”
Flame rubbed his chin. “I was thinking about that today.”
Dagger sighed, relaxing deeper into the swaying bench seat. “Me too.”
“Even when people know, Wolfe will want to keep things quiet—” I started.
“You okay with that?” Dagger asked.
“Honestly? No. But I don’t care. I’m just not going to keep shit a secret. I’m discreet by nature—”
“Since fucking when?” Flame said around a hoot.
I glowered at him. “Since always.”
He gaped at me. “You were almost expelled four times, Lucie. You threw a Molotov cocktail at your teacher’s car. You almost set fire to the clubhouse that time you were messing around with that shit your pop used to make his toys. And you stole his bike and got brought home by six cops because it took that many to get you to stop.”
My nose wrinkled. “I’m a mom now.”
“Since when did becoming a mother change your DNA?”
I grunted at the new voice. “What is it with you guys? Just sneaking up on people is rude.”
Wolfe snorted. “Because we care so much about being rude. What’s this about moving out?”
“You were listening in?”
He shrugged. “Should have checked who was sitting out here before you started opening your mouth.”
Nostrils flaring, I hissed, “You’re all impossible.”
“And we’re all yours.” His smile was toothy. “Ain’t you glad you came home?”
My heart almost came to a stop at his words. Did that mean he was coming around to my way of thinking?
Instead of pouncing on his comment, I told him, “Most of the time.” Then I huffed. “But don’t forget, I’m the one who knows all your weaknesses,” I finished smugly, amused when he just rolled his eyes at my threat. A threat he had to know wasn’t just me mouthing off.
“Why did you guys come out here anyway? I was enjoying some peace and fucking quiet,” was all Wolfe said.
“I wanted to talk to Lucie,” Dagger explained softly, and I turned to look at him and saw his head was resting back against the seat.