know of it, but you are someone who can say, ‘I told you so! I’ve seen this animal!’Am I right?”
She smiled to herself, raising her gaze to share it and nod. “Yes, thank you.”
Ajay grinned. “You know, Allí, you are a very nice girl when you let yourself be. You should let people see you a little bit more.”
Biting her lip, she asked, “He really called you?”
“Well, I called him. Your father asked. But Noah has told me, ‘you have to listen to this girl. She’s very smart, and she does not lie.’ He’s quite taken with you, Allí. He said, ‘I have a good feeling about this. You’ll see, it is worth it.’”
She nodded, standing to go.
“And Allí?” Ajay added. “I believe him. I believe you, as well.”
CHAPTER 24 | NOAH
Sarah stood behind the counter, transferring ketchup between bottles before filing the emptied containers. She was humming a song to herself, and from the sound of it, it had been stuck in her head all morning. In spite of her good-natured agreement not to pry, Noah could barely look at his sister. Even more than his own bafflement, he was filled with guilt for not being able to tell her what he’d discovered just yet.
This is part of her too.
Overwhelmed, Noah stood, walking back and forth across the diner.
Maybe there’s a reason we’ve always been different.
Glancing up, she frowned. “No’, you’re pacing. Why are you pacing?”
I don’t even know if it’s true.
He blurted, “Any clue if Lee was drunk yesterday?”
Sarah raised her brow, clearly trying to evaluate wheth er he’d broken their pact. Too curious not to encourage more details, she replied, “I didn’t see him. I mean, it didn’t seem like it to me. I think they’re broke this week. I was surprised they forked it over for your meds, but I, ah, made the case. Even if he had some stashed, I think he was scared sober.”
“Okay. Thanks,” he mumbled, sprinting to the door and leaving without another word.
Speed walking to the docks, he headed straight for his father’s junky vessel. Clutching his arm to cushion the pressure of jogging up the ramp, he stood, half-crouched and breathing hard, at the center of attention. His brothers, amongst the few hired help, dropped what they were doing, pulling their heads out of buckets or pausing as they wound rope around a forearm.
Raising his voice in spite of strained gasps, Noah demanded, “Everybody off.”
They stared, unmoving. When the shock began to wear off, some of them laughed, most nervously. John looked between Mark and Andrew, glancing at Isaac and the part-time navigator, Clark Thomas, before settling on Noah. His face twisted into a sneer as he crossed his arms, stepping forward until he was close enough to breathe on him. Noticing that he nearly met John’s height while slouched, he wondered if the aggressive tactics his brothers used on each other was really what they sought.
They’re not my brothers.
“Cousin,” Noah warned, “You have about ten seconds to get out my face.”
He deadpanned, backing up a step in shock, as though Noah had smacked the bear in the nose. As John’s face warped into a homely snigger, Lee climbed from below deck, commanding his crew to get off his boat. Looking perplexed, sharing glances that said they’d be talking about it, they left in silence, John backing away and following with reluctance.
Unexpectedly, Lee grumbled, “Your mind, boy. Say what’s on it.”
Unsure how to even approach the subject, Noah demanded, “What don’t you like about Alyson?”
Glaring, Lee replied, “I’m disgusted with your priorities.”
“Well, she is. She’s what I’m concerned with at the moment,” Noah admitted, unashamed. “She’s the only thing that’s changed in the past eighteen years. At least, enough for you to say a thing like that.”
“You mean, to tell you the truth about your mother,” Lee paraphrased, his voice dropping an octave below irritation. “Your brothers played a prank and sabotaged his little Squatcher-group, or whatever they call it, and the Glass man raised holy hell. The people look after their own. He is not one of us.”
“What does that have to do with Aly?”
Lee flinched, the subject changing in a sudden burst of anger, “Your biological ‘father’ and your mother…. The Rob boy, he comes in and gets her hooked on more drugs than you have fingers. Things no one should mess with. Overnight, my sister’s on Jupiter, no idea who anyone or what anything is. She ran away with him. One day she shows up with you,