Chapter 9

NINE

Asha

The rest stop bathroom was about as horrific as a crime scene. So, when I go racing out of it like my ass is on fire, I barely look where I'm going. I just find the closest bench and sit down, waiting for whatever private conversation Max and Braxton are having to be over, while they throw a chew toy back and forth for the dog. Unfortunately, I picked a spot where a bunch of kids are playing by the vending machines.

I almost get up. But then a little boy laughs and holds up a candy from the machine with triumph. "Twix! Lizzy's favorite!"

His little sister squeals and he hands it to her with a smile. A smile with dimples. And as I stare at him, he's no longer just some random kid. He's my brother, Simon. Simon with his head full of crazy red hair and his smile full of dimples. Simon was never that mean older brother and always the one who looked out for me. Isabelle might have been my responsibility, but I was Simon's. And he embraced the role like he was born for it.

I remember how I used to tell my mom that I was unbreakable. That I could do anything. She'd get so mad when I'd fight with the boys, climb trees, or swim in the river when the current was fast. Mom would scold me, threaten to ground me, and go on long lectures about how kids always think they're invincible. But my brother would always tell her to lay off… until I fell from a really high tree and broke my arm. My mom was going to go ballistic, I could feel it, but my brother just said that some people just have to learn through their own experiences, and I was one of those people. And that as much as a broken arm hurt, if it taught me to be careful, that was enough of a lesson.

It shut my mom right up.

"What are you smiling about?"

I stiffen and spin to my side, forgetting about the children. Braxton stands with a bag of chips in his hand and a smile on his face. It bothers me that I have no idea how long he'd been watching me.

"I wasn't smiling."

He shakes his head, grinning, then plunks down on the bench beside me. "It looked like you were enjoying watching those kids play. You have little ones?"

"No, I was just thinking about my family." Fuck, did I really say that out loud? Now, I'll have to hear a bunch of stupid questions, probing to find out if there are more of my kind to track down and kill.

"I do that too. Any time I see a happy family, I think of Max and I when we were kids."

His response surprises me in the best possible way, and I feel a little of the tension in my chest easing. "You knew Max when he was a kid?"

He gives me a funny look. "Max and I are brothers. Twins, actually."

My mouth drops open. "No way." I sound like a stupid teenager, but I can't help it. These two are as alike as night and day.

"Not identical, obviously."

Obviously. "And did Max have a stick up his ass when you were kids too?" Oh, hell. I hadn't meant to let that slip. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

Braxton's dog comes to sit beside us, resting his chin on his master's knee, and Braxton gently pets his head as he answers. "Well, he was more carefree when we were younger, still a little too responsible and uptight, but a normal kid… until our parents were murdered. Then, he kind of just turned into an adult overnight. The therapist had a name for it, but all I remember is them saying I regressed. Pretty sure I acted younger, which led him to act older, although I wouldn't claim to understand it all."

"Your parents were murdered?" My gaze slides from him to Max, who’s currently on the phone by our SUV. For some reason, I kind of pictured Max as an only child who wore a suit from the time he was born, was sent to private schools, and had parents he referred to as Mother and Father .

He nods, rubbing behind his dog's ears. "Neither of us like to talk about it though. That was sort of the end of our innocence."

"I understand that feeling," I say, then glance at the kids again. "Even though I wish that childlike innocence lasted forever and that no one ever had to learn that the world is full of scary monsters with pretty faces."

Braxton looks down at his dog and gives it a goofy smile. "I think that's why I like the idea of the Enforcers. Maybe in this position we can rid the world of a few of those damned monsters."

I barely hear his words because I’m focused on him and his dog. It’s strange. I’ve never understood pet owners. Like, not at all. Hell, I’ve never understood people who have children. Having some innocent creature depending entirely on you feels like my own version of hell. But the way Braxton acts with his… dog makes me feel weird. Like he has a gene I’m lacking, and that’s why he treats the thing like an adorable person.

I draw my gaze from the beast and refocus on our conversation. "Is that why you're here? To rid the world of monsters?" I’m truly curious because he doesn't fit the mold of any of the Enforcers I've met so far.

"No, I'm here because I didn't have anywhere else to go. A man like me can't just get a job at a grocery store and forget what he is." His expression becomes distant, almost grim.

"And what are you?"

Rather than answering, he stands. "Max is saying play time is up."

I glance over and see our mighty leader himself leaning against the SUV, glaring.

Sighing, I watch as the dog follows Braxton to the car, looking happier than I've felt in a long time. But maybe I'd be that happy too if Braxton was petting me all day.

Okay, that sounds worse than I planned for it to. I just meant I might be happier if someone gave a shit about me too. But my mom always said, hope in one hand and shit in the other, then see which one fills up first.

My heart aches and my mind flips through the sound of my mom screaming, then the terrible way they killed her. I dig my nails into my palms hard enough to make them bleed, then draw in a ragged breath. My mom is gone. Focus on the present.

Like my conversation with Braxton. Like our current mission.

I wish I had some time alone to process everything I just heard. But figuring out these two men isn't nearly as important as finding my pack. Because once I find all of us, once I save all of us, I'm going to make another safe place like the Blood Pack lands. And Max and Braxton? All they'll know is that I'm gone.

These two men are my tools to use to get back the life I lost. Nothing more. And no matter how many sad stories I hear from them, I can't forget that.

I'm all my pack has left.