23. Slade

23

SLADE

T wo hours later Stew stands in front of the lopsided cake I tried to make myself.

“It’s… homemade,” he says. “That’s something.”

“Quin is a professional baker. I don’t think homemade is enough.”

Stew winces. “Right. Why is the icing melty?”

“I don’t know. I did everything the recipe said. The cake kept coming off in chunks when I was icing it, so I just dumped it all the top. I thought that would fix it.”

He walks around the counter, eyeing the cake skeptically. “You didn’t ice it while it was hot, did you?”

“Yeah. Right out of the oven. I wanted it to be fresh.”

He sighs. “That’ll do it.”

Damn it. I’m already fucking everything up, and I haven’t even gotten there yet. To make matters worse, I’m wearing a T-shirt that’s way too small. It looks like a muscle shirt or something. Apparently, Stew and I are not the same size.

The doorbell rings.

“That’s probably the decals for the nursery,” Stew says. “We’ve got this honeybee theme going on. Gender neutral, so we can use the same decorations with the next kid. Do you want to help me put them up later?” He walks toward the front door and opens it. Instead of a box, there’s a tall, skinny omega standing on the porch. He’s wearing eyeliner, black clothing from head-to-toe, and Doc Marten boots with a thick sole.

“Is Slade here?” he asks.

Stew opens the door wider. “Come on in. He’s baking a cake. Or he’s trying to bake a cake.”

Coin steps inside. The moment he sees me, he gets this hardened look in his eyes. It’s different than Silver’s careful skepticism or the overt hostility Link showed me in high school, but it’s clear Coin doesn’t like me.

He pulls out a set of keys from his front pocket. “Come outside. I’ll show you your ride for the next few weeks.”

“His ride?” Stew says.

“Yeah. My brother said Slade needed some wheels to look for a job. He’s gotta get started on all that back-pay for child support.”

Stew runs a hand through his hair. “Oh. I didn’t know there was back-pay. Do you need some help, Slade? We could dip into our savings.”

“No. I’ll pay my own debts,” I insist.

Coin tosses me the keys. “Good. Let’s go. I have places to be.”

He walks out the door with the unaffected gait of someone who would rather be anywhere but here. He’s almost as attractive as his brother, but in a colder, jaded way. Where Quin is soft and sweet, Coin is all angles and hard lines.

The car outside is an old Buick, exactly like the one Georgina used to drive. It’s a little rusty in places, but not so bad for a free car. There’s a guy in the driver’s seat of a parked truck just behind the Buick. He’s wearing coveralls and a baseball hat. He’s probably Coin’s ride.

“Meet Terrence. He’s my road trip car. Let me show you some brand new features I added just this morning.” Coin walks toward the left rear wheel. “This right here is a tracker. It will tell me where you are at all times, so if you decide to fuck around all day instead of searching for jobs, I’ll know.”

Or if I drive to his brother’s place, he’ll know. Fucking hell.

Coin opens the driver’s door and climbs inside. “You see this thing attached to the rearview window? That’s a camera. Same concept. I get to see where you’re going and who you’re with.”

So much for lying to Quin’s brothers.

“Quin invited me over for dinner tonight,” I say.

Coin clenches his jaw. His face looks eerily similar to Silver’s when he does that. “Why?”

“He wanted me to spend time with Chime before she finds out who I am.”

Coin gets out of the car and slams the door. “Give me the keys.”

I toss them back to him. It’s almost a relief. Lying to Quin’s brothers made me nervous.

Stew walks up to us, an easy, warm smile on his face. “He can borrow my car. It’s no trouble.”

Coin rolls his eyes. “So you think he should be involved in an innocent five-year-old’s life?”

“Yeah. If that five-year-old is his daughter.” Stew doesn’t even sound confrontational when he says it.

“How do you figure?”

Stew shrugs. “Slade isn’t a monster. He went to jail for protecting his brother. I don’t know what would have happened to my Jake if it hadn’t been for him.”

Coin’s gaze darts between Stew and me. “Is that true?”

“Yeah,” I say.

“Why do you think they only gave him ten years for murder?” Stew asks. “Well, six, because he got out on good behavior, but still. You don’t get ten years for killing somebody unless you had a good reason.”

Coin pauses for a long beat, then he throws the keys at my feet. “Fine. But you be careful with Quin and Chime. If you hurt them, there will be hell to pay.”

He turns around and walks toward the pick-up truck before I get the chance to respond.

Stew glances down at the keys by my feet. “That was interesting. I think you’ll fit right in.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you killed a man to protect your brother, and it looks like they’re about ready to do the same. Congratulations.” He pats me on the back and heads inside.

It isn’t until that moment that I know Jake never told Stew what he did six years ago. I always assumed he confessed because the two of them are so close. But if Stew thinks I killed a man, that means he doesn’t know Jake did.

I wonder why Jake lied, even after they bonded. Is he afraid Stew wouldn’t love him the same if he found out? My heart aches for my brother. Surely, he can see how forgiving Stew has been to me. But I get it. Stew is such a great guy. It makes sense that Jake wouldn’t want to risk losing him.

When I get back from dinner at Quin’s house, Jake and I need to talk.