Lia turned in their arms and faced her brother. She tensed, and Cam knew it was because of the disapproval clearly branded on her brother’s features. Cam dropped his eyes to Lia’s face, and all of the joy that had been there was fading away.
Cam manned up. “She’s ours, man. I know it’s a little different arrangement from what you’re probably used to … but—”
Jack’s expression darkened. “What the fuck are you talking about? Lia, get over here.”
“I know she’s your sister, but even you don’t get to talk to her like that,” Travis bit out.
“Lia,” Jack growled again.
“Enough,” Lia said. “All of you.” She turned to Cam. “I think I need to have a word with my brother. In private.”
As much as he didn’t want to let her go, he knew he didn’t have a choice.
“We’ll be right here waiting when you’re done, sweetheart.” He didn’t bother to look at Jack as he pressed a kiss to her temple. A disapproving brother wasn’t going to change a damn thing between them. He wouldn’t let it.
He’s alive. The words chanted in Lia’s head on repeat as she led Jack toward the cabin she used to share with Erica. She wasn’t sure why she went there, but she did. Maybe because she didn’t want her brother in the space she shared with Cam and Travis.
She pushed open the door and was thankful to find it empty. She took a seat on her old twin bed and nodded to Erica’s. “Feel free to have a seat.”
There was a table and two chairs in one corner of the cabin, but they were covered in Erica’s clothes and other stuff.
They sat knee to knee, and Jack grabbed her hand and held it between his. “I didn’t come here to fight with you. Fuck, I’m not going to fight with you. I’ve spent the last nine months going crazy not knowing where you were and how you were doing. Or fuck, if you were even…” he trailed off, but Lia finished for him.
“If I was alive? I know the feeling. The last glimpse I got of you was you in a pool of blood. I thought you were dead. I didn’t think anyone could live through that … not without regularly functioning hospitals and surgeons.”
Jack squeezed her hand. “I almost died. More than once. Hell. Infections, dehydration—you name it, it almost killed me. But I’m a stubborn son of a bitch, and I wasn’t going to let anything take me out. And I never lost hope of finding you. Saving you.”
She squeezed his hand back. “I don’t need saving anymore. I’ve got real heroes right here. Without them … I would’ve died. Either the men who kidnapped me would’ve done it, or I would’ve finished the job for them.”
Jack’s eyes slammed closed, and his features creased.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you. I should’ve—”
“You didn’t even have a gun. There was nothing you could do.”
He dropped her hand and jammed his fingers into his thick, dark hair. “I’m a fucking Marine, shit was going down. I shouldn’t have stepped away from the house without a gun. I was just in such a fucking hurry that day. I didn’t even fucking think.” He shook his head. “I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” Lia swallowed, unable to believe she was about to say what was on the tip of her tongue. But it was the truth. “Besides, if things hadn’t happened the way they did, I would’ve never met Cam and Travis, and that...”
Jack looked up at her. “Lia, I know this world is crazy, but two—”
“I’m in love with them. Both of them. And yes, this world is crazy, and maybe that craziness gave me the courage to follow my heart, but I wouldn’t change a thing. You don’t understand how happy they make me. How safe they make me feel.” She reached back out and grabbed his hand. “I never thought I’d feel safe again after what happened to me, but … I do. And it’s because of them. Instead of growling about the oddity of our relationship, you should be thanking them.”
Jack’s brown eyes—so much like her own—met hers. “I know. But I’m still your big brother, and today has been a hell of a shock for both of us. I just … need some time to get used to the idea, okay?”
“Speaking of time, do you have plans? How long can you stay?” Lia started to panic. “I don’t want to lose you when I just found you again. That would be too much to handle. I can’t—”
“Hey, hey. No reason to get excited about it. I’ll talk to the guys and see if they can put me to work in exchange for letting me stay. I don’t want to be a drain on resources. I’ve got skills to offer up.”
Lia hadn’t even thought of that. “They’ll let you stay, I know they will. I won’t let them make you leave.” She didn’t have any pull, but Cam and Travis did, and she wasn’t above begging. In creative ways.
“We’ve got a lot to catch up on. You want to go first, or do you want me to?” The question was the last one Lia really wanted to answer, but this was her brother. She could tell him most of it. Okay, maybe not most, but a little. Very little, when it came to Cam and Travis.
“How about you go first?”
He nodded. “Well, I woke up not knowing where the fuck I was…”