It’s proof that we’ve come a long way since the whole “no talking about our pasts” pact that we made way back at the beginning.
“What’s the difference?” Meredith shoots back, cackling a little. “Either way, better to make the one with the young legs and strong arms do the lifting and climbing. It was nice to have the help and the company.”
“The company was good,” Gage agrees, nodding and finishing off his food.
Meredith smiles at him, and there’s so much familiar sweetness in it. So much love.
The rest of the meal is the same, pretty much. She tells more stories about the things Gage liked as a kid, and how he would offer to spend the night at her place to make sure no one broke in or anything.
“I half thought maybe he just didn’t want to go home, but someone bashed in the windows in one of the first floor apartments, so he just really did want to keep me safe.”
“He’s like that,” I reply with a little smile, glancing over at Gage.
We finish up eating, and even though Meredith tells him more than once that he doesn’t have to, Gage insists on clearing the table and doing the dishes. He moves around her kitchen with the same ease that he has when he’s clearing up at home.
“There,” he says, when he’s finished, wiping his hands on a towel. “Now we can go.”
“You’re a stubborn thing,” Meredith replies, shaking her head.
“I wonder where I got that from,” he fires back.
She shakes her head again, but a smile pulls at her mouth when he leans in to hug her.
“Don’t be a stranger,” she murmurs.
“I’ll try not to be. There’s just a lot going on right now. Happy birthday again.”
He steps back, and Meredith looks toward me, opening her arms. I only hesitate for a second or two before moving in closer to her, to give her a loose hug. She leans in, patting me on the back.
“I can tell he cares about you,” Meredith almost whispers, saying it for my ears only. “And that you care about him too. That’s good. He needs someone strong to look after him when I can’t.”
She lets me go and steps back, and a feeling of warmth washes over me. Clearly, Meredith approves, and that means something to me. Aside from the rest of the guys, this woman is all Gage has in terms of family, so I want her to know he’s being cared for.
I nod, then follow Gage out of the apartment and down the stairs.
It’s quiet in the car for the first part of the drive back, but it’s not strained or sad, really. Just pensive and a bit somber. When I look over at Gage, his fingers are relaxed on the steering wheel, and for once, he’s not clenching his jaw or looking like he’s about to go off on somebody.
“How long have you been doing that?” I ask him. “Taking care of Meredith. Giving her birthday money.”
He shrugs a shoulder, keeping his gaze on the road.
“Ever since I left, really.” One side of his mouth quirks up in a little smile. “Even when I couldn’t really afford it.”
That fits with what I know about Gage, and I like the thought of it. He didn’t leave her behind when he left, and he kept trying to help her and support her, even before it was as easy as it was now. It just goes along with how much he cares about the people in his heart. How he’s willing to do anything he can for them.
“Have you ever tried to get her out of there?” I ask.
“Plenty of times,” he says. “Over the years, I’ve given her more than enough money that she could have left already and moved into some place much nicer. But that’s not how she is. She doesn’t even keep all the money. She spreads it around to the other tenants and helps them out. There are people she cares about there. People she’s helped as much as she helped me. She’s not going to leave them behind, and I can’t argue with her about it, because I get that.”
“Yeah,” I say softly. “I get it too.”
Gage reaches across the center console and rests his hand on my leg, squeezing a little. I can feel the warmth of his palm through my pants, and the gesture is possessive and affectionate at the same time.
Neither of us says anything, but he lets his hand linger there.
And in the end, that says a lot.
10
Knox
I drum my fingers on the steering wheel as I head back home from hunting down leads. It’s not too late yet, still early evening, and something like anxiety is jumping under my skin.
I’m anxious to get back home for some reason. I don’t know if River and Gage will be back yet, but I want to see River. I thought I was addicted to her before, but now it’s something bigger than that.
Not addiction.
Obsession.
Seeing that fucker feeling her up at the bar, seeing River so broken and fucked up… it made me see red. She was just slumped there, clearly going through some shit, and that fucker decided to take advantage of her. Like she didn’t even matter. Like she was just a piece of meat for him to paw at because he was horny or whatever.
Looking back on it, I wish I’d made him suffer more. He fucking deserved it. He deserved to have that shit drawn out so he could feel maybe even a fraction of the pain that River was in then. But at the time, I was too anxious to get back to River and make sure she was okay, so I took care of that asshole quick.
There’s that itch under my skin that means the beast inside me is pacing in its cage. I want to take more motherfuckers out. Burn the whole damn world down if it would make River feel better. Hunting down leads and shit is all well and good, but I want some action. I want to do something, bring her some heads on a platter if it’ll help.
But I know that part is going to come eventually. This is all part of a bigger plan, but there’s murder at the end of it, so I can live with that. As long as someone kills Julian, it’s okay.
I pull up to the house, and my mood brightens when I see Gage’s car in the driveway.
That means she’s here.
River is in the kitchen with the other three Kings. Priest is at the kitchen table with his chair pulled out so River can perch in his lap. She looks better than she did when we found her at that bar, although she still seems run down and tired.
But she’s not giving up. That’s the thing that always draws me back to her time and time again.
She never gives up.
Priest is running his hands over her sides while she sits there, clearly still needing to have her close after almost losing her. I get that, but he’s not the only one who almost lost her, so he can share her with the rest of us. I walk over and pluck her up from his lap, setting her on the counter like she weighs nothing.
Priest doesn’t argue, and I shoot him a little grin. “My turn now.”
River just snorts, rolling her eyes.