Page 55 of Kane
She raised her hands in surrender. “Forgive me, Oh Great One. I couldn’t help but watch you suck down those fries. Somebody had to be ready in case you needed the Heimlich.”
He snorted and kept eating. The return of his appetite had to mean something good for his recovery, as did his willingness to come out and celebrate their official groundbreaking at the new site.
“So,” Mike drawled, smearing his chicken through the mountain of ketchup he’d mixed with the Zaxby sauce, “I don’t suppose you know if Kane is going to be at the new development today.”
She shook her head. Even though she knew it was far-fetched, part of her had hoped to find him waiting when she returned to her condo last night. The first thing she did when she woke was call Robby Jordan, the foreman’s assistant, to find out who was on the crew sheet. Kane had been assigned to the nearly finished project a few miles away.
“I, uh, did see him last night. Kane, I mean. He came over to my place.” Her cheeks burned as she sipped her Arnold Palmer. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember why she’d ever stopped drinking these.
Wonder of wonders, Mike looked up from his food. His jaw was slack. “You said Kane was atyour condo?”
She hummed against her straw. “I took your advice. I told him the truth.”
He spun his hand in front of him, urging her to say more.
“It’s complicated.” She sighed. “Or maybe I made it complicated. I wanted to protect him. I still do. His stupid fucking biker gang is about to ruin his life all over again. You know they’re getting into drugs now?”
Mike blinked slowly. “Too much information and not enough.” Shaking his head, he took a sip of his soda.
“We kissed.”
Her brother choked on his drink, and Dr. Pepper sprayed out of his nose onto the remnants of his meal.
With a shudder, she pushed her napkins toward him, but he was already wiping his face with the back of his arm.
“Forget the napkins. Tell me everything, and don’t skip a single detail, or Cindy will never forgive me.”
She didn’t doubt it. Cindy had always been a romantic. “Some guy approached my dad, pretty much offering him money if he helped get the Skulls out of the running to deal drugs in some neighborhood where he wants to do it.”
Mike nodded. “And your dad took the deal.”
“No one seems surprised.” Was she the only one? “Anyway, they’ve got something planned to take Kane’s crew down. Of course, I had to warn him.”
“Of course.” Mike batted his eyelashes at her.
She didn’t take the bait. “He came over, and we got to talking. I told him why I left, and I think he understood because then he was kissing me. God, Mike, it was like I was alive for the first time in years. He—”
“No.” Mike covered his ears with his hands. “I’m still your brother. I don’t need those kinds of details. Save the dirty bits for my wife. You can expect the full inquisition tonight.”
“Nothing too dirty,” she said primly. “Nathan called and interrupted us. I left to end things with him. He didn’t take it well.”
Nodding, Mike rummaged around in the food still in front of him before making a face and pushing it away. “So now what?”
“The million-dollar question, isn’t it?” She gathered the trash from the table and tossed it in the can.
They made the ride to the new development quickly and without much conversation, which gave her time to relive Kane’s kisses over and over again. When they got out of the car, she stood behind Mike’s wheelchair, ready to push.
He reached up and touched the back of her hand. “You’re going to figure this out. I don’t know if the man Kane is now is still right for you, but I do know you have unfinished business together. I’m glad you’ve finally stopped running from it. I love you, sis, and I will be there for you any way I can.”
She made a noise acknowledging his words as she patted down the strands of hair the chilly breeze threatened to pull from her simple twist. Time to be professional. Her Ice Queen mask in place, she pushed her brother toward the crew assembled at Lot 258. Not too many guys yet, since the work hadn’t started. Only Xander, the foreman, his assistant Robby, and three other guys. The clean-cut African American guy with a polo she recognized as Matt York. The guy with the burns on his neck was the latest recruit, Evan something. And next to him was his Ranger buddy, Cyrus Amir. The man was of Middle Eastern descent, and more than a little good looking, with sharp cheekbones and wavy dark hair longer than she’d ever seen it, which was to say it was no longer in the buzzcut he used to sport.
Robby, Matt, and Cyrus all eyed her with—not hostility, but maybe suspicion or wariness. Obviously, the guys were aware of some of the dynamics between her and Kane. But she was still the boss, and some lines they couldn’t cross, even for their friend.
The corners of Xander’s eyes crinkled when he saw Mike. “Michael Cooper. What an unexpected surprise.” He crossed the short distance from the trailer on the side of the property to shake Mike’s hand.
“I wouldn’t miss the chance to be here for the kickoff of the new project, or to see you, old friend.” Mike had worked with Xander since before Charlie died. It was one of the reasons Kane was assigned to Xander’s crew: minimum interaction with Amanda. It made total sense for everyone here to look to him as their boss. She was just the bitch who dumped their buddy a hundred years ago.
She stepped back to let everyone catch up with Mike and for him to meet Evan. They still had another five minutes before Jared Berringer’s scheduled arrival to give his official blessing on the start of the project.