Kane Read online

  Her heart eased a little when he flashed her a smile. He was still here. Still Mike. Even if he couldn’t lean over to pick up his daughter.

  His wife stepped from behind the chair to lift their daughter in her arms. Cindy and Mike had been together for so long, she was more of a sister than an in-law.

  “We saved you a piece of pecan pie. I figured your dad wouldn’t have any at his house.”

  Leave it to Cindy to remember it was her favorite. “Thanks. I wish I could have been here for dinner.” She rubbed at her forehead as Cindy sat beside her on the couch. “You know my dad. Couldn’t miss the chance to turn a holiday into a political opportunity.”

  Aliyah twisted her little body in her mother’s arms, determined to get back to her daddy. When Cindy refused to let her down, she started to cry.

  “It’s almost her bedtime,” Cindy murmured. “I’m going to go give her a bath.”

  Mike’s smile fell as his girls left the room, and Aliyah’s cries echoed down the hall. “I’m not strong enough to hold her. She doesn’t understand.”

  “How could she? She’s only a baby. But it’s not forever. You’ll get stronger, and you’ll hold her again. She won’t even remember all this.”

  She wished she could forget too. The memory of Mike so quiet and motionless in his hospital bed after his accident still took her breath away. Her brother had always been larger than life, her rock after their parents died more than ten years ago.

  “Let’s talk about something else,” she said brightly. No sense in dwelling on the past. “What’s with the beard? You look like Sasquatch.”

  Mike ran his hand over his scruffy cheek. “You don’t like it? Cindy says it makes me look kind of like Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy.”

  A bark of laughter escaped her mouth before she could stop it. “They say love is blind. All I can say is your wife must really love you.” Mike may have had the same coloring and dirty blond hair, but no one would mistake him for a blockbuster actor. His features were far too broad and blunt. He wasn’t a bad-looking guy, but pushing forty, he looked like, well, what he was, a hard-working, blue-collar husband and father.

  He joined in her laughter, then rubbed at his chest. “Are you trying to kill me? Don’t make me laugh.” When he caught his breath, he rolled closer. “What happened at the meeting with the board?”

  Reliving the failed coup killed any urge to laugh. “They tried to force me out.” She held up her hand when he started to sputter. “They tried and failed. I had proof I was your proxy. Guess all our planning paid off.”

  “Fuck them for even trying,” he growled.

  “They didn’t even let me pitch the plan.” Suddenly, she was very tired. All she did anymore was fight losing battles.

  “Have you brought it to Xander yet?”

  “What? No. You and I haven’t officially decided to move forward yet.”

  Mike rested his elbows on the arms of his chair and folded his hands beneath his chin. Despite his lighter hair, he looked so much like Charlie right then, it was almost like her stepdad was in the room. “Bullshit. You were afraid of running into Kane.”

  “Fuck you. I saw Kane the last time I went to one of Xander’s sites. I’m still standing. Things have been over with us for a long time.”

  Her brother always saw straight through her bullshit. “Things will never be over for the two of you. I still don’t understand why you broke things off.”

  No way. They weren’t going there. “You want me to talk to Xander? Fine. I could see Kane a hundred times, and it wouldn’t change ancient history.”

  “You’re not happy,” he said solemnly. “You haven’t been for a long time.”

  “Being here makes me happy. Spending time with Joshua these past few years has made all the difference…and now Aliyah.” She cleared her throat against the rising tide of emotion. “You’ve always made me feel like a real part of this family.”

  “Because you are.” He wrung his hands, his eyes fixing on a spot behind her shoulder. “Sometimes I think you regret giving him to me.”

  “Never.” Her answer was immediate and unwavering. “I love him, but I could never have done the job you and Cindy have. God, Mike, I was such a wreck back then, and I was alone. The two of you had so much to offer him. You still do.”

  He flicked his eyes to hers then back over her shoulder. “He knows Cindy’s not his mom.” With her dark skin next to Joshua’s pale white complexion, it would have been a tough sell. “We’ve told him the truth. It was past time, really. I’d always planned for you to be there, but when he asked, I couldn’t put him off. I’m sure he’ll want to talk to you about it.”

  Her heart froze. She should have been there. But Mike was right; they should have dealt with this ages ago. But it hurt so much. “If you thought it was best, you know I support you. It doesn’t have to change anything. You’re his parents in every way that counts.”

  Heart heavy, she forced herself off the comfortable couch and rose to her feet. She spoke carefully, infusing her voice with a lightness she didn’t feel. “I’m sorry I didn’t catch him before he went to his buddy’s house. Tell him I love him, and we’ll talk soon.” She kissed her brother on his scruffy cheek. “I’ll meet Xander on Monday, but you’d better shave before I see you next. You know how much I hate kissing a man with a beard.”

  ***

  Kane

  As much as it irritated him in the summertime, Kane was grateful for his heavy beard in falling autumn temperatures. Though Atlanta wasn’t known for cold weather, it did get chilly a few months out of the year. And riding a motorcycle, the wind could be a sharp slap in the face. He arrived bright and early at the build site in Decatur and switched out his helmet for a hard hat.

  Robby waited with his clipboard in the shell of the double garage, ready to start the new workweek. The kid wore his regular khakis and a button-down shirt, but an Incredible Hulk T-shirt peeked through underneath.

  He warmed to the kid despite himself. Robby looked younger than his twenty-three years, with his floppy dark hair and guileless puppy dog eyes, and the superhero shirt made Kane want to take him out to a baseball game or—no, not that—a strip club and load him up with dollar bills.

  Shit. Maybe a male strip club. Robby was batting for the other team.

  Whatever. The kid needed somebody looking out for him. He was pretty sure Robby had no one except Brick, who’d become his surrogate big brother.

  “Love the T-shirt, kid.”

  Robby gaped as he looked down over his white Oxford. Obviously secondhand, the fabric was thin from too many washings. His cheeks colored. “Oh no. You can see it?”

  “The Hulk? Yeah, but don’t sweat it. Who isn’t into Marvel?”

  Frowning, Robby plucked at his button-down. “You’re missing the point. Graphic-T’s aren’t very professional.”

  “So why did you wear it?” He’d never seen Robby dress down, even the one time they’d been out at the same bar.

  The kid toed at the sawdust residue on the concrete.

  He was sure an answer wasn’t coming when Robby finally looked him in the eye.

  “For Brick. I, uh, I think about him like the Incredible Hulk sometimes. I’m worried about him. I miss him, you know? The shirt…” He shrugged. “I guess it’s my way of rooting for him to get better. Guess it sounds kind of stupid.”

  If Brick were here, he would have lifted his eyebrow the way he did when he was trying to look badass, but Kane suspected Robby’s words would have chipped one more layer of ice from the man’s frozen exterior. It had been melting a little bit more every day since he met the love of his life.

  Love.

  Relationships.

  It always seemed to come back around to the same shit.

  “It doesn’t sound stupid at all. In fact, I think it would mean a lot you’re rooting for him. I saw him over the weekend, and I think he’ll be able to come back to work soon. Maybe next time I go, you can come with me.” />
  The hope shining in Robby’s eyes reminded him of a character he’d seen in a Japanese cartoon. “Really? You don’t mind? You don’t think he would mind?”

  “I think it might be exactly what he needs.” He dropped his palm on Robby’s shoulder. “In the meantime, we’ve got work to do. Who am I with today?”

  “It’s only you and Cyrus.” Robby frowned. “Brick and Will are still out, and Matt has some kind of family emergency.”

  The way Robby rushed through the last part…even if he didn’t already know about the guy’s king-sized crush on Matt York, he’d sense something was up. But Robby clearly wanted to keep those feelings under wraps, so he resisted the urge to tease him. Instead, he focused on the impact of what he was being told.

  “How in the hell are we going to get the work done with just the two of us? We’re already behind on this house. Cyrus is good, but it’s going to take more than two guys to do all this sheetrock.”

  “Only the two of us?” Cy had moved in so quietly, he hadn’t heard him approach.

  “We’re not on the battlefield, brother. Make a little noise when you come up behind somebody.”

  The slight lift to the corner of Cy’s mouth was the closest he had ever come to seeing him smile. “I’ll take your suggestion under advisement.”

  Robby lifted his hand in greeting before peering down at his clipboard. “I know it’s not really fair to put all this on you, but we don’t have a lot of options. If it helps, Xander is here today to be an extra set of hands. He’s already working out back.”

  Cyrus nodded, his placid demeanor already back in place. “We should probably get started.”

  Several sheets of drywall were already piled in the garage, giving them a head-start. They set up the small scaffold, and he held the first sheet in place against the ceiling joists as Cy screwed them in with the drill. The labor made his arms burn, but the strain felt good. He and Cyrus worked in companionable silence, taking turns switching off throughout the morning, one bracing the plaster, while the other secured it.

  Back aching, he called for a break around eleven, and Cy offered to grab some water bottles from the ice chest. He pulled off his hard hat and yanked out the elastic from his hair. The cool air was a welcome relief after working up a sweat.

  He sensed her before she said a word.

  “Kane.”

  His name on her lips still made his chest tighten and expand at the same time. It was a silken caress—and broken glass shredding his soul. He closed his eyes and let her nearness sink in for a heartbeat before he turned around.

  “Twice in one month. Before you know it, you’ll be sending me fruitcake at Christmas.”

  The tiny lines around her eyes tightened. “I’m here to see Xander.”

  “I figured. He’s out back.”

  Indecision flitted across her features.

  He smirked.

  That’s right. You either have to walk past me or tromp around in the mud in your fancy high heels. What’s it going to be?

  She pursed her lips as though she could read his thoughts. Lifting her chin, she moved toward him. To a casual observer, she would seem completely unaffected, but he recognized her moves when she was faltering inside. Time hadn’t dulled his memories of Mandy Griffin. They were sharper than ever, which made sense, considering how often he’d taken them off the shelf of his heart and examined them over the years.

  It didn’t help her name was inked in his skin. And he made damn sure she’d never know it.

  “How’s Mike?” The words came unbidden.

  She stopped with only a few feet between them. Her perfume was new. Subtle, it reminded him of fresh linen. Not the lavender scent he associated with her for so long.

  “He looks…small.” Her soft reply reminded him of a time she wasn’t afraid to show him her vulnerability. It had been more than a decade since he’d seen anything but the hard shell of a businesswoman she wore like a second skin.

  “The wreck. What happened?”

  Her brow furrowed, and she started to shake her head, but he spoke before she could brush him off. “Don’t worry. We can go right back to hating each other afterward.”

  “Some asshole was texting and driving. He didn’t stop at a stop sign and smashed right into the driver’s side door of Mike’s car. It flipped him over. Broke his legs, crushed his pelvis. It messed him up really bad.” Her voice shook at the end. “And the asshole from the other car is walking around without a scratch on him.”

  He fought the urge to comfort her, to pull her into his arms and stroke her beautiful red hair. But she wouldn’t appreciate it. It would only upset her more if she realized he saw her hard shell cracking. “Is any of the damage permanent?”

  She lifted one shoulder halfheartedly. “He says no, but I’m not sure he would tell me if it was. You know Mike; he takes the whole big brother thing seriously.”

  He had always respected the way the man treated his sister. “Maybe I’ll visit him, see if I can find out how he’s really doing.”

  This time it was Mandy who lifted her hand like she might reach out, but she dropped it quickly and smoothed her skirt.

  Another tell.

  “I would really appreciate it.” She bit her bottom lip. “He always liked you.”

  “I always liked him. Thought he was going to be my brother, too, one day.” He regretted the words as soon as he said them. Surely, the reminder of how close they’d come to a happy ending would make the sharp-edged version of his ex return.

  Only, it didn’t. Her eyes looked far away as she nodded. “We all did.”

  What is going on here?

  She’d barely spoken to him in years, and she certainly never acknowledged their shared history.

  Her gaze snapped back into focus. “I think a visit from you would be good for him. Maybe you could take him to a Braves game.” She smoothed her skirt again. “I really need to talk to Xander.”

  His mouth dropped open as she slipped past him to the interior of the house.

  Take him to a Braves game.

  Was she fucking with him? Tugging off his hard hat, he tossed it on the ground and rubbed at his temples.

  He hadn’t been to a baseball game in ages. Even thinking about Turner Field held his heart hostage, though maybe it would be better now since the team played somewhere else.

  Who was he kidding? It didn’t matter where they played or how much time had passed. Braves baseball would always be a link to his past. A punch in the gut.

  Associated forever with the first time he met the woman who’d break his heart.

  ***

  13 years ago

  April

  The parking lot at Turner Field was filled to bursting with cars. It would have been impossible to find a spot if they hadn’t come on Scott’s old Harley. Kane’s brother always managed to find a place to park, even if it wasn’t always strictly legal.

  “Thanks again for giving me your extra ticket.” Scott had won them in a Last Man Standing beer-drinking competition hosted by the hard rock radio station. “I’ve never seen a game in person.”

  Scott puffed up. “It’s your birthday, K. That’s what big brothers are for.”

  The crowd parted as they approached the entrance. Scott cut an imposing figure with his old Army Surplus boots and the leather vest proclaiming him a brother of the Skulls MC. His long, dark hair was down, and he had a red bandana wrapped around the top of his head.

  It didn’t garner the kind of attention Kane wanted, although he was used to it. His father had started the stupid biker club, so the family had gotten wary looks his entire life. Scott thought it was respect he saw in people’s eyes. Kane recognized it was fear.

  If he were walking by himself, he could’ve disappeared into the crowd. He could’ve been a regular guy with jeans and a vintage Guns N Roses T-shirt. But even if he kept his vow to stay out of the MC, he would never be a generic face in the crowd when walking with his brother.

  When they mad
e it to the front of the line, Scott presented the winning tickets and shrugged uncomfortably. “Sorry, we’re in the nosebleed section.”

  “Are you kidding? Being here at all is a trip.” The energy from so many people was like a live-wire. His senses were on overdrive, from the smell of popcorn and grilled burgers to the din of the crowd. He’d never experienced anything like it.

  “I’ve got a couple of bucks on me. You want a Coke?” Scott made the cash working a side job loading boxes at a warehouse. His brother had the kind of muscle mass he never expected to achieve.

  It didn’t bother him, though. If he managed to finish his accounting courses at night school, he wouldn’t need bulk, only brains. He’d be the first one in the family to finish college. Hell, he was already the first to get his high school diploma.

  He flashed Scott a thumbs-up, still soaking in the sights and sounds of the stadium.

  “I thought you were supposed to be a good time, but all I’m seeing right now is a stuck-up bitch.” One man’s voice rose above the cacophony of sound.

  He scanned for the owner of the disembodied voice.

  “The only reason I agreed to come to this godforsaken pit is for your father’s box seats. The least you can do is make it worth my while.” There he was. The snobby shit couldn’t have been more than five-foot-nine. He had gelled-back blond hair and a white sweater vest over a short-sleeved button down. The guy stood only a few inches taller than the pretty redhead he was berating, but he was in her space. His face inches from hers.

  The girl’s cheeks flushed pink, but she lifted her chin a fraction higher with every venomous word the man spat in her direction.

  Without a second’s hesitation, he shouldered his way between them. He was taller and broader than the other man, but more importantly, he was harder, used to the kind of rough life Mr. Country Club had probably only seen on TV. “You got a problem, buddy?”

  The asshole’s eyes widened, and he knew instantly no one had ever called the guy on his bullshit in his life.