Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
I despised confrontation. I actively ran from it in most cases, but that was only because it was exhausting. I’d taken enough shit from Blayne this morning, and I was done. He was opening his mouth to blast me with another tirade, and I was not going to let that happen.
“Stop it,” I said, putting enough power and venom in my voice to make his jaw clap shut. “Please stop, Blayne. I had no clue you lived across the street. I needed a freaking place to rent and this was all that was available in my price range. So just get over yourself. I don’t like being yelled at for something that isn’t my fault. Okay?”
All I could see in his eyes was anger, and I could tell he didn’t really believe me. Seeing his face hurt me deeply. Pain radiated through my chest at how much they looked alike. He and Liam had been twins. Not identical, but they
had
looked incredibly similar. This was probably how Liam would have looked if he’d lived, at least in the face. Blayne had always been
a bit bigger than Liam. Broader shoulders, thicker chest, more muscular arms. He was his own man, though. Maybe if they’d both survived, the brothers would look more different than I remembered.
In fact, Blayne looked even bigger than he did back then. There’d always been something
boyish about the younger twin, though. Liam had always seemed more adult than his schoolboy brother, even though they were the same age. Now? I couldn’t help but see how imposing and powerful Blayne seemed. It irritated me that I noticed it.
Blayne broke me out of my thoughts with his next statement. “Well, we were gonna find each other anyway.” He pinched the bridge of his nose like he was fighting off a headache.
“Huh? What does that mean?”
Dropping his hand, he sighed and gave me a much less angry look. “Can we talk? There’s something important I need to tell you.”
First, he’s screaming and cussing at me, and now he wants to have a conversation? It was the anniversary of his brother’s death, but that wasn’t a good enough reason to suddenly go through these weird flip-flops.
I crossed my arms and tilted my head. “Well, talk then. If it’s that important.”
He heaved a frustrated sigh. “Look, it’s a long story, and I don’t want to do it standing on the porch.” He turned and looked back at his house, pausing to think about something. What? I had no clue. When he turned back around, he looked resigned. “How about this? Can we meet somewhere tomorrow so we can get this over with?”
Get what over with? Blayne was acting strange, but whatever he wanted to discuss seemed to mean a lot to him. He was anxious about it. If hearing him out could get him to stop hating me, I’d give it a shot.
“Okay, fine. How about coffee? Say, eight tomorrow morning? There’s a place right downtown.”
He nodded. “I know the place. Sure. That sounds good.”
Without so much as a goodbye, Blayne spun on his heel and stomped back to his house.
I watched him go, the ache in my chest surging. He walked the same way Liam had—swaggering hips, shoulders back and proud, lithe as a cat.
It was like a picture into the past.
Suddenly, I didn’t want to be alone. After looking into those eyes that were so much like Liam’s, the last thing I wanted was to sit in this empty house. In fact, there was only one thing I wanted at that moment. As childish as it sounded in my head, I wanted my daddy.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed my keys and got in my car. I didn’t even glance at Blayne’s house as I left. As I drove, I felt even sillier. I’d only left Dad’s place a couple of hours ago, and now I was running back. Maybe I should have done as Uncle Mike suggested and crashed there. I’d have been in a much less awkward situation than I was now.
Ten minutes later, I pulled up in front of the big house he’d lived in my whole life. My father was stepping out onto the brick front porch and waving at me.
“How did you know I was pulling up?” I asked as I got out of the car.
He chuckled and pointed a thumb at the house. “Saw your car pulling up the drive on the security camera.”
My face must have betrayed my emotions. As soon as I was halfway up the steps toward him, my dad’s smile faded and a look of concern creased his brow. He grabbed me and pulled me into a tight bear hug.
Gio Francis was a man feared by many. Almost no one in town—or the state, for that matter—dared do anything that
would anger or upset him. It was no secret what he and the rest of my family did, at least through word of mouth. The police had never been able to dig up any evidence they could use to arrest them. Deep down, I knew what they did was
wrong. But they were family. I loved my father. Loved him as much as I loved anyone in the world. I loved my entire family. My uncles, cousins, everyone. They all loved me in return, and love was bigger than what you did for a living. I squeezed him back as hard as he hugged me.
“It’s not easy being home again, is it?” Dad asked.
With a shake of my head, I let go and took a step back. “Nope. It doesn’t help that you’re sick. How are you feeling this morning?”
“I’ll be fine, baby. Don’t worry about me.”
“Have you scheduled your first chemo treatment?”
A shadow passed over his eyes, and I guessed the answer before he spoke. “Not yet. I’ve still got time.”
I gritted my teeth. “Dammit, Dad. Stop being stubborn. There are some things even the great Gio Francis’s ego can’t overcome. Sometimes you need more than strength of will. I can’t lose you, too. Don’t you understand that?”