Page 95 of Redemption

The closest that I have is D, and the others, and we’re all spread far and wide at the moment. It didn’t used to be that way, and if I’m being completely honest with myself, I miss the way that it used to be. Our lives are all in such different places now that I’m not sure we’ll ever make it back to the dynamic that we had.

It doesn’t change the fact that if one of us needs something, the others are there no matter what.

I pull out my phone as I watch the taillights disappear.

“Ric, how are you? I wasn’t expecting a call tonight,” D answers.

I chuckle, “Liam, lay low, and I mean it. Please disappear for a bit. How badly injured are you?”

“Nothing I haven’t had before, little brother,” Liam replies, reassuringly.

D scoffs, “I’ll stitch him up and make sure that he’s fine before I grab Ryan and Talon. We’re heading to take down Ivan. You know I wouldn’t usually include you in my illegal activities, but as this involves Ever, I figured that you would want to know.”

My eyebrows rise slightly, but I’m not really surprised. Liam has done more than the kids will ever realize to protect them. D too. After all, it was D who hired Rage to make sure that Marv was taken out when the cops raided his place.

“I want in,” I reply.

“Are you sure?” Liam asks.

“Yes, I want to know for certain that no one else knows about Ever. I can call it in and get it dealt with properly after we’ve gotten that information,” I reply. I don’t fuck around when it comes to family.

“Meet us at Ryan’s place as soon as you can get away,” D replies.

“It shouldn’t take me too long,” I add. “You know we’re probably going to miss Elijah and Pete’s thing tomorrow.”

“Nah, we’ll make it in time. We’ll make sure we do,” D replies. “Don’t worry about Liam either, I’ll get him stitched up, and you can check on him when you get to Ryan’s place.”

“Thanks, D,” I reply.

“Hey, I am here, you know?” Liam interjects.

“Well, if you gave me a straight answer, then I wouldn’t have to ask D now, would I?” I fire back.

“Touche, little brother,” Liam replies. He clears his throat and asks, “Are they all okay? I tried to make sure the worst was over before I took off.”

I smile. “Yeah, the kids are fine. They’re heading home now. Keep me updated.”

“Will do,” Liam replies.

“Why do you sound weird?” I ask.

D chuckles, “He’s pouting about his suit.”

“I am not pouting. It’s ruined,” he replies, sounding like he is absolutely pouting.

“You have at least ten red suits,” I point out.

“Yes, but this was my favorite one,” he argues.

“It’s a red suit. They all look the same,” D adds, clearly on the same wavelength as me.

“No, they do not,” Liam says indignantly. “Each one has its own personality.”

“Uh huh,” D replies, and I can hear his amusement. “Whatever you say, man, some things never change.”

I hesitate. I’m not great with emotional shit, but I really do feel like it needs to be said, so swallowing down my discomfort, I add, “Don’t disappear on me again, man. I missed you.”

“We all did,” D surprises me by agreeing. His voice comes out sharper and filled with amusement as he adds, “If he tries it again, we’ll hunt him down and drag his ass back home. The others will get a kick out of that anyway. It’s been a while since we’ve all had a challenge.”