Olivia squeezed his hand. “You’re a good soldier, Mikey. A good man. You always were.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “You know who else is a good man?”
Olivia stood, immediately missing the contact with her beloved sibling. “Mikey, don’t—”
“No, Olivia. You need to hear this. The only reason Jake knew about me all this time was because about a month after I ‘died’”— he used air quotes for emphasis—“Jake and a group of soldiers he was with were sent on a new mission. Their intercepted mine, and we ran into each other. It was fucking crazy odds.”
He waited a beat and went on to explain. “We were in this remote, hole-in-the-wall place that wasn’t even a blip on the fucking map, and I look up, and there he was. Staring right back at me. And he was pissed, Olivia. I’ve never seen him that mad before, not at me or anyone else. After he took me out back and beat the shit out me, he said he was leaving to call you.”
At that, Olivia’s ears perked up, and she tried to tell if he was lying. Which was ridiculous, given his entire adult life was based on nothing but lies.
As if reading her thoughts, Mikey said, “It’s no bullshit, Olivia. Jake was determined to tell you I was still alive. He knew what my death had done to you and Pops, and it killed him to see you that way.”
“If he was so determined, then why didn’t he tell me?”
Mikey shrugged a shoulder. “I made him swear to me that he wouldn’t.”
Olivia’s fists went to her hips as she stood there, her eyes shooting daggers into his.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Mikey! You were two adults. How in the hell did you make him not tell me? What did you do, threaten not to be his best friend anymore if he did?”
Olivia knew her sarcasm probably wasn’t helping, but damn it, this wasn’t a joke. This was her life.
“No,” he said, his expression deadly serious. “It wasn’t the threat of losing my friendship that convinced him not to tell you. Would you like to know what did?”
“Not that it’ll matter, but sure. Go ahead. Enlighten me,” she snapped, then immediately felt bad, which pissed her off even more.
Of all the people in this house who should feel badly, it sure as hell should not be her.
“It was the threat to your safety that clenched it.”
Olivia’s forehead creased, her hands falling to her side. “What threat?”
Mikey shrugged that damn shoulder again. “I played the ‘Keep Olivia Safe Card’. I knew Jake could never go against that.”
“I’m sorry, the what?”
Mikey held out his hand to her, and surprising even herself, Olivia took it. He guided her back to the bed, and she sat down, again. Her brother looked at her with the sweet, loving eyes she’d remembered.
“I knew Jake’s feelings for you went beyond a simple childhood friendship. So, I told him that if you knew about me and accidently said the wrong thing to the wrong person, then it would make you vulnerable. A target.”
Olivia opened her mouth, but Mikey didn’t let her talk. “You gotta understand, Sis. If any of the bastards I’ve helped put away ever found out who I really was, and that you existed...they’d use you to get to me in a heartbeat.” He looked away for just a second before turning back to her. “It would have crushed me if that ever happened, but Jake? Something like that would fucking destroy him. I knew that, so I used it. I used his need to protect you, and his feelings for you against him to ensure his silence.”
Olivia stared at him, letting the meaning of his words sink in. “But we weren’t...until recently Jake and I had never even—”
“It didn’t matter.” Mikey cut her off with a headshake. “I knew how he felt. And for the record, the only reason he’d kept his hands off you when we were younger, was because in high school, I told him I’d kill him if he ever touched you.”
Olivia’s eyes widened. “You did not.”
He looked unapologetic. “I was your big brother. It’s what we do.” He glanced away before looking back at her again, his expression serious. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through. Jake and I, we never wanted you touched by our world. I didn’t want you to know about the things we’ve been forced to do. Didn’t want you to ever truly know the evil that exists out there.”
Olivia couldn’t help it. She laughed, thinking of everything she’d been through and how it had absolutely nothing to do with his or Jake’s professions.
“Hell of a lot of good that did, huh?”
Mikey smiled back. “Trouble always did seem to find you. Looks like some things never change.” His smile faded. “You know, I used to think there’d never be a guy good enough for you, but Jake loves you, Junebug. I know you’re pissed, but that man out there would do anything in the world for you. Even risk everything you two have by lying to you, if that’s what it took to keep you safe. He loves you that much.”
She shook her head. “He couldn’t love me and lie to me. Not about you.”
“Damn it, woman! You are still as stubborn as a fucking mule. Did you not hear a word I just said? He lied to you to protect you, Sis.” He put his other hand on top of hers. “Take it from someone who’s missed out on that part of life. I’ve seen the way Jake looks when he talks about you. The way he was looking at you when you walked in
