An explosion of motorcycle engines shatters the silence. Three headlamps transform Luke and Atlas into shadowy silhouettes as Mom, Dad and Honey Badger rip up the gravel, speeding down the path and cutting hard turns onto our endless driveway. They’ll ride the streets of South Vacherie, Louisiana for a few hours, release the stress of being a parent. We all watch them, except for Luke.
“What?” I demand. “Why are you staring at me?”
He jogs his chin up and asks me point blank, “You bang someone tonight, Soph, is that what this was about?”
“Yeah, because I hooked up with someone the cops came to our house.”
“I don’t mean that.” He pulls at his wet shirt. “Did you?”
“None of your business.”
“Yeah, who cares,” Atlas punches his arm, sounding believable.
On the heel of his heavy boot, Luke turns and walks off into the darkness.
Breaking free of our circle, Sage chases after him. “Wait up!”
To get Atlas away from me until I know how to handle this shift between us, I point to his siblings. “Aren’t you gonna join them?”
His jaw ticks, then dips in agreement. He strolls off in an unhurried pace.
A normal person would suggest they change into dry clothes, but there’s nobody here by that description.
Celia runs her hand through her hair and holds it back while she eyes the trio like she wants to go along, but thinks better of it. “I wish I was closer to Tonk Jr., like those three are with each other. You ever wish you had a brother or a sister, Sofia Sol?”
“I do have one. You. We’re better than blood. We’re sisters by choice.”
A beautiful smile grows into a grin, happiness dancing in her eyes. “We choose everything,” she says, matter-of-factly.
“Damn straight we do.” I slip my arm around her waist as we head to the old porch steps. “I’m starving. Think there’s any of Melodi’s jambalaya left?”
“Nope.”
“Bummer.”
“You’re lucky I saved you some.”
I fake surprise, because she always saves me some if I’m not around. “You did? You’re too good to me.”
She smirks, “Damn straight I am.”
CHAPTER 6
SOFIA SOL
A fter brushing my teeth last of anyone on our floor, I’m about to slip into the bedroom I share with Celia when Luke appears at the end of the hall. He doesn’t go into his and Atlas’s room right away. He pauses, stares at me, copper skin full of shadows and muscle, sharp cheekbones twitching and dark chocolate eyes intense.
He has the gruffness of his father when he moves and when he talks. He didn’t used to, but when Honey Badger made him wait to become a true Cipher because he ‘felt too much’ and let things get to him, Luke toughened up. But there’s a restraint and intuitiveness that lives in him that will never go away, and that’s all Meg.
I challenge him, voice barely a whisper so I don’t wake anyone. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Luke’s thick fingers pause on the doorknob and start to turn it, but release at the last second. He cocks his gorgeous head and strolls over to me, beefy legs kicking out with each methodical step.
We haven’t broken eye contact once.
Jogging his chin he asks with barely a sound, “Who was the guy?”
Your brother.
“Just some ranch hand over at Laurel house.”
Or your brother.
His head tilts to the other direction as he inspects me, not believing a word of what I just said. “Name?”
“Juan.”
He smirks, “Three Juans in a staff of twenty guys.”
I shrug a shoulder. “Why do you care?”
“The shorter Juan, the older Juan, or the skinny Juan who might be gay?”
“We’re all a little gay, aren’t we?”
Luke’s eyes glitter. “Not me. Not one bit.”
My smile grows. “I know not you. I’m teasing you, because it’s so easy.”
His right thumb unhooks from the faded denim pocket and that hand reaches for me, on its side, gliding just shy of touching my body like it’s heading for my face but in no hurry to get there. I flinch in surprise, which makes me angry. It shows weakness to be taken off guard. But Luke never touches me unless it’s with focus mitts or Thai pads.
Those are the rules for us.
We used to wrestle when we were kids, especially he and I since he was always surprised I could take him down—I’m not exactly tall—but the last time was when he was fifteen and he’s, what, twenty-seven now? It was when his limbs and chest really started filling out, when that kind of horsing around became a no-no as declared by my parents. You and Luke will only train with pads, punches and kicks, from now on, Sofia Sol. No more wrestling, choke holds, or ground work. Don’t give me that look, you heard me, Mom said, with Dad on a chair behind her, his legs sprawled and her planted between them. But his eyes were sharp and attentive even as he acted casual. I knew they’d discussed it. They had that, it’s-us-against-our-rebellious-daughter look they so often get. Drives me crazy.
Tonight Luke seems like he’s going to break the barrier set by them all those years ago. It’s the second brother I’ve crossed a boundary with tonight, only this time I didn’t instigate it. And that makes me nervous, and a little too excited? My blood is racing.
He cups my chin, lightly, callouses sending goosebumps dancing down my chest as the thick, dark fringe of his short eyelashes drops to watch. He leans close enough to kiss me if he wanted to.
What is he doing?
Seeing if I’ll smack him away?
So he can laugh and say he got me good?
Don’t let him kiss you.
I just did a lot more with Atlas earlier tonight, and there’s no way this would be okay.
“What?” I whisper, frozen.
Luke touches the edge of my cheek, runs his fingers along my hairline and pushes my hair back to
