“Fuck,” he hisses. “That means you didn’t. Go to the pharmacy today, Ab. Get a morning after pill, then go to see the doctor for a screening on… you know. We’ll deal with whatever comes of it.”
“You are insane! And way overstepping your bounds. I do not need a doctor. I do not need a pill. I will not go to the pharmacy, and I will not discuss my private life with you. I just said it’s not what you think it is.”
“You slept at a dude’s house, Abby! What else can it be?”
“Not everyone is you, and not everyone has…” I hate, hate, hate how my voice cracks on the next word. “Sexjust because they hang out. I’m a grown woman with a decent brain. I don’t need you giving me a talk about this.”
“You’re twenty-five, Ab. You are definitely grown, so I can’t and won’t tell you that you can’t do…” We’re as bad as each other. “Thatwith a man. But I need to give you the safety talk. You need to know the power you possess. You just say no, Ab. You tell him no, and he should step away. Any decent man will back up instantly. If he doesn’t, then he deserves to die.”
I look up with fire burning in my cheeks and look into Spencer’s eyes.
He watches me as though this conversation is both infuriating and immeasurably entertaining to him. How it could be both, I have no clue.
“If he deserves to die, you know who to call, honey. I know I’m all the way over here, but it’s just a few hours’ flight. I can take care of anything, and for a lot of things, I can take care of it remotely. Say the word, and you’ll never see the guy again.”
“Stop it,” I grumble.
I’m almost embarrassed by the way my oldest brother talks, though I know Spencer and his friends don’t always work on thelegitimateside of the law.
Troy’s job is… multifaceted. The kinds of facets that mean he’s not allowed to discuss his work with anyone. We have a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ relationship when it comes to his job, but I know in my heart of hearts that what he does isn’t entirely lawful, nor is it risk-free. He’s always working away, overseas more often than not, and he carries weapons the way Spencer does. On his thighs, on his hips, around his ankle, and often, in a holster that goes over his shoulder.
My oldest brother is very much military, and has been for a long time. Most military personnel do their jobs and continue on to the next assignment, but Troy’s orders come from higher up, and often in the middle of the night. He leaves without warning, and can be gone for a day or a year. He’s had assignments that span both lengths of time.
He reminds me a lot of Spencer in a way; because of his height, because of the danger he seems to carry around with him, even when he’s not being outwardly dangerous. He carries himself in a way that Spencer does, like he’s not afraid of anything.
But I know Troy’s fears. I’ve seen him cry before. Once. One single time.
“I’m going to hang up now,” I whisper. “I’m fine. I’m safe. I’m healthy. I absolutely do not need to see my doctor. Tell Beckett to fix my apartment before I get home. If I find anything out of place, I’m going to be super mad. You don’t need to control my life anymore, okay?”
“Next time, answer your phone on the first ring.”
I roll my eyes. “I was busy.”
“Pregnancy test, Abigail! Right now.”
“Oh my gosh,” I pull the phone away from my ear and crush my thumb onto the red button to hang up. “They’re insane.”
“Which brother, Priss?”
“Troy.” I run my spare hand over my face in frustration. “He’s the oldest, and thankfully, the wisest. Usually.”
I scroll to my text screen, and instead of reading the dozen other texts I have waiting for me, I open a group chat for all five of them.
Me:I’m fine, I’m safe, I’m not tied up in anyone’s basement or laid up in the hospital. Fix my dang apartment before I get back, and next time, trust that I’m okay. I am not fifteen anymore.
Me:I love you all very much.
I know the replies will come back within seconds. They’ll be shot back like bullets in an open battle range, so I leave my phone on silent and slide it into my back pocket.
“Troy is not in town right now. He works away, so for him to call was kind of a big deal.”
“Everything smoothed over now?”
Jay shoots off another round outside Spencer’s door. It’s like he stopped so I could make my call, as though he knew I needed the quiet, when in reality, he was probably just reloading and taking a break. But now he’s begun again, and if I closed my eyes, I’d swear he was standing in the same room as me, his shots are so loud.
I jump with every shot he makes, even when Spencer walks forward and wraps his arms around my torso and pulls me into his chest. I freeze up with my hands squished between us.
Hugging seems so… not Spencer. He didn’t have sex with me last night, but here I am, not kicked out the next morning, and now he’s hugging me.