She nods, accepting my answer. “You want to come in and hang out for a bit? Otherwise get in the car, I’ll drive you home.”
I point up the road. “It’s literally a one-minute walk. I’m okay.”
“It’s nighttime,” she replies, looking up at the dark sky, just in case I didn’t notice. “You aren’t walking alone.”
“I’m a black belt,” I remind her, frowning. “And it’s up the road.”
I know how this is going to go. It’s easier to just give in than fight her when she goes into big sister mode. I rarely back down in life, but when it comes to Cara, it’s different. I respect her as my older sibling, always have and always will.
“Yes, you’re also my baby sister, so either get in my house or my car right now,” she demands, narrowing her gaze. “Or I’m going to call Dad.”
Yeah, we’re grown adults and she still uses that one on me. “Snitch,” I mutter, but do as she says. The last thing I need is a lecture from my father.
I follow her inside and she opens her fridge, offering me everything that she has. Okay, not regretting her making me come inside after all. “You have good snacks.”
She laughs. “I’m glad you approve.”
“Do you have any dessert?” I ask, in the mood for something sweet. I put my purse down and sit at the table.
She moves to the freezer. “Cookies-and-cream ice cream? Or chocolate pudding?”
“Ice cream, please.”
She makes us two big bowls and we both move to sit on the couch. “Can I just say how much I love that I can put my garbage out and run into you? I’m so happy you made the move here,” she says, her brown eyes smiling.
I grin. “Itispretty cool. Decker at work?”
Cara nods. “Yeah, he’s trying to find Marko while also staying on top of his usual workload.”
“What’s the latest on everything with Marko?” Marko is the leader of a gang called the Forgotten Children, or the FC, and he has been a thorn in our side for a while. “Is he still after Rhett?”
Rhett is our childhood friend and the president of the Wind Dragons MC. He also happens to be Cara’s ex-boyfriend, and I don’t mean a former fling, I’m talking everyone thought they were soul mates. But things happened, Marko happened, and now anyone close to Rhett has a target on their back. Including me, even though Cara is now with Decker, her private investigator boyfriend, and Rhett is with Con, Cara’s half sister on her biological dad’s side, and they are having a baby. But that is a whole other story. Yes, I live in a soap opera. Probably a K-drama. Whichever is more crazy.
“Yep, but no one knows where he is, especially after his baby mama went postal and almost killed Con and god knows who else.” She visibly shivers before she eats a spoonful of ice cream.
“Wait, he hasn’t shown his face since?” Cara shakes her head.
“Nope, after the baby mama was arrested for going after Con, he went deep underground. Decker and Nadia have been hard at work trying to find him along with the Knights and Dragons.”
Leave it to a psychotic gang leader to unite two motorcycle gangs and a former cop.
“That’s why the sooner he’s found the better,” she murmurs, licking her spoon. “Another reason why you shouldn’t be walking alone at night.”
“It was down the road,” I comment, but I know that she’s right. I shouldn’t have, but I also don’t want to live in fear. Something could happen to me at all times; it could to anyone. But I’m not going to hide and not live my life.
“Natty—”
“I’m finally away from Dad, and now you’re going to turn into the overprotective one?” I ask her in a dry tone. “I’m a big girl, sis. I’m not a baby anymore. And I can take care of myself.”
At least, most of the time I can. But she doesn’t need to know that.
“I know. Just be careful is all. You know what can happen. And yeah, Mom and Dad aren’t around now, so it’s my job to keep you safe,” she says, not backing down.
I study her. “We will keepeach othersafe. Always.”
She smiles, and nudges me with her foot. “Always.”
We finish the ice cream, talk shit for an hour and then she drives me to pick up my car so I don’t have to walk back in the morning. I don’t drive off until she does, and I sit waiting while she’s on her phone, not moving. I know what she’s doing, she’s playing Pokémon Go, so I beep my horn, making her jump.