I turn back to my sister catching her watchful eyes staring at us. She smiles brightly at me and I frown from behind my cup. I didn’t like that look, not one bit.
“Are you still working for Devlin?” she asks and I cringe. How did she know about Dev? “Your boys talk little brother. At least they do to me.”
“This isn’t the kind of shit you need to know about sis,” I place my cup down and my hands flat on the counter to glare up at her. “Don’t meddle, Missy. It’s too dangerous and these guys don’t fuck around.”
I don’t want to say anymore because I didn’t want to frighten Alice. She had an idea of what I do for a living but it’s wasn’t a complete picture yet. That kind of discussion will take place when she is more comfortable with me.
“Have you heard from Ten?” I ask.
Tennessee, Ten for short, is our brother, the youngest. He followed in my footsteps a few years back, enlisting into the Navy and has been working towards the SEAL program. Missy’s face falls.
“Not for some time Hud,” she leans onto the counter. “King was able to call in a favor or two to find out where he is. Fallujah.”
“Rafe with him?” Rafe and I went through boot camp together, while we had different aspirations and goals, we’d always managed to keep in touch. After I had been discharged, he was one of the few contacts I reached out to for my brother.
“Yes,” she nods, sadness settles in to her voice. I glance over at Alice. She’s looking at my sister with a guarded expression. She doesn’t know my sister or the situation but I can see she’s moved and feels deeply about it.
“Ten is our brother, the baby,” I tell her, she looks up at me and nods. “He’s Navy, training for the SEALs. We aren’t on the best terms.”
“He takes after his big brother here, all hormones and muscles,” Missy smiles sadly. “At least Hudson kept in touch when he was overseas, even after his bitch of an ex-wife...”
“Hey big mouth, how about we let Alice get settled before you start spewing my shit,” I interrupt agitatedly. Alice fidgets with her cup, her eyes are guarded.
“Alright little brother, I can take a hint,” she throws her arms up in mock defeat. “I’ll let you get settled here but you both come to dinner tonight at my place.”
“Missy, I don’t think--”
“No, don’t you dare. You’ve been gone too long this time. Besides I’m sure Alice will appreciate a home cooked meal,” Missy offers her a warm smile, Alice’s eyes softens. “Six o’clock sharp.”
Missy scoops up her large excuse for a purse and walks to the door, she turns suddenly, her eyes only for Alice.
“Sweetheart, I don’t pussyfoot, so I am going to give it to you straight. My brother’s a good man. I should know since I raised him. He doesn’t bring anyone home. Maybe that’s because of what happened to him overseas, or what that bitch did to him,” she holds a hand up stopping me from interrupting her. I comply. “The reason doesn’t matter because you’re here now and he’s standing over you like a man with a purpose. I haven’t seen that look on him in years and it’s a nice look. I get the sense that you’ve seen a lot of ugly in life but you can’t let that shit control you. You fight those demons back and you let the light in. Whatever you’re running from, this is your home now and you let us take care of you.”
A single tear falls down Alice’s face. She nods at Missy.
Yes, she understood.
Missy turns again and walks out of the cabin.
Chapter 7
Alice
Hudson’s sister is without a doubt one of my favorite people in the entire world. I have an instant respect for her. She’s protective of her brother but it means she cares. She is intuitive to others around her, which means she’s observant. She’s vocal which means she doesn’t care what others think of her. I’d never met anyone quite like her. She’s the kind of woman I want to be like, maybe that is why I like her so much.
Hudson’s head falls forward and I can tell he isn’t too happy but there is nothing for him to be upset about. His sister was just being herself and it was refreshing.
“I’m sorry Alice,” he sounds like he looks, frustrated. “I tried to warn you.”
I nod smiling warmly at him to show I am alright, he’s alright and Missy is definitely alright.
She’s absolutely wonderful, I think to myself. He’s lucky to have her.
“Ready for the grand tour?” he asks. I stand, my coffee in hand and move towards him. He throws his arms out. “This lovely room is obviously the kitchen. Many meals have been created here. None of them by my own hand because I’ll be honest, I can’t cook to save my life.”