And the rain comes like blood, my blood.
Do you want to see me bleed?
And the tears fall like rain, my pain.
Do you want to feel me die?
And the truth calls like blood, life’s blood.
Do you want to see me bleed?
Prologue
NILE, TIGRIS, AND THEIR mother Keisha cooed over baby Colin. The newborn slept, uncaring.
“He’s absolutely perfect.” Nile touched his tiny hand.
New-mom Whitney beamed. “He is.” She started to cry. “We can’t thank you enough for saving his life...and ours.”
Tigris gave her a tissue.
Keisha patted her shoulder. “This is the part we like. You and Blair did all the hard stuff.”
“But you’re making it possible. We can never repay you for that.” Whitney brushed her hair out of her eyes. Her bangs were too long, but spending the last six weeks getting rid of everything they owned and then undergoing twenty-seven hours of hard labor put getting a haircut at the top of her don’t-care list.
“You can repay us by giving this little Mr. the best life possible.” Nile touched his nose and grinned.
Keisha pointed to a small cooler. “Everything you and Blair need is in there; enough to cleanse you. Just be sure you consume twice as much as he does. You’re nursing, you have to eat enough for two.”
“Any caramel cupcakes in there by chance?”
Those were her favorite; the Bishop women knew it.
“Only a dozen,” Tigris said.
“You’ve been stuck on those things since high school,” Keisha remembered.
Whitney shrugged. “They’re the best.”
“We put a couple of cranberry muffins in there for Blair, in case you didn’t want to share.” Nile looked at Colin’s sweet little toes, then made herself cover him up and move away.
Tigris took her spot and brushed the blond fuzz on his head.
Whitney was touched with a moment of bitter-sweet nostalgia. “I can’t believe I’m never going to see anyone again.”
“It’s a small price to pay,” Keisha said.
Looking at baby Colin, they all agreed.
Chapter One
Dylan sat forward and listened. His brother, Jake, revved the engine on his Harley CV Limited as he pulled into Dylan’s drive.
“That him?” Sonny, Jake’s best friend, was on the carpet in front of Dylan’s television. A geometric patterned sofa pillow cushioned his head. He was smashing NBA Live and didn’t look away from the video game.
Dylan didn’t answer. Sonny knew damned well who it was. Instead, he went to get his brother a Corona. Except for the leftover lasagna Dylan made for dinner—Sonny needed babysitting when Jake was busy—the kitchen was immaculate. Dylan wasn’t OCD, but he relaxed more when his house was clean. It was a little before ten; Jake didn’t come to celebrate. Dylan pulled out two beers.
“Hey! How’d it go, buddy?” Sonny threw up a hand when Jake walked in but kept playing.
Dylan shook his head even as he grabbed a third beer. Sonny was an idiot, but he had been Jake’s best friend since fifth grade. Because of their history, Dylan put up with him. However, he and Sonny were one-hundred-eighty-degree opposites. Sonny’s dirty-blond hair hadn’t had a professional cut since he turned twenty, four years ago. He leaned into his sloppy, unkempt persona—his idea of a tough guy. Dylan loved books and quiet—things that repelled Sonny. He worked out because he liked the exercise. He wasn’t interested in what anybody thought of his abs. The sides and back of his dark hair—brown like his eyes—was shaved, while the top remained thick and long. It wasn’t a fashion statement. Dylan liked his hair. He liked it long. He did not like it touching his ears. Dylan and Sonny didn’t have many conversations that didn’t turn into a debate. There was something in Sonny that ached to fight him, to unseat him as Jake’s brother. Too damn bad.
With effort, Jake was more classy than the others. He prided himself on his appearance: clean shaven, manicured nails, polished shoes. He considered himself a catch and behaved accordingly.
Love for bikes was among the few things they all had in common. That, and Jake. Dylan could hardly tolerate Sonny, but he’d take a bullet for him. He’d take it because Sonny would take one for Jake. Sonny was an ass—in Dylan’s opinion— but his loyalty was real. They both loved Jake as much as Jake loved himself.
Jake flopped across the sofa and loosened his tie. “Go? I’m here instead of with Maya. How do you think it went?”
That was enough to pull Sonny out of his game. “She turned you down?”
“No, she didn’t.” Dylan gave them each a Corona and made himself comfortable in his leather recliner. He and Jake were eleven months apart—close enough to pass for twins. He could read his brother’s moods like his own. If Maya turned Jake down, he’d have put a hole in Dylan’s wall. “What happened?”
Jake took a swig. “She didn’t turn me down. She put me on fucking hold.”
“What?”
“What?” Sonny echoed Dylan. “What’s that mean? You did everything, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, perfect. You saw the ring.” Jake downed half the bottle. “The place was spectacular. Her favorite everything. Do you know what she told me?” He finished the other half in two gulps. “She told me we have to get permission.”
“From her family?” Dylan gave his unopened beer to Jake. “I thought she was estranged.”
“Yeah, so did I.” Jake accepted the offering. “But, apparently, she’s not. Now, all of a sudden, she wants me to meet them. I’ve been banging her for a year, and now I need permission.”
“You proposed,” Sonny said. “That’s worth meeting the family.”
“Did you find out why the mystery?” Dylan asked.
“No. That’s the kicker. She won’t tell me why. She won’t tell me anything.” Jake huffed. “I have to go to Nowhereville, Nowhere to get the approval of some people who didn’t exist yesterday.” He leaned forward. “She’s going home...there...wherever...tonight. She’ll call and let me know if I can come.”
Dylan cocked his head. “Say what?”
“Yeah. She topped it off with, ‘come alone.’”
“Let me see if I have this straight,” Sonny said, “Maya...our Maya...library-books-Maya is living some kind of secret-agent, witness-protection double life. You have to wait for her to call you forth to be approved, and your life and job are such that you can take off like that.” He snapped his fingers.
Jake nodded.
“What are you going to do?” Dylan asked.
“Not get married,” Sonny said.
“What can I do?”
“Not get married,” Sonny said again.
Dylan couldn’t wholly disagree; he ignored him instead. “Everybody knows you love her. Especially Maya, or she wouldn’t put this on you. You owe it to yourself to find out what’s going on.”
The guys nodded.
“I guess you will take a trip to Nowhereville, Nowhere.” Sonny returned to his game.
Jake shook his head. “Uh-uh. Not me. We. We’re going to Nowhereville, Nowhere.”