“Hey, kid.” His eyes flicker to Jaxon for a moment. “Assuming this is the brother I’ve heard so much about.”
I can’t form words. My brain seems to have short-circuited. The sirens are getting louder; the fire department will be here any moment.
Josephine plants her hands on my back and shoves her way to freedom. “God, you nearly flattened me,” she gasps, stepping out onto the grass. “I couldn’t breathe back there!”
“Next time I’m shielding you from gunfire, I’ll try to keep that in mind.”
She’s glaring fiercely. “Next time? There will be no next time! Unless I decide to kill you myself! What did you think you were doing, offering yourself up as a sacrifice? Trading your life for mine?” She smacks me on the arm. Beneath the thin veil of anger, I can see how scared she is — her whole body is trembling like a leaf in a gale. “You said you weren’t going to leave me! You promised!”
I reach for her, trying to pull her into my arms. I know as soon as I do, this facade of anger will crumble.
She dodges, still glaring at me. A petite blonde ball of pure fury. “Don’t you get it? You can’t leave. I just got you back.”
“Jo…”
“You’re not allowed to die, Archer Reyes! You’re not allowed to be the hero! Do you hear me?”
“I hear you, Jo.”
“That means no more bargaining with bad guys. No more acting like your life isn’t worth anything. No more hurling yourself in front of guns.” Her finger jabs into my chest with each new demand. “Swear to me!”
“Okay! Okay. I swear!”
She nods, satisfied.
Behind us, there’s a low chuckle from Tommy.
Peering around me, Jo smiles at him like they’re old friends. “Oh. Hey, Mr. Mahoney. Good to see you again.”
“Again?” I glance back and forth between the two of them. “You two know each other?”
“He’s the boat maintenance man,” Jo says, like it should’ve been obvious. She hooks her arm through mine, so our elbows lock together, and cranes her neck to grin up at me. “He’s been coming here every week, all summer long.”
I eye my old boss. “And you never told me.”
Tommy looks beyond pleased with himself. Beyond that, he looks undeniably proud. His eyes move back and forth between me and Jo, glinting with emotions I know he’ll never say aloud. “Told you, kid — every Superman needs a Lois Lane to keep him in line. Glad you’ve finally found yours.”
I shake my head, not sure whether to laugh or scowl.
Jo’s brows lift, but she doesn’t comment. “Lucky you were here today,” she tells him, coughing lightly. The smoke is still thick in the air, blowing toward us in relentless black puffs. “Thank you. You saved us.”
“I saw the fire through the trees when I pulled up out front. I got worried — no one was answering the intercom. So I called it into the station, then…” He shrugs sheepishly. “Rammed down your gate with my truck. Hope that’s not a problem.”
Jo laughs. “Not at all.”
He nods. “The front of the house was fully engulfed, so I came around the back…” His gaze moves to mine. “That’s when I spotted you down here with your brother. Didn’t look like a warm and fuzzy family reunion — at least, not to my old eyes. Thought you might need a bit of backup.”
I glance down at Jaxon’s unconscious form. “You thought right.”
Tommy pauses a long beat. His expression grows misty with memories. “I’m just glad I got here in time. When I was younger… there was a fire at my house. I lost everything. My entire family, gone in a blink.”
I gently detach my arm from Jo’s and walk toward him. His hands are occupied, still holding the gun and the wrench, but that actually works in my favor. He can’t do a damn thing to avoid it when I step forward and embrace him tightly.
“You have a family now, Tommy. We’re family.”
He doesn’t say anything, but that’s okay. He doesn’t have to. A gruff grunt escapes his mouth, followed by a muttered, “All right, all right, don’t make a fuss.”
I grin as I step back.