Part of me had missed him. Wanted to throw my arms around him and weep for the brother I’d only had glimpses of growing up. The one who played with me, and helped me convince Mom and Dad to let us stay up late to watch a movie and eat ice cream. But those flickers of a true brother had died right along with my parents. The man in front of me was a stranger.

Sam leaned against the counter, smirking. “She doesn’t look like she missed you.”

“No, she fucking doesn’t.” Michael lowered the gun so it was resting by his side. “But I know the truth. Deep down, she did. She doesn’t know how to live without me.”

I met his gaze dead-on, unwavering, not letting the blow his words delivered show. “How did you two find each other?”

Sam pushed off the counter and moved closer to me. “That hell hole of a treatment facility takes all kinds. And most of us are released when we turn eighteen.”

“But Parker brought you in for questioning. Ran you.”

He shrugged. “Juvenile record. It’s handy to have parents who can pay a high-priced lawyer to keep things sealed.”

I studied Sam, trying to put the pieces together. He looked closer to my age than Michael’s. Sam leered in my direction, his eyes roaming over my body. “I should look familiar, Shay. I’ve had eyes on you for years. I knew you were thinking of moving here before you even told good ol’ Aunt Georgie.”

Bile crept up my throat. The idea of Sam watching me for so many years made me sick. The fact that I never once remembered seeing him. I wanted to scour my skin clean. “Why would you do that?” The for him was silent but understood.

“Your brother saved me. Had my back when some gangbanger tried to shank me. Let’s just say we became a team after that.”

Michael stepped forward. “Did you really think I’d leave you alone? Wouldn’t care what happened to you?”

I fought the shiver at his words. If he didn’t have a gun in his hand right now, he’d almost sound like a concerned brother. But I could hear the truth. The only person I belonged to was him. And what he wanted more than anything was my pain.

“I overcame my fear of water just for you. Aren’t you proud of me, sissy? I told the doctors it would be good for my development if they helped me face that fear.” He let out a bark of laughter. “Those idiots took me to a pool.” He smiled at me, tapping the gun against the counter. “I’ll give them credit, though. They helped me work through it.”