Page 168 of Unhinged

She nods once. “Alright then. Table’s big enough.”

Judge comes barreling in from the back hallway, socks sliding across the floor. “What smells—” He stops short when he sees Marcus. “Hey! You’re back!”

Marcus smiles, and for the first time since walking in, it looks real. “Hey, kid.”

Judge crosses the room and fist-bumps Marcus without hesitation, like he’s just another familiar face in his world. Then he looks up at me.

“Is he eating with us?”

“Yeah,” I say, keeping my voice light. “He’s earned it. Mostly.”

Acid snorts and cracks open a beer from the fridge. “Barely.”

Dinner pulls itself together fast after that. Bowls clatter, stew gets ladled out, and I glance around, realizing someone’s missing.

“Where’s Dillon?” I ask, stirring my bowl.

Marcus hums but doesn’t answer, too busy with a mouthful of stew. Honestly, I can’t blame him, Bettie’s a damn good cook and I’m not about to interrupt the man’s meal.

Bettie answers instead, sliding a plate across the table. “She’s eating out with a friend tonight.”

Acid grunts without looking up, “Better have bail money ready.”

Judge laughs and nearly chokes on his bread. I shake my head and smirk.

Marcus finally swallows. “She seemed normal enough to me.”

“That’s your first mistake,” Acid mutters, jabbing his spoon into his bowl.

I roll my eyes.

Judge settles between me and Marcus, scooting closer to him every time he gets excited about something. They talk about school and comics and how Marcus used to be in the Army.

“You really were?” Judge asks, wide-eyed.

“Yeah,” Marcus says, smiling down at him. “A long time ago.”

Judge just nods like that’s the best answer in the world and starts digging into another roll.

I lean back in my chair, stew warming my hands, and glance at Marcus. “You wanna tell him?”

Marcus hesitates for a second, then looks at Judge. “Actually, there’s something you should know.”

Judge pauses, roll halfway to his mouth. “What?”

“You know how I said I cared about you and your mom? It’s because, well, I’m your uncle. Your mom’s my sister.”

Judge blinks. Looks at me. Then back at Marcus. “Really?”

“Really,” I say, setting my spoon down. “I found out the night we got back. Right after Marcus helped me. I was pissed. Still kind of am. But we’re talking it out. Figuring it out.”

Judge sits with that for a second, chewing slowly, like he’s trying to process all of it. Then he grins.

“Cool.”

I blink. “That’s it? Just cool?”

He shrugs, totally unbothered. “I’m really liking our family growing. Maybe Ike and Jackie can move closer, too.”