Page 76 of Unmasked Anarchy

I turn on my heel and he calls out my name.I glance over my shoulder and meet his gaze.“Tell me again,” he murmurs.

“You’re going to be a dad, Gage.”

He smiles, and I realize it is the first real smile I have ever seen from him.

Maybe, just maybe, this is a blessing in disguise.

I guess time will tell.

~*~*~*~*~*~

MERA AND NIA ARE INthe kitchen when I return, spreading peanut butter on graham crackers and swigging something bubbly from the bottle.They see me walk in, eyes hungry for news.I head for the fridge and before I’ve even closed the door Mera starts.

“Well?You good?What did he say?Did he lose it?Go crazy?Throw down?Threaten to lock you up and never let you out?”

I laugh.“No, he was actually happy.He agreed to a plan, and to Kael being in the baby’s life.”

Both girls stare at me.“Seriously?Gage?The psycho?”

I giggle.“Yep.Maybe when the shock wears off he might lose it, but for now, we’re good.”

Mera claps her hands.“I am so excited.A baby!Yay!”

A sweetbutt walks into the kitchen, staring at the three of us with her nose all twisted.“There is some girl here lookin’ for Knox.Do you know where he is?”

We shake our heads and she leaves.Nia turns to me.“Are you all curious, or is it just me?”

“Oh,” I say, heading towards the door.“We’re curious.”

The two girls laugh and we rush outside.There on the porch stands a girl with the longest, thickest black hair I have ever seen.Her skin is as pale as a cloud and her eyes are so yellow it hits you when she pins them on you.She’s wearing a pair of jeans that hug her ass and a shirt that shows every curve of her body.

She is gorgeous.

She looks over at us, features unreadable, then breaks into a smile.“Hey.Is Knox around?”Her voice is soft, with a sassy undertone.

Mera squints.“Who’s asking?”

“Callie.Just Callie.”She sticks her hands in her back pockets, unfazed by the way we all stare at her.

“Uh, you got a last name, Just Callie?”Nia asks, chin raised.

These two.

I try not to laugh.

“Didn’t think I needed one.”Callie’s eyes flick to the bikes and then back to us.“Is he here or?”

“He’s inside,” Mera says, her eyes still skeptical.“How do you know him?”

“I’m his old lady’s cousin.”

We all go silent, staring at her confused.

“Knox doesn’t have an old lady,” Mera says, shaking her head in confusion.“I have been here long enough to know that.”

Callie crosses her arms, her face growing a little sad, a secret behind her eyes that haunts her.“He did.She died.”

More silence.