The Risks We Take Duet Box Set

70. Cooper

COOPER

T wintuition is real and alive between Nattie and me.

I’m reminded of this as I slam the back door closed behind me, then check to make sure the damn glass didn’t shatter in the process. My sister has always had the worst timing imaginable. It isn’t even worth ignoring her call because she’d just keep calling until I answered or turned my damn phone off. And the latter isn’t an option.

“Hey, Nat.” I walk the perimeter of the yard, not wanting to go far from the house.

“Two goddamned weeks, Coop,” she yells. “I spent two weeks calling you, and when you finally answered your phone, you basically hung up on me before we even got to talk. What the shit is up with that?”

“ What the shit ?” That’s a new one.

“Shut up. I’m pregnant with fucking twins and hormonal as hell, and you’re scaring me to death, asshole. You said what... maybe two sentences to me when you talked to me the other day. Then I have to find out from Sabrina that you’re having dinner with Murphy Saturday night, but you can’t even be bothered to call your twin sister back.” With every word, her voice becomes more shrill.

She blows out a breath and quietly adds, “We shared a womb, Cooper. You owe me.”

“Are you done, Nat?” I manage to control my tone. So that’s something, right?

She sniffs, and I feel like a giant dick. “Yes.”

“I’ve been stateside for four days, and all hell has officially broken loose in that time. I’m sorry I haven’t called. Things are a mess. I haven’t talked to Declan either.” I pull out a chair on the back deck near the door and get comfortable for a long fucking talk that I’m not altogether ready to have with my twin. “I’m okay, but things are complicated right now.”

“Things like your relationship with our stepsister ?” Of course, she fucking went there first.

I look out over the sand, as foamy white waves lap at the beach, trying to calm down while my blood pressure roars in my ears and I ready for war. “Yeah. Among other things, you could say Carys and I are complicated.”

“Talk to me, Cooper. We used to tell each other everything. I miss that.” There’s a quiver in Nattie’s voice, and I hate knowing it’s my fault.

“I love you, Nat. But around the time I realized girls had boobs, I stopped telling you everything.” We both laugh, and my shoulders relax an inch. “I love her, Nat. That’s pretty much all you need to know.” Why the fuck I’m telling my sister, instead of Carys, is a whole other question, but I don’t spend time figuring that out now. “We’ve both made mistakes, but she’s it. We should have just told everyone last year, but Carys wasn’t ready. And she was my priority.”

Nattie gasps, and I prepare myself for the lecture that’s about to come. “She’s your Brady.”

Well, hell... That’s not at all what I was expecting and maybe not exactly how I’d put it. But she’s not wrong. “Yeah, Nat. She is. But we’ve still got a ton of shit to work through. It might take us a while.”

“Why, Coop? Why, after everything you’ve been through, would you take that long? Don’t get me wrong, I was so pissed when she stood up in Dad’s kitchen and demanded to get on that jet, but it was really hurt masked as anger. I was so scared of losing you, then furious to find out you’d been keeping something so big from me. And there she was, an easy target to take it all out on in that moment. And you know what...?”

Nattie waits, but I don’t answer as I finally absorb what it must have felt like for them. Hearing it from the two most important women in my life brings it all home in a way nothing else has.

“She stood there, Coop. She stood there and took it, telling us all that she loved you and she was getting on that plane. She went right back at Murphy when he pissed her off in a way I didn’t know Carys was capable of. She’s always been so quiet when she wasn’t on stage, which I guess, makes sense in a family as full of big personalities as ours is. But that day, she stood ten feet tall with tears falling in rivers down her face, and she might as well have told us all to fuck off because she was going to be by your side, one way or the other.”

And I pushed her away. “That sounds like Carys to me.”

“Funny. Because it didn’t sound like Carys to us .” Nat laughs. “I mean, I was pissed as hell that day. Truth be told, I was pissed until I saw her last week. But once I talked to her... and once I talked to Brady about it... it made sense. I wouldn’t have let anyone keep me from him either. So, work it out, Cooper.”

“It’s not that easy, Nat.” Might as well get it all out. “Listen, like I said, I haven’t had a chance to talk to Declan yet, so this stays between us for now. I promise to call as soon as I can, but it might not be today.”

My eyes catch on a teenager who walks slowly by, along the sand. He’s close to the gate but doesn’t stop. I keep my eyes trained on him, and he keeps going down the beach.

“Earth to Cooper. I promise. Now keep going.” I can’t wait to see Nattie as a mom because she has the patience of a fruit fly.

“I was medically discharged from the Navy. There’s an issue with my eyesight. Not major, but enough that I can’t be a SEAL. And there’s an issue with my last op. There’s some pretty serious shit going on right now, so it’s not as easy as you make it sound.” Leaning back, I kick my legs out, stretching. “It’s just not simple right now, Nat.”

Nattie laughs again, but this time it’s manic, bordering on hysterics. “Coop, you’re in love with our stepsister.” Another round of laughter bursts from her lips. “And you think it’s going to be simple? Think again, little brother. You’ve got some ass-kissing to do before we all get over the fact you kept this from us.”

“Hey,” I cut in. “You may be three minutes older, but I’m bigger, and I’m not kissing anyone’s ass.”

“Sucks to be Carys, then. But seriously, how are you doing with the discharge? How are you feeling?” Damn, she can change moods on the drop of a dime.

“I’m still processing the discharge. It’s going to take some time. But physically, I’m getting there.” The teenager from earlier walks back into my line of sight, and I stand from my chair. “Listen, Nat. I’ve got to go.”

“Try not to get into a fight with Murphy on Saturday, okay? Remember you both love her, and he’s pissed as hell. Then maybe imagine if Brady had done what you did. And if all else fails, remember you’re a trained killer, and he’s our stepbrother and one of your best friends. I love you.”

“Love you too, Nat. Talk soon.” I step off the deck and walk down the path to the gate. “Hey...” The kid in jeans and a white tank top turns my way, and he can’t possibly be older than thirteen. “Need help finding something?”

“Yeah, actually.” He adjusts his baseball cap and looks up at the house behind me. “Any chance you know a Cooper Sinclair?”

What the actual fuck?

“Yeah, I know him. Why are you looking for him?” I open the gate and take a step forward, towering over him, and cross my arms over my chest, flexing. Not sure why I feel the need to intimidate a kid, but something about this isn’t right.

“Good.” He pulls a crumbled-up envelope from his pocket and hands it to me. “Can you give this to him?” He takes a step back, then pivots to run, but he can’t before I grab his shoulder.

“What the fuck is this?” I demand, my fury building without even looking at the contents. This is not good.

The kid tries to break my hold, but he’s got no chance. “Some guy paid me fifty bucks to give that to you. He said I needed to put it in Cooper Sinclair’s hand. Then he said you’d never admit it was you, just that you knew him. Dude, I don’t want to get hurt. So, take it or don’t. I don’t give a shit if you’re him. Just let me go.” He jerks back, and I drop my hold, then watch him land on his ass in the sand.

“Get the fuck out of here and get a real job.” The kid runs away, kicking sand up all around him, and I rip open the blank envelope. There’s a single picture inside. It’s of Carys, standing on her balcony last night with that damn shirt falling off her shoulder. The time stamp in the bottom corner is printed on it in blue, reading 2:17 a.m.

I flip it over and read the message printed in messy handwriting across the back.

Give me back what’s mine before I take what’s yours.

My stomach bottoms out as I look around.

I’m going to kill him.