“Lincoln Knight, what’s his debt,” I ask the man standing in front of me, studying me.

He looks into my eyes, as if trying to figure out if I’m setting him up, or if I’m serious.

“What do you know about Lincoln Knight? Because he owes me a fuckin’ lot of money, and I’m goin’ to get that money back, he can hide all he likes.”

“I’ll get the money back for you, and more. Let me work for you.”

The man, I don’t know his real name, except they call him Walter, stares at me. He tilts his head to the side, scrunching his eyes at me. “What is he to you that you’d risk your life taking on his debt?”

“That’s not important, what’s important is that I’m here, promising to double your money and work for you until you get it all back. Nothing in it for me. You get every cent. Do we have a deal?”

The man looks at me, like I’ve lost my mind. “You’re goin’ to deal for me, earn his debt back and more, and get absolutely fuckin’ nothing about it?”

“Yes.”

“It’s dangerous work.”

“Don’t give a fuck. You promise me you’ll lay off him, clear his name and let me pay you back, and I’ll do whatever you ask.”

He crosses his arms. “You understand I have to make an example of people who do wrong by me, otherwise others will fuck me over...”

“How many people know Lincoln did wrong by you?”

He purses his lips. “Not enough for it to be a problem, I suppose. Okay, you have a deal. You work for me, do what I ask until the debt is paid back, and you and Lincoln walk free. But know this, if you fuck me over, not only will I come after Lincoln, I’ll come after everyone who matters most to you, and I’ll destroy them, little by little, until you suffer every damned day of your life for doing wrong by me. Are we clear?”

“Clear,” I mutter.

He studies me again, long and hard, then he nods. “Right, give you a phone, only used for phone calls by me. When I call, you come. You’ll earn Lincoln’s debt back, I assure you of that. Don’t say no to me, do your jobs, and we’ll have no problems. I’m a fair and reasonable man.”

I stare at him, holding his eyes strong, keeping my jaw tight. I’m not going to show him I’m afraid, but deep down, I’m fuckin’ terrified. If I fuck this up, Lincoln might pay, or Finn, or Damon, or fuck...Ellie. I can’t let that happen. Once this is over, we’ll find a way to get the money for dad the right way, hell, even if it means selling the house.

Lincoln has to understand that family is first.

And what he’s putting us through right fuckin’ now, isn’t what family does.

Know he had good intentions, but if this goes wrong, we’re fucked.

All of us.

I finish up and head home, I wasn’t planning on telling Lincoln about this, but if I don’t, he’ll go into hiding, and right now, we need him working. More than anything. So, I’m going to tell him the deal is done, he can either help me, or chastise me, either way it has to get done now no matter what. He’s either with me, or against me.

And if I know my brother, he won’t leave me in this alone.

I walk into the house when I get home, and brace for the shit storm I’m about to create. Ellie, Damon and Finn are sitting on the sofa, watching a movie, laughing their heads off at it. Ellie is between them, and they’ve got big smiles on their faces, the kind of smiles I haven’t seen since we lost mom. They’re happy. She makes them happy. She brings joy into their lives, that they thought they’d lost forever. Makes me feel fuckin’ good to know they have that.

And even more determined not to screw it up.

“That chick is so hot!” Damon laughs at the television.

“Ew, Damon, she is not!” Ellie cries, tossing a piece of popcorn at him.

“She’s gross. Damon, your taste is fucked!” Finn snorts.

“No woman is gross, you two! All ladies are beautiful.”

Ellie fake groans, “Awww, you’re just the sweetest, aren’t you!”

“Gotta get the ladies somehow,” Damon chuckles.

“Hey,” I say, and they all turn around. Ellie’s eyes meet mine, and light up. She climbs over the back of the couch and comes rushing towards me, curling herself into my arms the moment we meet. Her cheek presses against my chest and she hangs onto me, her favorite spot. Or so she tells me. I don’t mind, she could stay there forever and I’d be completely okay with it.

“Hey handsome,” she tips her head back and I sweep down to kiss her, soft, but long.

“God. Get a room!” Damon mutters, standing up and throwing himself over the back of the couch also. “I’m going out. Meeting our friends up town for an ice cream and bowling, you wanna come, Ellie?”

“No, I’m okay here,” she says.

“Go,” I tell her. “Gotta work soon anyway, go and have some fun.”

She studies me. “Are you sure?”

“Fuck yeah. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

She kisses me again, and nods, turning and saying to Damon, “I’m riding shotgun!”

Then, just like that, they’re gone.

I turn and glance down the hall at Lincoln’s room.

Know he’s home, he just came off nightshift and will be sleeping. I have to talk to him, now, before I start my shift and he does anything else stupid. He needs to know the plan, it’s not going to go down well, but it has to be done. I walk down the hall and when I reach his room, I knock. After a few minutes, his groggy voice calls, “What?”

I open the door and step inside. He’s rubbing his face, sitting on the side of the bed. He stares over at me, and narrows his eyes. “Mustn’t be good, if you’re waking me from my sleep.”

“Got somethin’ to tell you,” I say, standing in the door and not moving, it’ll get ugly, at least this way I can make my great escape.

Lincoln holds my eyes, and then exhales loudly. “What? What is it, Slater? Because whatever it is, I already know it ain’t good by the way you’re lookin’ at me right now.”

“I’m working to pay your debt off. Found out who you owed, went to them, told them I’d work until it was doubled. Your debt times two. I’d get nothing out of it. He swore that he’d clear us both when it was done, provided I did it until it was paid out. Goin’ to do it. Nothin’ you can do now, as it’s already done. If you argue with me, or go in and try to change it, you’ll put us both in the shit, and I know you don’t want that.”

For a moment, Lincoln just stares at me, his face blank and full of rage, then he bellows, “You can’t be fuckin’ serious? What the fuck is wrong with you, Slater?”

“What’s wrong with me?” I laugh bitterly. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re the one who got us into this mess, I’m the idiot pulling us out, but I’m doin’ it and there is very fuckin’ little you can do or say about that.”

“Fuck!” he roars, launching out of the bed and charging at me, face wild. “Fuck you, stupid idiot!”

He reaches me, and I don’t move. We’re eye to eye now. The same size. He no longer has it over me. “You hit me, Lincoln, and I’ll take Finn and Damon, leave you to your mess, and you’ll never fuckin’ hear from me or them again. I’m protecting my family from the mess you put them in. Now, you either let me do that and guide me, or you fuckin’ throw down and try to get me out of it, in turn, putting us both in deeper shit.”

He backs away, but he’s still panting. He rubs his hand down his face and looks at me. “What were you thinkin’ Slater? These people aren’t to be trusted. These people won’t just let you walk...”

“Maybe they won’t, that’s a risk I’m willin’ to take. Because you running, thinkin’ they’ll just forget about it, is even worse. We need your income, we need it or we’ll lose everything. You were willin’ to put us through that. So now, I’m taking a risk, maybe a bigger one, but I’m doing it, Linc. With, or without, your help.”

“Don’t you understand what you’ve gotten yourself into?” he exhales, closing his eyes, gathering calm. “I don’t trust that fucker.”

“Well, we’re just goin’ to have to risk it. Because I made a deal with him, and I have to pray that he holds up his end of it. If not, we’re goin’ to live with this for the rest of our lives. Either way, it wasn’t goin’ away on its own. My option is a whole lot better than yours.”

He shakes his head, and holds my eyes. “You’ll get hurt, and I can’t live with that...”

“I won’t get hurt,” I point out. “Because I’m not fuckin’ stupid. I’ll do what I have to do, for as long as I have to do it, and then I’m out. Understand?”

Lincoln shakes his head, “Nothin’ I can do about this now, if I interfere it’ll make it even worse. I’ll help you, where I can, but know this Slater...the world you so stupidly just put yourself in, is fuckin’ dangerous. It’s dangerous and it’s deceitful, watch your back, every step you take, because I guarantee someone will be riding it lookin’ for ways to bring you down.”

I nod. “I’ll be careful.”

He walks forward, and I tense up, but instead of getting angry, he puts a big hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “You did somethin’ big, to fix what I fucked up. Love you for that, even if I hate what you’re doin’. You’re a good man, Slater. Better than I am. If anything happens to you, know I’ll never fuckin’ forgive myself.”

I place a hand on his shoulder. “Nothin’ will happen to me.”

And I hope I’m right.

God. Fuck. Do I hope I’m right.