Never let her go

Chapter 15

Theo POV

“Mike.” I called him as soon as he stepped out of the kitchen.

His head turned to us, and he walked over to our table.

“Would you like to order?” he asked.

“No.” I shook my head. “Where is Lucy?”

“In the kitchen, talking to Rosie.” he said.

“Sit down, Mike.” I said and felt my brothers’ eyes on me.

Mike eyed me suspiciously before dragging a chair to our table and sitting down.

“What is this about, Theo?” Liam asked.

I ignored him completely. I needed to talk to Mike, and I didn’t give a shit about what my brothers had to say about it. I knew that they would try to stop me. Well, Ezra and Liam would. Noah would just go along with it.

“What do you know about Jack?” I asked Mike.

His eyes widened and he glanced at my brothers.

“Theo.” Ezra said in a warning tone.

I ignored him and kept my gaze on Mike.

“What do you mean?” Mike asked nervously.

I didn’t know I made him nervous. Good. I smirked internally.

“I mean, what do you know about him?” I asked slowly. “Is he a good guy?”

Mike scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Lucy doesn’t like him very much. But I don’t think he is a bad guy.”

“Why doesn’t Lucy like him?” Noah asked, leaning over me to get a better look at Mike.

I could tell that Ezra and Liam listened carefully. They wanted to know as much as I did. I knew it. I smirked internally again.

“Well, he loves to drink.” Mike said quietly, glancing at the kitchen door. “He is basically useless when he is drunk, so Lucy has to do everything.”

“Like what?” I asked, clenching my fists.

“You know.” Mike sighed. “Cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping. She told me that he helps around, but I know that she does most of the job.”

It made my blood boil to think that my sister had to take care of everything. The only things on her mind should be school and friends. Not cooking, cleaning, and paying the bills. She should have chores, of course. Noah and I have chores. I don’t really like doing them, but I can see the point. But those chores should be to keep her room clean, do the dishes every other night, and take out the garbage. Shit like that. Not running the whole fucking household because he is constantly drunk and asleep.

How the hell did she have time for school, going out with friends, and her other hobbies?

I clenched my fists. I will make him pay for using her like that. She is no one’s maid, especially not his!

I looked at my brothers, and I could see that they were thinking the same thing.

I shifted my gaze back to Mike and decided to get to the main point of this conversation.

“Do you think he would ever hit her?” I asked him.

Mike’s eyes widened. Liam and Ezra gasped. Noah clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

“Why would you ask that, Theo?” Ezra said, his voice strained.

“We don’t know what kind of drunk he is.” I said, looking at Ezra. “What if he is violent? What if he did something to her?”

“Did you notice something?” Liam asked me, trying to sound calm.

“I have a weird feeling.” I said. “Noah has it as well.”

My brothers looked at Noah, and he nodded. “It’s weird. I can’t explain it. I just feel like something isn’t right. Maybe it is just a fear of losing her again. But I did notice how tired she is. It seems to me like walking just a few steps tires her out. Maybe she is in pain.”

“I don’t think he hits her.” Mike interrupted. “I would have noticed something. I see her every day. I know her. I would know if something like that happened.”

“Are you sure?” I narrowed my eyes at Mike.

“Yes.” Mike said, turning to Noah. “You are right. She is tired. She told me she hasn’t been sleeping well lately. She is still a little bit shocked about everything that happened with you guys, and she is excited to go back home with you.”

“That’s understandable.” Ezra mumbled.

“I know it is not easy to find out that your sister has been living with an alcoholic.” Mike continued. “I know what kind of scenarios you must have in your mind, but I don’t think he would do something like that. He is just a little bit lost after his accident.”

“What accident?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

“He broke his leg at work.” Liam said. “They had to operate, but they couldn’t do much. He has a prescription drug for the pain.”

Great. My sister has been living with a guy on alcohol and meds. Just wonderful.

“How do you know that?” Mike asked Liam.

“My lawyer collected information about him.” Liam answered.

Mike nodded and glanced back at me. “Do you have any more questions?”

“Does he take drugs?” Noah asked before I could say anything. “And when I say drugs, I don’t mean those he has a prescription for, of course. I mean illegal ones.”

“I don’t think so.” Mike shook his head, shifting his gaze to Noah. “Lucy never mentioned it.”

Noah nodded and glanced at me. Did we make the wrong assumptions?

“Why didn’t you ask Lucy about Jack?” Mike asked us.

“Do you think she would tell us if he hit her?” I asked him.

I may not have seen my sister for the past 10 years, but I know her. She wouldn’t tell me something like that because she would want to protect me.

She knows that I would be the first one in line to kill him. She knows that I would completely lose my shit and go on a murderous rampage. I would rip him apart limb by limb. I would watch him die with a huge smile on my face. I would happily go to jail and rot there for the rest of my life.

Nobody touches my sister. Nobody touches what’s mine. And she is mine.

“Lucy is an honest person.” Mike said. “If you asked her about it and calmly explained your concerns, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind telling you about her life with Jack.”

Noah snorted. “I don’t think you know her as well as you think you do.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Mike asked, frowning.

“She wouldn’t tell us because she would want to protect us.” Noah explained.

Mike opened his mouth to say something, but the kitchen door opened, and Lucy walked out. Her eyes darted around the diner until she found Mike. I could tell that she was surprised because he was sitting with us. I can’t tell that we were very nice to Mike. I could tell that he liked my sister, and that instantly meant we didn’t like him.

She masked her surprise with a small smile. “Mike, can you come to the kitchen? Rosie needs to talk to you.”

“I’ll be right there, Lulu.” Mike said as he grabbed the chair he was sitting on, placing it back in its place.

He walked into the kitchen and closed the door behind him.