Poughkeepsie Begins (The Poughkeepsie Brotherhood #0.5) by Debra Anastasia

thinking…” Beckett threw himself on his bed and Blake sank down onto his. “You know they’re going to take the van out to the ranch, right? So if they’re taking all the kids, there’s a spot for one of us.”
    Both Blake and Beckett interrupted.
    “I’ll go.”
    “Me.”
    “Listen, it doesn’t make sense for Blake…” He hated to point it out. Blake had an aversion to the sun that none of them made a big deal out of. It was a holdover from his childhood, and as Cole felt the blood drip down his arm inside his sleeve, he knew he was in no position to judge. They did what they had to. Survival. “The sun in the windows and stuff.”
    Blake hung his head, quietly adding, “I can do it.”
    “I know you can, but you don’t have to. And we need someone to be there the whole time.” He said it gently, but Blake covered his face with his forearm anyway.
    “And the girls need that money, so if you’re going to get it, Beck—however you are—I’m assuming you have to be here.”
    “I can make that in a night. I’ll go. I’ve been there before. Discussion over.” Beckett nodded at his decision.
    Cole waited until they were both focused on him again. “I can take the most. We all know it. And we can’t take a chance with the girls. I’ll be there the whole time. The sun won’t stop me. And I won’t need to get high. I’m the safest choice.” His demon was cutting. And that problem was portable. “I appreciate you both wanting to step in. And if he gets crazy, I’ll call the police on him.”
    The others nodded, though he knew they didn’t believe that last part. He would kill Rick before he ever did anything that would break up this family. But he said it anyway, so their consciences had an out.
    They were quiet for a while. Cole finally added, “Beck, you get the money. Blake, you get the forms in to their school. And I’ll get the girls back here in one piece. Then on the day they go maybe we can skip school and go see them at the zoo.” That last part was a lie too. Getting the girls their money was going to tap their resources. There would be nothing left for their own transportation.
    Beckett stood and held out his arm. The other two met him in the middle. “Let’s get these little girls to the fucking zoo.”
    It was about more than the animals. More than the trip to the gift store like the other kids in their class. It was giving them a memory—good memories like kids are supposed to have. Cole was pretty willing to die for that very cause as he pictured shy Wintery seeing an elephant for the first time at the Bronx Zoo.

    Beckett tried not to nurse his side as he walked down the residential street close to his foster parents’ house. Rick had been a weak pussy tonight, but still got him in the ribs, as usual. Motherfucker . The Lincoln with the headlights off didn’t completely stop as Beckett got in.
    The driver was a senior runner. And Beckett was pretty damn sure he was skimming of the top. “Kick wants to see you before we start,” the man said.
    Beckett met the guy’s eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded once. Fine with him.
    He should’ve been afraid of Kick. But maybe he’d just watched people too much over the years. Kick was a tough guy, but he seemed scared under it all, like he might be afraid to call people out on shit. He’d been second in command to Dello about six months ago. Then when Dello had his head blown off, Kick was in. Slid his way to the top. He hadn’t hungered for the power.
    But Beckett wanted it. He wanted it probably for good reasons, if a psychologist was making a fucking pie chart of his inner demons on a chalkboard: those little girls, his brothers. He wanted to promise them shit. Real shit that came true. Money answered the problem. It felt like there was blood pooling in the back of his throat when he thought about the possibilities. Just to look at them and say, “Fucking go to college. Be anything.” And mean it. That’s why he was