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He saw the Cadillac parked across the street and maybe one house down from theirs. Wes purposely didn’t pay them any attention as he passed the car and lifted Greyson out of the stroller. Then he collapsed it and took Greyson inside, passing Trey as he was about to go out.

“I need to talk to you,” Wes said.

“Now?” He didn’t even look at Greyson, which sort of broke Wes’s heart a little. Yeah, Wes took care of him and loved Greyson beyond all measure, but part of him still hurt for Greyson that his real daddy showed no interest in him at all, not even in an uncle sort of way.

“Yeah….” Wes motioned toward the kitchen with his head, Greyson asleep on his shoulder. Trey paused and then went with him. “Are you going with those guys in the Cadillac?” He figured he might as well get right to the point.

“What’s it to you?” he growled, and Greyson stirred, then settled.

Wes shook his head. “They’re trouble.” For some reason he decided to keep quiet about Evan and his interest. He didn’t want to get Trey in hot water, but if these people really were bad news, he wanted them gone and for Trey not to be involved in their shit.

Trey shrugged. “They’re cool and fun to be with. You’re so wrapped up in playing daddy that you have no idea of fun anymore.” Trey was already heading toward the door. “Just keep your nose out of my business.” The glare and sneer were probably meant to be a threat.

Wes turned away. He had done the right thing and tried to warn him. If Trey chose to ignore it and any semblance of good sense, then that wasn’t Wes’s fault in the least.

Wes sighed and went through the house to his room. He changed Greyson, singing to him softly, then got him into bed. Wes read him a story, but Greyson was asleep after only a few sentences. Wes left the room and closed the door, carrying his baby monitor with him. His parents were still watching television, the table between their chairs covered with cheap beer cans. He wondered what he wanted to do and wasn’t interested in what his mom and dad were watching. Instead, Wes quietly retrieved his computer and sat at the table in the back of the living room, near the front window, and got to work on some projects. He could also see out through the curtains to where Trey stood on the sidewalk, talking with the guys from the diner. Wes wondered what they were up to and honestly hoped to hell that Trey would wise up. But he’d seen enough guys like that and knew his brother well enough to know that this was trouble, and it had been brought right to his family’s doorstep.

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