The Long Road Home [The Final McCassey Brothers Book] by Lauren N. Sharman Page B

florescent light in the tiny kitchen.
    But his relief was short-lived.
    When Wade caught a glimpse of the mixture of fear and anger on Georgia's face, he knew he was about as welcome in the room as Dolan McCassey would've been if he'd suddenly shown up.
    This is never going to work , he said to himself. She's terrified of me already.
    Just as Georgia opened her mouth to speak, she was effectively silenced by Blackie, who did nothing more than flash her a look that, quite frankly, scared the shit out of Wade. He could only imagine how it had made Georgia feel, but got the basic idea when she shut her mouth immediately, not uttering a single word.
    Wade stepped forward, deciding to take advantage of the control Blackie seemed to have over his sister, and extended his hand. “Wade Pickett,” he said to Georgia, even as her eyes seemed to be boring holes through his body.
    He stood there, hand out, for a good ten seconds as Georgia stared at it. She made no move to shake it. Not even when Rebel cleared his throat loudly, and Blackie—who had sat down next to her—elbowed her in the arm.
    It wasn't until Judd said, “Georgia, this is our cousin, Wade. He's here to help you,” that she finally acknowledged his presence.
    The expression on her face remained stoic as she looked him dead in the eye, furrowed her brows, clenched her teeth, and said, “Get out,” pretty much summing up how she felt about him being there.
    "Georgia!” Judd roared, causing her to jump.
    It surprised Wade that out of her three brothers, Judd was the one Georgia seemed to respond to the best. He figured it would've been Blackie, since not only was he the most intimidating, but because she'd listened to his body language earlier and kept her mouth shut.
    But Georgia's expression had softened a noticeable amount when Judd had spoken; making Wade wonder what it was that seemed to connect the two of them.
    "Fine,” she drawled slowly, “get out, please ."
    Wade almost laughed when he saw the brothers’ reactions to Georgia's smartass comment. Rebel was obviously embarrassed by her behavior, Judd was shaking his head, and Blackie looked like he wanted to strangle her.
    Unsure of what the guys wanted him to do, Wade decided that if he was going to help Georgia, he might as well get on with it. Taking a seat at the end of her bed, he winked at her as he shook his head. “Sorry, darlin', but I can't do that."
    Clearly surprised by his defiance, Georgia suddenly looked as though she couldn't decide whether to cry or start screaming at him to leave her alone.
    She didn't want him there; that much was obvious. But Wade could also tell that her toughness was nothing more than an act ... and that right this minute, she was nothing more than a scared little girl.
    They stared each other down; Wade winning when Georgia turned away from him and looked at her brothers, giving them the saddest, most pathetic pout she could probably come up with ... a look that would've melted his heart and caused him to give in had she used it on him.
    But one quick glance at Blackie and Rebel told him they weren't buying it. The hard, we're-sticking-to-our-guns-no-matter-how-much-you-pout looks on their faces remained unchanged.
    "He ain't leavin', Georgia,” Blackie told her.
    Rebel jumped in immediately with, “Wade's here to help you, honey. He's not going to hurt you."
    Her attention then shifted to the brother who had yet to speak. Georgia tilted her head to the side and pouted once again. “Judd?” she pleaded, as if he was the only one who could save her.
    Never having guessed that his cousin Judd had a single, solitary, emotional or caring bone in his body, Wade was shocked when the man stepped forward and knelt beside the bed. After reaching up and tucking a stray, still-damp curl behind her left ear, Judd then leaned in and kissed his sister's forehead. “Wade is a recovering heroine addict, Georgia,” Judd explained more calmly than Wade thought he was capable