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“Yeah. Look, Sara is confused and scared.” Gabe tipped back his beer before continuing. “She’s angry at everyone, even me, but she’s too polite to show it.”
“Why would she be mad at you?”
Gabe had been there for Sara. In fact, Mad had counted on his best friend to protect her and Everly. Thankfully, after Gabe had realized that Mad’s interest in Everly wasn’t romantic, he’d taken excellent care of her.
Unfortunately, his sister, like Sara, probably hated him.
“Because as we’ve learned more about this conspiracy over the last few months, I’ve kept her in the dark for the same reasons you did. And honestly, I wish she wasn’t involved now since she’s pregnant. I can’t imagine how she would feel if something happened to the baby.”
“I’ve done nothing but worry about her and the baby every second of every day since Krylov dropped into my life.” He fell quiet for a moment, watching his half sister laugh at something Holland said. “Thank you for taking care of Everly.”
“I love her more than I ever thought I could love someone,” Gabe admitted. “We had a rough start, but I was protecting Sara and I didn’t know what your connection was to Everly. My mind went to the obvious answer.”
Mad made barfing sounds. “Eww. Dude, she’s my sister.”
“That information would have made my life so much easier. You could have left a note, man.”
“Sure, I totally should have left a paper trail for the syndicate to discover.”
“Point taken,” Gabe conceded. “You need to talk to Everly. You left her behind, too.”
“I doubt she wants to talk to me. The women are pissed. Even Gus. She punched me after dinner. She hits hard, too. That’s where we went wrong. We let girls into our club.”
Gabe chuckled. “Everly wants to talk to you. That could change if you let the silence between you go on too long. She’s your sister, and you’ve barely said three words to her.”
“I asked her how everything was going.”
“Yeah, that went over gangbusters, brother. I know you’re scared, but she’s more likely to understand and forgive you if you at least try.”
He was scared, mostly that she hadn’t been happy to find out they were related. And that, like Sara, she would want nothing to do with him. But Gabe had a point. “It isn’t that I don’t want to talk to Everly. I’ve missed her. I got close to her in those last few months.”
“I have a million questions about that, but you owe her the answers first. She can fill me in later.” Gabe put a hand on his shoulder. “You know this means we really are brothers now.”
“In-laws. Is it weird?”
Gabe chuckled. “Maybe a little, but we’ll get used to it. She’s alone now. Go talk to her.”
Mad watched Everly wander away from the group to stare out the big bay window that overlooked the gorgeous Maryland forest. Moonlight streamed in, and he saw her pretty face reflected in the glass as he approached. He’d known she was his sister for months. This would be their first conversation since she’d learned that truth, as well.
His palms started to sweat. He wasn’t fucking good at this. How did he explain his choices so that she would understand? That hadn’t worked so well with Sara…
“I was wondering if you were going to talk to me.” She kept her gaze steady on the night outside.
He knew her, though. Despite her stoic expression, she was emotional. Everly had one of the biggest hearts he’d ever encountered. “I was afraid to. I didn’t know if you’d walk away, and I don’t think I can handle both of the important women in my life rejecting me tonight.”
“Mad, Sara was shocked. I mean, we all were. But I think if you keep trying, she’ll come around. She was angry with you for a long time. I guess I’ve been angry, too. But she also loved you. If you still have feelings for her, don’t give up.” She turned to face him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
One of the things he loved about his sister was her forthrightness. Everly never prevaricated. She made it easy for him to get to the heart of the matter. “When I realized I very likely had a half sibling, I thought about simply showing up on your doorstep. Or sending you an e-mail.”
She sighed. “As a security expert, I would have told you to do neither of those things until you had some idea of who I was, but, Mad, you took your secrets too far. I understand the PI. I would even have understood you talking to some of my friends to figure out whether I was a nutjob who would wreak havoc on your life. But you hired me. You befriended me. You hung out at my place and we talked a lot. At some point you could have said, ‘hey, did you know we’re related?’”
Mad felt as if he was beating the same drum repeatedly. “I was trying to protect you.”
Her gaze narrowed. “I was your head of security, Mad. I was literally supposed to protect you.”
He held his hands up. “When you put it like that, it doesn’t sound logical. But I don’t care how bad ass you are. This is a Russian syndicate, and if they’d had any hint of our relationship, they would have used you to get to me, the same way they would have used Sara. The night the syndicate nearly killed me, I had an engagement ring in my dresser drawer. I planned to ask Sara to marry me the next day. Once she said yes, I’d planned to talk to her about you, get her advice on how to tell you that we’re half siblings. By that time I’d figured out the kind of person you were. I also realized the news might upset you, and I wanted to break it gently. So I intended to tell Sara everything. It seemed like a perfect plan, give her a massive diamond so the world would know she’s mine, then enlist her help finding the right words so I could finally tell you about our connection. It seemed like a win-win.”
“When I found out, I was shocked. Even if Sara had helped you find the most tactful way to tell me, I still would have been shocked.”
“After I realized that you loved your father, I worried that you wouldn’t want to know the truth. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not exactly good at big, emotional talks. It seemed wise to get to know you. Once I did, I realized the news would be a bombshell and that I’d be telling you that your whole childhood was a lie. I was going to ask Sara if she thought I even had a right to tell you.”
“Mad, my childhood wasn’t a lie. Regardless of biology, he was my dad. Finding out that he didn’t contribute half my DNA didn’t change how well he loved me. In some ways, the information made me love him even more.”
He admired her calm perspective. Maybe he should have given her more credit all along.
“I don’t know what it feels like to be that attached to a father,” he admitted. “My parents weren’t exactly loving. They never divorced because they both realized neither was capable of truly caring about anyone but themselves, and a permanent split would have been too costly. So after we met and it was clear that you and your dad were really close, I worried I’d be taking a good man from you and replacing him with the asshole who raised me.”
“What you should have been thinking about was the fact you’d be giving me a brother.”
Damn it, he didn’t do this, get emotional. His eyes never watered—unless he fucked up and got cocaine in them. Except he didn’t do that anymore. And he loved his sister.
“I was alone in the world. Yes, I had my friends, but I was an orphan with stupid one-percenter problems. I would walk through that big house and everyone I saw was someone I paid. When I found you, I thought at least I’d have one genuine family tie. Then, when someone would ask about my family, I would be able to talk about you. Most people don’t consider that. They take family for granted because everyone has one, right? Not me. When I’d get asked about my family in social situations, I never had an answer. But once I knew about you, I thought I’d be able to say that my sister is doing well. I liked that.”
She turned to him. Tears swam in her eyes, too, as she cupped his face. “Mad, your sister is doing well. So well. I missed you. Don’t ever keep me in the dark or run out on me again.”
; Since the syndicate was still out there and still suspicious, he couldn’t make any promises. But as he hugged her tightly, peace settled in his soul. He had a sister and she didn’t hate him. Finally, he had a family.
And now, he had some hope.
* * * *
Zack sat back in the desk chair and stared at the bottle of Scotch he knew he shouldn’t touch again. He wasn’t close to drunk, but he could get there fast now that the happy couples had all found their cabins. He was alone with Elizabeth. Well, Mad and Freddy were occupying the other bedrooms in the main cabin. But he’d come to the library, knowing there would be no sleep for him tonight with Elizabeth just down the hall.
She might, even now, be taking off her clothes. If he knocked on her door, would she answer? Would he perhaps catch her right before a shower? Or would she already be tucked into bed? Had she taken one look at the shirt he’d left for her to sleep in and tossed it out? Or was she wearing it, feeling the fabric caress her skin the way he wanted to with his hands? He ached to brush his palms along her curves and let her soft heat sink in through his fingertips. He wouldn’t leave an inch of her untouched. He would explore her body like it was a new country he could conquer.
