Page 54 of City of Liars

“If you’ve got a fucking point, Will, make it.”

“I just want you to have confidence in who you are, right now. Screw the past. I mean, yeah, we should find out the truth if we can. But don’t let that get in the way of being happy with this woman, if you’re really into her.”

He shook my knee. “You pride yourself on not being like Mom. And mostly, you’re not, okay? You’re not,” he emphasized when I jerked my head up and glared at him. “But in this case, you’ve gotta see the similarities. Neither one of you can let this go. It’s got you both by the throat. And I just…” There was a loaded pause, and when he spoke again, his voice sounded thicker than usual. “I just don’t want to see it choke you. That’s all.”

Thirty minutes later, we arrived at Will’s apartment with Japanese food and walked into the Cold War. Grandma Susi held court in the armchair, our mom sat, stiff-backed, on the edge of the couch, and Abby was trapped in the loveseat between them. The usual cycle went like this: Mom tried desperately to gain Grandma Susi’s approval; Grandma made a cutting reply; Mom raided the liquor cabinet. And on it went.

As soon as we came through the door, though, Grandma’s dark eyes crinkled with pleasure. “Ach, Theodore. Come here and give your grandmother a hug.”

Ignoring my mother’s sidelong glances at the cupboard where Will kept the whiskey, I bent to hug Grandma Susi, who smelled like she always did: talc and Jean Nate.

Caiden barreled between us, stripping off his jacket and abandoning it on the floor. “Great-Grandma Susi!” he said, trying to clamber into her lap.

I scooped him up before he could do any damage, holding him upside down. The kid had two speeds: a thousand miles an hour and asleep. “Careful with Grandma Susi.”

She smiled at Caiden, her eyes softening the way they only did for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. If she’d been able to look at my mom that way, maybe everything would have been different. “Hello, bubbeleh.”

I carried Caiden, still upside down, over to Abby. “Hey,” I told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. She looked radiant, her pale skin rosy and her shoulder-length dark hair shiny. “Big congrats. You look great, by the way.”

“Thanks,” she said, grimacing. “I’m starving. Please tell me one of those bags Will’s unloading has kamo udon in it, or I won’t be responsible for my actions. This little one’s craving it like crazy.”

“I wouldn’t dream of getting between a pregnant woman and her food. It’s in there.” I set Caiden on the floor, and he dashed into the kitchen after Abby, who’d gone to help Will unpack.

A smile lit Will’s face when she stepped into the room. Somehow, my brother had managed to spin gold out of the shitstorm of our upbringing. He was a fucking alchemist. But no matter what he said, that didn’t mean I could do it, too.

Mom had brought back my jacket, which she thrust in my direction without a word. I watched her like a proverbial hawk during dinner, but although she didn’t speak to me, she didn’t smash a glass against the wall and launch into a diatribe either. The longer she went without exploding, the more concerned I became. There was no way I was going to get out of this so easily.

Afterward, I gave Caiden his present, not bothering to wait for Hanukkah. His joyous shriek—“Daddy, look! A velo-ci-waptor! It’s alive!”—was all the reward I needed.

I took the packaging into the kitchen, where Will was doing the dishes. He turned to me, grinning. “Couldn’t resist, huh? Our downstairs neighbors are gonna love us.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You keeping your hands in that sink so you don’t rip this stuff away from me”—I shook the packaging—“and inspect it for choking hazards?” Will’s overprotectiveness where Caiden was concerned was legendary. “Or maybe you wanna check and make sure that the plastic’s BPA-free?”

“Stop giving me shit and get out of here.” Will flicked water at me. “Go sit with Grandma. You can ask her about you-know-what. It’s the perfect time.”

It had been a while since we’d been co-conspirators; I’d missed the feeling. I nodded and turned to go, just as Mom sidled into the kitchen.

“Hello, Theo,” she said, her tone silky and the words slurred, like she’d gotten into the booze. “Have you shared the news with your brother?”

…and here it came.

Will stepped in front of me, making himself a buffer. “Theo told me, and I think this is a good thing, Mom. If you’d just hear him out⁠—”

“I’ve heard enough,” she hissed. “And I’ve already gone to a lawyer. He said I had a case.”

Oh, fuck. I dodged around my brother, ignoring his attempts to block me. “Seriously, Mom? Don’t get in the middle of this. You’ll make it worse.”

“Make it worse?” Her eyes narrowed. “What could be worse than the way you betrayed our family?”

“I didn’t betray anyone!”

“Keep your voices down,” Will begged, a plea that did exactly nothing.

“How are you paying for this?” I demanded as my blood pressure spiked. Oh, shit. “Tell me you didn’t.”

My mother lifted her chin. “I can spend the money you give me any way I want. And I choose to use it to defend our family.”

“Oh my fucking God.” Rage pulsed through me, and I fought to contain it. If I started hurling the plates from Will’s dish drain, I was no better than our father. “That money was to feed you. To make sure there was something in your freezer other than vodka. Not to fund some goddamn misguided mission for revenge!”