Page 33 of Redline Communion

“Nico.”

“I’m relieved someone remembers.”

“I saw a picture once.”

“Was it a good one?”

“No.”

“That sounds like my father’s taste.”

He says it so plainly that I laugh before I decide whether I should. His mouth shifts at one corner, not quite a smile but close enough to let me know he noticed.

“Nobody told me you were coming.”

“I was given a room and a schedule. Everything else was apparently meant to be discovered.” He glances toward the empty doorway behind me. “This family has always been particular about who learns what, and when.”

I hate how quickly that gets through.

“You’ve noticed.”

“I’ve been here twenty minutes.”

“That’s usually enough.”

He moves away from the window and gestures toward the chairs. “You can sit. Or keep standing in the doorway if it makes you feel safer. I won’t be offended.”

“I’m not worried about offending you.”

“Good. That would make this dull.”

I don’t sit, but I don’t leave either. Nico takes the chair nearest the cold fireplace and leans back like he has nowhere else to be. He doesn’t ask me again, and somehow that works better than asking would have.

“You were looking for Rafe,” he says.

“He’s supposed to drive me back to campus.”

“And instead you found the less useful brother.”

“I don’t know enough about you to rank usefulness.”

“Give it time.”

There’s enough dry humor in it that I almost relax.

Almost.

“So,” I say. “Did Dominic give you a briefing before he sent you up here to inspect us?”

“He gave me several.”

“Of course he did.”

“They were impressively thorough.”

“And?”

“Mostly useless.”