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ChapterNine
When he identified his brother, Seth watched Lincoln close his eyes as if relieved their relationship hadn’t been denied.
Seth took a half step, the urge to hug Lincoln overwhelming. But then a flood of painful memories—the rejection, the price he’d paid for his family’s betrayal of him—locked him in place.
He dragged in a breath. “Why are you here?”
“To see my brother.” Lincoln’s words sliced into Seth with their simple poignancy. Or was it the wishful tone? “This isn’t easy for me either, Seth.”
His chest tightened. True, but… Hell, he didn’t know what to think. Seventeen years had passed since he’d seen Lincoln and, along with that, a lot of history. “How did you find me?’
“I joined the army, made it into the Australian SAS. Told a mate there I wanted to find my brother. He had a contact who could help.” Lincoln paused, letting his words sink in as he glanced again at Harper and then back to Seth. “A couple of months ago, they found you. Sent me pictures.”
The SAS? Christ. Impressive. That explained the short military haircut. But this wasn’t the ten-year-old boy Seth remembered. A man stood before him. A stranger. “And you held off until now because...”
He wasn’t making Lincoln’s job easy, but the guy had just turned up, giving no warning.
Lincoln’s eyes flashed, but he reined in whatever emotion lay underneath and spoke in a disciplined tone. “I was sent on a mission. Didn’t get back until a few days ago.”
Seth’s gut clenched. A mission. His kid brother doing God knows what in some hellhole.
No. Don’t do that. Don’t care. Not yet.
Harper rubbed a hand over his back. “Maybe you guys need some privacy?”
“Yeah.” Seth nodded, grateful she reminded him of his surroundings. He reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze.
At the least, he owed Lincoln his time, and well, this was his brother. He had no bloody idea what was going on, but he couldn’t walk away without hearing Lincoln out. “There’s a bar around the corner from my apartment tower.”
“O’Shaughnessy’s.” Lincoln shrugged at Seth’s raised brow. “I did recon of where you live. No professional enters a new territory without all the facts at hand.”
“Right.” Seth could have laughed at the irony. Christ, another Adam. “We meet there in one hour?”
He stepped past Lincoln and pushed the button for the elevator, which opened without delay. Thank fuck. The three of them entered and formed an awkward silence until they reached the foyer level. He wanted to say something, but his mind was still reeling from the shock of Lincoln’s appearance. There were so many questions, but where did he start?
“See you there,” Lincoln said over his shoulder.
“Right.” Seth answered as the doors closed.
Once they had privacy, Harper spoke. “If you want me to go home, I understand. We can see each other tomorrow.”
“No, I want you home when I get back from the pub.” No way was he giving up seeing Harper, and right now, she was the one keeping him grounded. “I’m going to speak to Lincoln, and we’ll have the rest of the night.”
Her forehead creased, and she studied his face with a worried gaze. “But you’re going to need a few hours—”
“No, I’m not.” He had to explain, give her some idea of his thinking. With care, he placed Mal’s carrier on the floor along with the canvas carryall. Wrapping his hands around her upper arms, he pulled her close. “Look, I haven’t seen Lincoln in a long time. Seventeen years. We’re strangers, Harper. I don’t know all the facts about why he’s here, and to be honest, the situation’s bloody overwhelming right now.” He let out a deep breath, allowing himself a moment to sharpen his thoughts. “I’m curious about who he is, absolutely. But I also want to know more about the contacts he used to find me. And I need to get a handle on the man who shows up at a time my other family are under attack.”
Her eyes widened as the implications of his last point sunk in. “Oh God.”
Even thinking of Lincoln as a possible threat turned his stomach. But he couldn’t ignore the likelihood. Hell, Adam would shit bricks when Seth told him the news.
Soon, Seth was driving into his apartment complex’s garage. Thankfully, even with buying out half the kitty stuff in the pet store, they made it up to the apartment in one trip.
Harper settled Mal into his new brown velour bed next to the lounge. The kitten looked deceptively tiny with some of the toys he’d purchased crowded around the little guy. Had he really bought that many?
She rose from the lounge. “Can I get you anything before you go? Or call anyone for you?”
Here he was, effectively abandoning her, and she wanted to take care of him. When did he get to be such a lucky bastard?
