AllFreeNovel
Share Us
1
“Happy 26th Birthday, Lara,” Brit said, cheering Lara Nunes on after she just blew the candles of the chocolate cake in front of her.
Lara glanced around the table. Her best friends Brit, Nikki and Violet clapped for her, and other friends and employees from her successful landscape designing company raised a glass for her. She’d started cutting the cake, not her best moment, and before she could butcher it, Violet stepped in and helped her out.
“Who gets the first piece?” someone shouted from the crowd, amused.
“Me,” said David, one of Nikki’s twin boys. Everyone laughed, and Lara happily gave it to the children, first David then his brother Henry, then her other friends’ kids who had been anxiously waiting.
A hollow sensation stabbed at her. She should be happy. Her business was booming and booked solid for several months in advance, and she did belong to the best group of ride-or-dies a girl could ask for, Bad Girls Club. She and her besties met weekly, enjoyed life and shared the ups and downs it brought.
She lived in a really nice home, a bit big for one person, and decorated to suit her free spirit personality.
When a child grabbed the candle and licked around it, Lara blinked abruptly, remembering her wish. Someone to share life with. A steady boyfriend would be a good start.
She sighed. She’d put herself out there. Hell, she had offered Nikki free babysitting when her friend had been a single mom. She was the one who always offered to babysit the kids she thought of as her honorary nieces and nephews to make sure the parents had a good date night. So why was it so hard for her to meet a decent man?
Because of Rory, a little voice inside her reminded her. Her ex-fiancé, who had broken her self-esteem in a way she was still looking for the pieces to fit it back together. You may look good and talk a big game, but Lara, you’re not good in bed.
“Oh, she’s right here,” Brit said, and her voice brought Lara back to reality. “Lara, your brother just arrived.”
Lara glanced around her, to find a worried Miguel striding towards her. Her brother was a foot taller and two years older than her, but in many ways, she’d always been the more mature sibling out of the two.
“Hey, can we talk?” he said, and an edge of impatience laced his voice.
She frowned. How about Happy Birthday, Lara? “Sure,” she said. Now a strand of fear coursed through her as she walked toward her bedroom, the only place where they could have privacy. Was everything okay with their mom? She’d had lunch with her earlier, and her mother had seemed fine—she’d bought her a lovely dress and made her usual jokes about wanting to be a grandmother one day, but all in good fun. She’d declined to come to the party as she’d said this was more for the younger crowd. Even though her mom was only 60, Lara wondered if she hadn’t always been an old soul with her quirks and I-don’t-like-driving-at-night rationale.
She entered her room, and he followed, closing the door behind him.
She plopped on the edge of the bed, shoulders sagging as if she had been the one in trouble—somehow, she knew she’d have to pay a price and once again bail her brother out of his latest screw-up. “What’s wrong now?”
Restless, Miguel paced in a small circle, running his fingers down his face. “A friend of mine was making good money working for the Galluccis, and he asked me if I wanted in.”
Lara bit her lower lip. Gallucci? She’d heard that surname before, but couldn’t quite place it. A cold sensation spread in her belly. God, don’t let this be like that one time he got involved in a pyramid scheme selling protein bars. Or when Miguel had almost done one stint as a drug mule. “What kind of job?”
He drew in a breath, and when he looked at her, his brown eyes—like hers— darkened. A sense of doom lurked around her, and she braced herself for landing. Oh no, this is much worse than the multilevel marketing scheme.
“The Galluccis own a lot of real estate in town. Actually in the entire state of California,” he started, running his fingers into his shoulder length hair. “The family has been at it for decades, and some of their properties aren’t located in the best areas—or areas that used to be good, like fifty years ago, but now need a facelift.”
None of this sounded good. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Were you working as a handyman?” Please say yes, she added inwardly.
He cleared his throat. “No. More like security.”
“Security?” She lifted an eyebrow. Sure, her brother had an impressive physique. If only Miguel prioritized finding the right path as much as he did working out.
“Yes. Some tenants refused to pay or didn’t pay in time, so my job was to pay them a visit and collect the money.”
“Collect the money? You mean you beat them up?” Realization dawned on her. Her brother wasn’t a bad person, but ever since their father died when he’d been a teenager, he’d lost his way. He never pursued a career or went to college, and preferred quick schemes to get money fast even if they were illicit. Hell, he hadn’t even lasted one month working in her landscaping company.
He looked away. “If needed.”
She bit her lip. “What kind of trouble are you in?” she asked, fear bubbling in her blood. Their mom didn’t need to deal with this shit—she’d paid her dues, and now dealt with hypertension she struggled to get under control. Once again, Lara would have to save the day, whether she wanted to or not.
“Big trouble,” he said, concern flickered in his brown eyes.
“Well, tell me. Do you need money?”
“It’s not that simple,” he said, raking his fingers in his hair. “On my last assignment, I went to an office building to collect money from someone. Well, I misread the information I had on my phone, and ended up going to the wrong address and beating up the wrong guy.”
