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I’m whistling as I head in through the side entrance. A staff member greets me and leads the way to Carson’s study, formerly Dad’s study. The place has a thick haze of cigar smoke when I step inside. My brother’s behind the desk, puffing away, looking as stressed and anxious as Dad always looked. Except where Dad scared the hell out of me, Carson only makes me happy I’m not the oldest.
“You’re late,” he grumbles, annoyed. “Mother was asking after you.”
“I’ll go visit her shortly.” I pour myself a drink from the small cart he has set up in the corner. “How’s she hanging on?”
“You know her. She’ll never admit that she’s grieving, but she is. Doesn’t matter how much time passes. She misses Dad.”
I grunt as I sit down, sipping my whiskey. The office is ornate, filled with polished wood, lit by real Tiffany lamps. Thick leather-bound books line the shelves, more for show than anything. Dad was never much of a reader. Though Carson has made his mark on this place: new paintings line the walls, mostly landscapes, stuff he likes.
I’m happy he’s making changes to this place. It suits him.
“That makes one of us then,” I say, raising my glass. “To never seeing Dad again.”
Carson grunts at me. He leans back in his chair, puffing away as he stares at me over the glowing cherry. I study him back, waiting for him to finally say what’s on his mind. I don’t get called to the mansion unless there’s a reason, much less taken directly to him by a staff member.
“You went to visit one of Ash’s friends today.” He dabs the cigar out in a crystal ashtray. “Why?”
I let that question hang in the air. It annoys me but doesn’t surprise me. Carson’s relationship with his wife is deeply strange, in a way I’ll never quite understand.
Worse, he wasn’t supposed to know. And yet the fucker does.
“Business,” I say at last, which is at least somewhat true.
Though mostly it was pleasure.
He leans forward. My brother glares at me.
We were close once. Very close, almost like twins. I spent a lot of time with him, years really, and everything we did, we did it together. But then life began to change—he met his wife, became the boss of our family, and I drifted into my own lane. I’ve been friendlier with our younger brothers lately, Liam and Finn. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and all that.
“What business do you have with Keely and Jamila?” he presses.
“They’re opening a donut shop. It looks quite nice and I think they’ll be a big success.” I sip my whiskey, delaying. I can tell it annoys him. “I want a piece of it.”
“You’re shaking them down?” His eyes widen.
“I bought the building they’re renting. It wasn’t hard to figure out which one Keely would go for. Then I waited until they were nearly finished with the renovations—”
“I don’t want to knowhowyou’re shaking them down,” he says, practically growling at me. “I want to know why.”
I push the chair back and stand. His eyes track me as I walk across the room, looking at the pictures in frames set up among the expensive bric-a-brac. Golden ships in bottles, an old WWII pistol, a real piece of the Berlin wall. Remnants of our father.
“I like Keely,” I say at last. “But more than that, I need to expand outside of our normal circles. You have the main family business. Finn has his wife and kids. Liam’s Liam. But I’ve been lost in all of this, not sure how I fit into the picture.”
“You think shaking down a donut shop’s going to give you purpose?”
“I think it’s a start.” I turn to face him. Carson rubs his face, clearly frustrated. “You don’t agree.”
“I think you’re going to hurt Keely. And if you hurt Keely, you hurt Ash. And if you hurt Ash—”
“You’re going to go full-on gorilla and try to kill me?”
His stare is flat. “Something like that.”
I dismiss him with a crude gesture. “You’re a little too in love with that wife of yours.”
“You have no idea.” He leans forward, palms on the desk. “Leave Keely alone. I’ll buy you out if that’s what you want. Let the girls work this out on their own.”
“They need me,” I say, shaking my head. “That place is one bad decision away from disaster and they haven’t even opened yet. Besides, Keely doesn’t even know who Jamila is—”
