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Ryker laughs aloud, like the situation is terribly funny and he’s the only one who knows the joke. “I have a cute little story for you, Mila. I’m sure you’ll find it enlightening. Won’t she, Zane?”
The only thing that moves on Zane’s frozen form is the motion of his jaw joint, as though he’s gritting his teeth. A denial is nowhere to be seen.
His demeanor scares me more than anything Ryker can reveal.
“You’re gonna love this, Mila. I promise.”
In spite of Ryker’s odd laughter, his expression is the hardest I’ve ever seen it. I swear, his eyes are so cold, they’re like looking in a dead man’s eyes.
My fingernails dig into my palms as I steel myself for his story. All the while,he can’t break us,wanders through my mind. Over and Over.
I won’t let him.
chapter twenty-six
~
“ONCE UPON Atime,” Ryker starts, enjoying this way too much. “I had clients in town and I took them to see the Marin Symphony. It was last year’s season. I attended three nights in a row, taking different people each time. Is this story good so far?”
“No, not at all,” I tell him.
“It’s about to get better.”
Zane’s shoulders are rigid, his posture tense. Is he nervous about Ryker’s story? I swallow and say nothing more.
“All three nights werelovely, if you enjoy that sort of thing. Full disclosure here. I enjoy the symphonysomewhat. I hated it as a kid. I thought it was the most boring thing life had to offer. It has since grown on me. Only just.” He holds up two fingers very close together, to indicate a teeny amount.
“Get on with it, Ryker. Say what you want to say.”
He’s a mean man. I didn’t know that about him. Duly noted. I will forever be careful in his presence.
“Some stories can’t be rushed. Especially when the punch line should be savored.”
He pauses and tendrils of fear wander up and down my spine. I was wrong when I thought Ryker didn’t have any humor inside him. He does. Dark humor. Cruel humor. I never really knew this man. The thought bothers me more than I care to admit.
“Where was I? Oh yes. The symphony and how much I sort of, no,barelyenjoyed it. My clients loved it, even though one of them snored through the whole darn thing. So rude and so unfair. I couldn’t join him, I had to be the perfect host and pretend I was fascinated.”
So, it was only for my sake that he pretended he loved attending the symphony. Does he ever reveal his true self?
Maybe that’s what he’s doing right now.
Ryker goes on. “At any rate, a funny thing happened while at the symphony those three nights in a row. I saw someone there I knew each and every time. Can you guess who it was, Mila? I bet you can. But I’ll give you three chances just in case.”
My stomach clenches painfully. “I have no idea.”
“You’re such a bad liar. Not necessarily a bad thing, though. If you want to succeed in life, may I suggest getting good at it? But I digress. If you guessed my brother, you would be right on the money. Ding, ding, ding. All three nights in a row, there was Zane, enraptured by the symphony. Like I said, the symphony is okay, but let’s face it, most of the time it’s a real snoozefest. But not to Zane. Oh no, his eyes were glued to the stage, and I mean riveted. The man was freakin’ mesmerized. Made me wonder if we were watching the same performance. Finally, I approached him and asked what he was doing there. Go ahead, ask me what he said, Mila. You’ll love his answer.”
Zane grants me another slight shake of his head in the negative. That’s all—and I need more.
“It doesn’t matter what he said.” My hot cheeks and quivering lips betray me.
“Oh, I think it does. I think it matters big time. First, I’ll tell you what he didn’t say. He didn’t say,Our father just had a stroke and being here reminds me of time spent with him as a kid.That would’ve been my first guess. I was wrong, I admit it. Gotta say, Zane surprised me when he didn’t even glance my way. Instead, he said,The pianist, she’s amazing, isn’t she?So, if you don’t know who that is, I’ll tell you. That was you, my dear, sweet Mila. Yes, you. Our Zane here couldn’t take his eyes off you. Y-O-U. He was captivated.” Ryker scoffs. “News to you, isn’t it? I can tell by that shocked expression on your face. Business 101. Learn how to hide your feelings. You missed that class, Mila, didn’t you?”
Ryker walks toward me acting casual, his hands in his pockets. He thinks he’s won, that he’s dealt the winning blow.
He might have.
“Didn’t you?” he says, his lips snarling.
