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"Do you want to take over the family from Dad?" I asked bluntly.
He licked his lips. Picked up his beer and took a gulp.
"Honestly… If he offered it to me, I'd accept. But he's not going to offer it to me. The best I can hope for is that you don't blame me for what happened with the bear, and keep an open mind about letting me work for you. I can prove my loyalty. I can prove that my tongue is still as skilled as ever."
He forced a smile. For the first time in years, he gave me the impression fucking me was something he was reluctant to do.
I put it down to his not wanting to share me with the twins, and Slade. Maybe he met someone here at Brutham already. That wouldn’t surprise me. No one here wasted time snapping anyone who would be an asset to them, now or in the future.
Either way, it didn't matter. I wasn't going to go there with him.
"You can keep your tongue to yourself," I told him. "I have enough of those to keep me busy." I took the beer from his hand, gave him a cheeky smile and sipped.
"You really had no idea Herman was full of deadly fumes? What about the bear you gave to Chloe? The one that exploded after I threw it out the window. I had a feeling someone was watching, waiting for the right time."
He shrugged and crossed his arms, relinquishing ownership of his drink. "Would you be so surprised if Reuben Brantley had a camera in your sister's bedroom?" He scoffed. "Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Hunter and Parker put it there. Maybe you should be having this conversation with them."
"I will when they get back from their business trip." I hated to admit that he might be right, but if there was a camera in Chloe's room, chances were the twins put it there. Not so they could blow me up. They might have done it at Reuben’s request, or so they could keep an eye on Chloe.
Zachary was watching me closely. "Are you sure you can trust them? They seem ambitious and very, very… Brantley. Betrayal is in their blood. I wouldn't put it past either of them to get a kick out of using you until they're done with you."
Before I could respond to that he added, "Or you might be using them to get some dick while you keep an eye on them. You know what they say about keeping your enemies close."
"Of course I can trust them," I argued.
I didn’t want to admit he planted the seeds of doubt in the back of my mind. I'd always known I needed to be careful of Hunter and Parker. They weren't referred to as the evil twins for nothing. Their whole family was known for stepping on other people to get what they wanted. I wasn't naïve enough to think they might do the same to me.
I didn't want to believe that though. My feelings for both of them ran deep. The idea they might be planning to betray me, made my heart twist. If they did, it would be the last thing they ever did.
"I know you better than that," Zachary said softly. "The Lila Bell I know doesn't go around trusting people easily. You're always on alert for anyone putting a toe out of line. Nothing gets past you, because you don't take things at face value. You're always thinking, evaluating and planning. Just like your father."
It wasn't an accusation, just an observation. An accurate one, most of the time.
"You're right, I don't trust people easily. Including you," I told him.
I wasn't sure I believed a word of what he said about the teddy bears. The best lies always have enough truth in them to make them plausible. Would I have been like this if I grew up with my mother?
I felt as though I spent my life surrounded by men and shadows, and a sister who always seemed to be looking for ways to take advantage.
"Including me," he agreed. "And Chloe. You need to consider the possibility she did this. She might have been planning something with the other teddy bear, that you ruined by turning up when you did. She said something about you cutting it open and finding the bomb inside. Maybe doing that set it off? Explosives are fragile. If you do the wrong thing at the wrong time, they can blow up in your face. Literally."
"Maybe you and Chloe are working together," I said lightly.
He stiffened slightly, then snorted. "Maybe. Did hell freeze over?" He leaned over towards me.
"I meant what I said, I want to work with you. In whatever capacity that may be. I'm not asking you to marry me or have my children, just let me be a part of this." He spread his hands and gestured towards me. "I don't think that's too much to ask."
He seemed sincere, but there was something about his tone that set off warning bells in the back of my mind. Nothing I could put my finger on. Just a sense that something was… Off.
"If I do have you work for me," I said slowly, "it won't be in teddy bear acquisitions." Even if there was such a thing, which there probably wasn't. Although, those teddy bears had to come from somewhere.
He laughed. "I promise not to buy any more teddy bears. Or plush elephants. Or plush pigs. Or plush anything."
"Good, because I don't think I could trust a plush anything ever again." I finished the last of his drink and placed the empty glass on the table in front of us.
"That's the Lila Bell I know," he said. "Mistrustful of everything, including plush toys."
"It might not be my preferred lifestyle choice, but it is what it is." I shrugged.
