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“Okay, that is it for now, but we’re both very excited to honor the memory of my late parents. It’s been less than a month and the entire city feels their absence as I do.”
“We feel their absence, Mr. Lynol, and thanks so much for speaking to me.”
We’re two feet from the entrance when I hear another reporter call out to me. “Mr. Lynol, is it true that your father had another child with a woman he was having an affair with while married to your mother?”
Clark squeezes my hand as a symbol of support, walking me past the threshold, helping me avoid a situation, one that has me hurting that fucking reporter. But it’s worse than I thought. At the door to the gala, is the person who I know took my parents from me. In a smug smile and a suit that is more expensive than my Versace—stands my half-brother.
* * *
Like the fucking reporter,Clark tugs me away from an altercation with Nick. How did he know about the gala and who fucking invited him? Shit, it was me. I forgot I asked Nina to send him the information before I found out about the murders.
“Xander?” he calls after me. Clark’s elbow is linked with mine.
“Nothing good comes from you losing your shit on him right now, and we can only avoid him for so long, babe.”
I agree, only with a tight smile pulling at my lips. After all, I’m a Lynol and I have an image to uphold. I’ll stop to get this out of the way. “Xander, can we talk for a second, in private, away from here?” A conference room sits off this auditorium a couple feet up the hall.
“You have five minutes, but he’ll be with us.” He surmises Clark and directs his attention back to me.
“Okay.”
We open the door and walk through and the second we’re alone, I see a side of Nick I’ve not seen. Granted we’ve had less than ten interactions with one another, but he’s never shown me the vulnerability he does now, as his face is ashen and his eyes are wide.
“I was asked to come to town to help in the investigation of our dad and your mom. The detective, pretty much a prick, didn’t tell me I was the prime suspect.” He pauses for a second and swings his attention behind him, toward Clark then back to me. “You have to believe me, I had nothing to do with our father’s death. I was mad about the will, yes! I was so fucking mad, and though I quickly realized he’d never be the father I had hoped he’d be, I had come to admire the man, and more so understand him and his choices.”
I turn my head slightly, looking over my shoulder at Clark. Does he have a read on the man?
“I don’t have to believe anything, Nick. You’ve done nothing but alienate me from the beginning, I extended an olive branch because I understood something about you. I knew how hard it was to be Lyle Lynol’s son. And even in the short amount of time you knew him, I got it. But you threaten to bring litigation against me, you’re rude, uninviting, only caring about the money. In my book that makes you as much of a suspect as anyone at this point.”
I walk past him and toward the door as Clark takes my hand and we leave the asshole to his own devices.
* * *
“I’ve never met your brother.”He leans over and whispers in my ear once we’re seated. “But he seems rather sincere.”
Nick did seem different but most sociopaths are also professional liars.
We are ushered to our seats at the front of the stage. I slide as close to Clark, remaining in my seat. “Thank you for being here for me, babe.” And my lips brush against his. “And this is a promise for what’s to come tonight.” We’d decided to spend the evening in my apartment because I won’t hold back, and at his ma’s we have to be a little more reserved.
“I love you, Xander, and I’ll take your crazy sex and raise you painting of the walls.”
The smile I seem to always have on my lips because Clark is next to me deepens into a rich laughter. “You really have a thing about me painting the walls, don’t you?” His eyes burn for me, and I don’t need an answer because they smolder with fire.
Someone sits in the chair next to me, and I look over to see Nicolas. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
His expression is similar to before, but I don’t have a read on the guy. Could he have killed my mother when he knows the loss of his own mom?
“Xander, they sat us together. But maybe you can listen to reason.” I turn to Clark but he adjusts his seat, giving my brother attention.
“Give him one reason to believe you?” Clark demands.
Many people are still floating and networking throughout the room. As much as this is for my parents, it’s more for the political connections the power-hungry people of this city can make.
“I wanted respect from Lyle. Killing him would never bring me that result. Sure, I’m mad over the way the will was divided but all I wanted was for him to look at me the way he looked at you, Xander.”
I whip my attention to my brother.
“Nick, I was a thorn in his side, a continual disappointment.”
