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My breath stalls when I look into his moss-green eyes and take his hand.
“Nice to meet you,” I whisper.
“It really is uncanny,” he says, shaking my hand.
His clone snorts beside him, looking me up and down while I do the same. The next West is a piece of art, with multiple tattoos on his arms and I’m sure under his shirt. He doesn’t have to say his name for me to know he’s Seger West. Identical twin to Zeppelin West. They’ve been running our father’s record company in a town not too far from here—East Point Bluff. But other than that, I’m in the dark about their life.
“I'm Seger. It's cool to meet you, Little West. Wish it could have been fucking sooner.” I take his hand next, nearly flinching when his hard grip grasps mine.
“Nice to meet you, too,” I say more confidently this time, feeling at ease in their presence.
I expect them to seem more stuck up and pretentious, but they’re quickly proving me wrong. I guess what they say is true, never judge a book by its cover.
“We weren't quite sure where you went,” Zeppelin says with a tight smile. “But now that the circumstances have changed, I'm eager to give you your inheritance. Our father’s best kept secret.”
Seger scoffs, “Imagine our fucking surprise when his lawyer called us months after he died to let us know he left millions of dollars to the kids he shoved aside. I mean, good for you guys. You get the fucking help you need. But he could have fucking done it years before,” Seger rants, shaking his head and blowing out a breath.
“Is it…” I lick my lips nervously. I swear sweat is plastering in unflattering places. “Is it seriously twenty million?”
Zeppelin grins, exposing his straight teeth. “He was a billionaire by the time he died. West Records was his baby that skyrocketed his funds.”
“Being a rock star fucking helped, too,” Seger jokes, letting his eyes roam over the mansion as he lets out a whistle. “Hell of a place you got here.”
“Thanks,” Jericho says, puffing out his chest. “If you all would like to take this to the dining room, we've had dinner catered for us.”
“Catered,” Olivia snorts. “Typical fucking Viotto.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jericho gripes, hooking his hand with mine.
“Shepp,” Olivia says with a big smile. “You're as talkative as ever.”
Shepp grins, pushing off the wall he was leaning against, and signs something.
Olivia grins again, quickly signing something back. Shit. I really need to get on it so I can learn sign language. If she can do it, then so can I. But I'm still determined to pull words out of him in front of the others. Something he has yet to do.
Seger and Zeppelin linger beside Jericho and me as we make our way into the large dining room close to the kitchen. We make small talk, catching up on where they're from—East Point Bluff. A hoity-toity town filled with controversy.
When we enter the bustling dining room, I’m stunned to see several people in white uniforms moving around with trays in their hands. I side-eye Jericho. Discretion is his father's middle name. So, why does he have strangers in his house who could report back to his father about this meeting? He doesn't seem concerned, though. Maybe they’re trustworthy.
The large table, fit for probably twenty people, has been set with fancy plates and candles illuminating the middle. As the seven of us take our seats, steaming meals are placed in front of us, and we continue our small talk. Jericho sits to my left with Shepp and Arrow on his other side, sitting side by side. Seger is to my right at the head of the table. Across from me, Zeppelin watches us with a careful eye while Olivia lounges next to him, talking with Arrow.
“I can't believe a cult was actively murdering people at your school,” I say, shaking my head as we dig into our meals consisting of steaks, potatoes, and other sides.
“We barely survived,” Seger groans, biting into his steak. “Hell of an experience. Ten out of ten, do not recommend. God damn this steak is good. Who delivered again?”
“It’s Emerson Steak House. One of Liv’s favorites when she lived in town,” Jericho chimes in, carefully cutting his steak into pieces before taking a bite.
Olivia grins. “I'm surprised you remembered. I was only here for a few years.”
“You're family. My favorite cousin. Of course, I remembered.” Jericho grins back, almost childlike.
It's odd to see him genuinely thrilled to have her here. And I see the resemblances, too. Jericho explained to me that the Viotto family is made up of six brothers. Five who lead sections of California and work together as a team. And one adopted son, who left the family and became a secret agent like Liv. To me, it's confusing as hell.
“Fucking delicious. Need one of these in East Point,” Seger groans, shoving a big piece into his mouth and letting the juices run down his chin.
How charming.
“The only good thing that came of that whole East Point Prep debacle was getting the scum off the street,” Olivia says, shaking her head. “Although, I've heard rumblings of The Apocalypse Society rebooting in other countries.”
