Page 18 of Sebastian

Silence rang over the line for a moment before Newt’s voice exploded.

“What? That’s not helpful at all. I have no idea what that means. Stop being cryptic and just tell me.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to think about it while you’re working.”

A beep interrupted our conversation, indicating that someone else was calling me. I recognized my brother’s number immediately.

A knot of panic tightened my chest.

Why was Damien calling me?

He hated staying up late and should be in bed by now. Earlier, he’d gone out to investigate a possible lead on Jason Dahler’s missing brother. The John Doe may not have been our man, but we had other leads to follow.

However, even if Damien had discovered something about Clay Dahler, there was no reason for him to call me. Anything he found could have waited until I got home.

“Newt, I need to hang up. My brother is calling. I’ll talk to you later.”

I almost didn’t need the phone to hear him sigh. His resignation seemed to vibrate the very fabric of reality.

“Fine. I see how it is. Just hang up and leave me clueless.”

My panic subsided for a moment in the wake of Newt’s dramatics.

“I’ll make it up to you on our date this weekend. Still on for that, right?”

“Of course. You’re coming over to my place so we can play together in person. And you can meet my roommate, Frankie. You’ll like him.”

A distant voice could just be heard over the line. Newt exchanged a few words with the person, too far away from the phone’s mic for me to hear what he said, then his voice returned.

“My break is over. I’ve got to go. If you want to make it up to me, then bring me one of those giant cookie-cakes.”

“With M&M’s instead of chocolate chips?” I asked despite already knowing the answer.

“Yep.” Even though I couldn’t see his smile, I could practically hear the way his mouth curved around the words. “Only a week of dating and you already know me so well. I’m not sure if that means you’re too smart, or I’m too simple. Hmm. You’re probably just too smart. No one’s ever accused me of being simple. Bye. Talk to you later.”

Then he hung up.

With the touch of a button, I switched over the Bluetooth to pick up my brother’s call.

“Damien? Is something wrong?”

My brother hated talking on the phone while driving. He was paranoid about causing an accident, and never called anyone when he knew they were in a car, even if they were just a passenger. This meant that whatever he needed to tell me must be important.

“Where are you right now?”

My face stayed passive as I focused on the road, but inside I cringed. Of all the questions Damien could have demanded, it had to be one I couldn’t answer.

“I’m driving right now.”

I would have just left it at that, but Damien knew me too well. He’d be able to sense the omission if I wasn’t more specific.

Gritting my teeth, I gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“I had a date. We went out to the movies. The theaters nearby didn’t have any show times that fit with Newt’s schedule, so we had to go farther away. Should be home in about half an hour.”

I’d lied to my brother exactly three times in my life.

The first was when I was a kid. I hadn’t yet come to terms with my sexuality and invented a fake girlfriend to prove I was straight. Damien saw right through the lie and called me out, metaphorically prying me out of the closet with a crowbar.

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