Page 21 of One Night Diamond

When she took out her iPad and deleted my brother from her contacts, my anger for him grew. No nine-year-old should ever have to do such a thing.

I guess I’ve always known his true nature, but I shied away from it because he was my brother. But if he was truly my brother, if he truly loved me and loved Lilah, he wouldn’t have done such a despicable thing. I hope losing what’s left of his family was worth whatever he got paid.

To give me time to talk to Gage, Emily and Jake are having ice cream with Lilah. Sweat trickles down my back. This is going to be a hard conversation.

I look up from the table to see Gage jogging over to me.

I pick up the glass of ice water, my hand trembles.

“There you are, hotshot. I’ve been calling you.”

“I know.” I mutter.

“Baby…” He tips my chin up. “Everything’s fine.”

“It’s not.” I look away. “What my brother did is awful.”

“Agreed. It is awful. Simon is a fucking idiot for what he did to Lilah.”

“Lilah?” I nearly screech. “What about you?”

“I’m fine. You and Lilah are my main concern. I called the team publicist. They are all over this story. Your brother’s two minutes of fame are over.” He reaches for my hand. “Not only that, he’s going to have to pay the money back because his story is a lie.”

I pull my hand back. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“You’ve got a funny way of showing it, baby. You aren’t smiling.”

“I can’t.” I lift my head to look him in the eye. “I need time to think.”

“Alright. We’ve got a twelve-hour flight coming right up.”

“No.” I exhale. “I need more than that. You can call Lilah whenever you want. See her whenever you want. But as far as you and me, I need to rethink this.”

Gage glares, grinding his molars. “Don’t do this.”

“I have to.”

The pain in his eyes hits me hard.

“Baby, we’ve lost so much time already.”

“I need time.”

Gage sits back. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” My heart makes a painful squeeze. “I need to think.”

“I love you, Darla. With every ounce of my soul, I love you. I love Lilah. I will give you time.” He stands up, braces his arms on the table and leans into my face. “But as soon as that time is up, you need to know one thing.”

“What?” My bottom lip quivers.

“I’m coming for you.”

Chapter Thirteen – Gage

Murmurs arise as I make my way through the lobby of the brokerage firm. Women whisper to each other, while the men get to their feet wondering if they should call 911 or grab a piece of paper to ask for my autograph.

I am fully aware there is steam pouring out of my ears and I might be sporting the face of a serial killer.

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