Page 61 of SALT

I give him an unimpressed glare as I head toward the refrigerator. He loves to have the upper hand. Being the youngest by over a decade, he's always been super competitive, wanting to top records set by myself and Garrett. This is no different. Some might see it as a character flaw, but I see it as an asset. As important as this conversation is, I'd rather have an empty house.

"Why did Garrett suspect Lauren to begin with?" I ask as I pull out a bottle of water, desperately needing to hydrate after the night I spent with Cameron in my bed. Cognac for breakfast was the last thing I needed, but I had to calm the storm that started raging the second Moira walked into my house unannounced.

"Without knowing whatever it is, you know I'm going to assume the same as you: bad timing. She showed up at the same time Connor's house gets broken into, works at the stadium, which gives her access to you and Cameron, and, to top it off, she's started inserting herself in circles she never belonged to. Why?"

I start rummaging through the fridge for something to put in my stomach when a package of turkey pepperoni catches my attention. My stomach instantly starts to rumble. I hastily pop one into my mouth to quench the hunger pains that have now begun to take root.

"Lauren stopped by unexpectedly a few nights ago. She came with a purpose, which I believe was to deliver Cameron's phone, a detail I didn't find out until the next morning because rather than hand me the phone and take her leave, she wanted to walk down memory lane. Something that seems to be a reoccurring theme every time she's around." I shove another pepperoni into my mouth.

"Hold on, did you say next morning? You let Lauren spend the night?" His eyes widen in disbelief.

"Yes," I answer matter-of-factly. "One, she had too much to drink for me to, in good conscience, allow her to drive home, and two, I was doing my own investigating."

He swirls his drink, seemingly pacified by my response. "How far back did the walk down memory lane go?"

"The better question would be, who are they about." I pause to finish my water.

"Oh hey, Colton," Cameron interrupts with Stormy by her side, now wearing dry clothes. Her eyes briefly flick to mine before landing back on Colton's. "I didn't know you were coming over today. Maybe we should order food since we have a full house."

"I could always eat." He raises his glass toward Stormy. "Who's your friend?"

"Sorry, how rude of me. Stormy, this is Colton, Everett's younger brother." She places her hands on the island. "Stormy is working with me in the team shop for the summer. You might know her aunt, Lauren Rhodes." He raises a brow before taking a long drink of his vodka. His lack of response isn't directed at Cameron. He's in his head, but she doesn't know that. She rolls her lips and reaches to push a strand of hair that isn't there behind her ear. "Well, we're going to head back outside. I'll see what the guys want to order." Her eyes flick to mine disquietly once more before she pulls Stormy out behind her.

"What's going on inside that head of yours?" I ask as soon as the door is closed.

"Two things I'm sure of…" He sets his glass down. "That friendship isn't a coincidence," his eyes lock onto mine. "And… it may not have been true before, but it's true now. You're fucking Salt." I clench my jaw in annoyance. I hate the way he uses the term fucking. I don't know what our future looks like, but she could never be just a fuck. Cameron Salt is anything but disposable. "I don't expect you to argue it. A guilty conscience needs no words." He grips the ledge of the island. "You already know my thoughts, just don't fuck around and hurt her."

My mouth remains shut. He's my brother, and I don't need to give him words. Even if I could, I'm sure saying them out loud would make all of this real, and that's an admission I haven't had a moment to myself to think through.

"Knock, knock. I brought Gioa's Deli," Lauren calls out as the sound of her heels clicking off the hardwood floors draws near.

"Seriously," Colton mutters incredulously as he reclaims his drink.

Lauren rounds the corner with her hands full, and I come to her side to help take the bags off her arms. I may not care to entertain her company, but I'm not rude and am currently very hungry. Plus, with Colton here, I'm sure we'll put our theories to rest by accommodating her antics.

"Perfect timing," I say as I take the paper bag full of salad off her hands. "I'm starving." Setting it down, I gesture toward my brother. "Lauren, you remember Colton, don't you?"

"What's your game here? You're sitting poolside while Lauren is, quote un-quote, inside using the restroom, which we both know means she's inside snooping. Meanwhile, you're out here driving yourself mad watching that biker boy over there flirt with Cameron."

I pull my eyes away from the pool ledge where Cameron has been sitting with Stormy for the past hour and give Colton my undivided attention.

"I'm not worried about whatever Lauren may or may not be up to inside. My office is locked, and if, by chance, she were able to get in, I have an alarm on my phone that would send me an alert. There's nothing of importance left for her prying eyes to find. As far as the rest, I'm still trying to piece together a motive. If our suspicions are correct, why now? Why wait all those years? That's why I'm letting all this play out. Something is missing. We have a time frame, and Jenny Busch's wedding puts Lauren in the same place as Damon. Everyone knows Damon married Amelia because he knocked her up and thought it was the right thing to do. He never told me Kelce wasn't his. He was my best fucking friend, and he never said a word. Which leads me to believe it all comes back to Cameron. The timing of when Damon found out about Kelce not being his blood and Cameron being born is crucial." Or at least I think it is. After talking with Cameron about Kelce and what she believed Amelia's truth was, I couldn't help but hear blackmail.

"Wait a minute. Didn't you discuss this with Cameron after I left the last time I was here? What did she say?" I drop his gaze and finish off my drink in answer. "Are you serious right now? I thought when I gave you the news about Kelce, you talked to her about him, about all of it."

"I did." My eyes find her laughing at something Elijah is saying. Her laugh is everything, and I never want to be a reason for its silence. "She doesn't know. She still believes Kelce is her half brother, and I couldn't…" I close my eyes as the memory of Damon's last words refuse to be ignored.

"Did you find it?" I asked when I saw Damon's name flash across my phone.

"Everett," he pants hard. "Everett, I need you to listen to me."

"D, what's going on? What's wrong?"

"Just listen to me. I fucked up, and now I'm answering for that."

I loosened my tie as I searched the room for my keys. I asked him to swing by my home office on his way to the gala to pick up the plaque we were to give out that night for Outstanding Philanthropic Group.

"D, are you at the house? I'll come to you?—"

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