Page 71 of Ace

"He is here to work on finding Sadie," William says, looking at the man in question rather than me. "She has been located and his services are no longer needed."

"William," Chris says, his voice weak and offended at how insensitive he's being right now.

"He's right," Eddie says, his finger curling into my back for a second before he takes a step back. "I'll gather my things."

"Eddie," I whisper, catching his eyes.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Ms. Preston," he says before leaving the room.

A putrid sense of betrayal washes over me, and I don't know whether to aim my anger at the man who just so easily walked away or at my brother for suggesting he do so.

It isn't five minutes later when Chris's sobs begin to soften that I hear the front door open and close again.

William still stands sentry near the doorway to the dining room, and I glare at him with tears in my own eyes and angle my head toward Faye. The woman needs comfort, too. Sadness fills his eyes when he looks at the woman and he moves closer to her.

"Let's get you up to your room," he cajoles, and I think it's possibly the softest I've ever seen William.

He's always so stoic and unemotional.

"How about we move to the den?" I suggest to Chris.

He uses his cloth dinner napkin to dab at his eyes and swipe under his runny nose, and I feel heartbroken all over again when he looks up at me.

"How is this even possible?" he asks, shaking his head as if he still can't believe she's really gone. "We lost Mom and Dad and now Sadie? Who's next?"

"No one, " I assure him as I help him stand.

I remember when I got the news about Dad. Christopher was with him. They took a little time to go to the golf course for Chris's fourteenth birthday, and our father collapsed on the course. He was alone then and devastated, and I can only imagine what lasting effect that has had on his birthday. He smiles and tries to act like it's a day worth celebrating, but I've always seen the shadows in his eyes when we attempt to celebrate as if he blames himself for what happened.

I feel like I'm not adequate enough this time. Chris has grown over a foot taller than I am, and he's no longer the ganglyteen I can wrap my arms around and protect the way I did when Dad died.

I sit beside him on the sofa, leaning over and grabbing the half-empty box of tissues that I've been using each time I find myself thinking about Sadie since getting home from California.

"I'm going to head back home," William says entering the room after getting Faye settled. "I'll call Charleston in the morning and make arrangements for burial."

Both Chris and I look up at him.

"I think a quiet family affair would be best," he says, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The less press we have on this matter the better. She has ruined this family's name enough."

"The better?" Chris snaps. "She was our sister, you cold, heartless bastard!"

I wrap my insufficient arms tighter around Chris, wondering if he's going to stand up and go after his older brother because I can feel his body trembling with rage.

William looks at him as if his outburst is unreasonable.

"Shh," I tell Chris before looking back up at William. "I'll walk you out."

According to our mother, it's customary to stand on the porch and wave at people until they're fully out of your line of sight so that they're not alone as they begin their journey away from you.

I don't want to do this for William, but it would be weird if I didn't.

Cold chills rush up my arms when we're alone in the hallway walking toward the front door.

"You don't seem surprised," he says.

"I don't think it has fully set in yet," I mutter, wondering if he's suspicious of how I've reacted to the news.

I knew it was going to be difficult for me. As much as I've tried, I've never been much of an actress. I can smile and takethings on the chin with the best of them, but this sort of stuff is out of my wheelhouse. I haven't come to the end of my grieving, but I've had more time than Chris to come to terms with the truth. Maybe William has had even more time, and that's why he's so very capable of keeping his emotions under control.

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