Page 6 of As the World Falls

“Nothing, it’s just…you sounded funny, saying,I see.”

“What’s funny about that?”

I shrug. “It just sounded fancy.”

“How do the two words,Iandsee, sound fancy?” He sounded exasperated now, and I couldn’t help but giggle again.

“It just does.”

He shakes his head. “All right then. I’ll try to sound less fancy.”

“No, please. Sound as fancy as you want. I enjoy it, although I don’t know where it came from. Is your boss a fancy man?”

He chuckles now. “Fancy isn’t the word I’d use to describe him.”

“How would you describe him?” I was all too curious about the man who trusted my brother enough to be promoted all the way to the position just under his.

He looks up toward the ceiling as he thinks about it. “He’s… viciously determined and a bit of a sarcastic prick. He’s a really great guy.”

I blink slowly. “I’m not sure those are all great qualities.”

“There’s obviously more to him than that.”

“Well, how well do you know him?”

“Pretty well. We spend almost every day together.”

“So, you’re friends then?”

He pauses for a second before answering. “Yes. He might be my only friend.”

My heart began to ache at the idea of my brother only having one person to talk to while he tried to get himself together. I wish I could have been there for him so he wouldn’t have been so lonely.

“Well, then, he must be great like you say,” I note, trying to remain positive, although I was still skeptical. I hated being adowner, but my brother had let me down one too many times over the years, so I wasn’t quick to trust this new façade he had going on. Even though he looked good, it didn’t mean he was doing good. I needed proof to believe it.

It’s the evening by the time I get back home. Tobias dropped me off and promised to visit again soon after catching up today. I wished he could have stayed, but he was acoonow, whatever that meant, and he had work to return to.

The idea was still concerning to me. It was strange to see him so well off now when he was strung out the last time I’d seen him and couldn’t even rub two nickels together. It made me wonder what kind of business he operated at Labyrinth if he wasn’t just a jewelry salesman like I had first assumed.

I pull up the internet browser on my laptop and search Labyrinth Crystals in the search bar. Of course, I am directed to all their shopping sites and advertisements. I click on the news tab and scroll through, mostly passing articles about the new sales amount they’ve reached. Yada yada.

Then I came across an article titled: “CEO James Kingston arrested under suspicion of involvement with New York's most wanted Stefano Luccio.”

I click on it and read about all the suspicions of money laundering, gunrunning, and unregulated trades to the freaking mafia that Stefano Luccio is a part of. But before Luccio went to trial, all charges were suddenly dropped, and James Kingston was cleared of wrongdoing.

None of it sat right with me. Was my brother in the freaking mafia? Is that what this was? Is that why he’s moved up the company so fast and is practically rich now? It was the only logical explanation that could explain how he was where he was in four years. Although he had mentioned that he’s worked for Labyrinth for five years now, which meant he was involved with them when he wasn’t sober when I had seen him at his worst.This meant he was mixed up with no good people, which was probably his way into this shady industry.

My brain was firing at all corners, and I slammed my laptop shut to try and calm myself down.

It was okay. Everything was going to be okay.

I think back to how good my brother looked and how well he seemed to be doing. Maybe I was wrong. Perhaps he had a completely regular office job, and I was overreacting. Maybe he was just that good at what he did.

I believed that he was sober now, which means the right kind of people surrounded him to be sober… right?

I slowly opened my laptop again, searching for the headquarters of Labyrinth Crystal and plugging the address into my phone. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to check on things and ensure everything looked okay and legal.

Yes… that wouldn’t be a big deal, right? I mean, it’s coming from a place of love and concern over my brother. He’d do the same for me… I think.

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