Page 25 of Lost Kingdom

“No, thanks.” I fake a smile and reach across for the bottle of wine. My plans were to come here and get my mom plastered. Distract her with wedding flowers and plant the seeds of surrogacy for my sweet brother. He’s mentioned it in the past, and it was going to be my Hail Mary if tonight turned to shit. But these things change. My new plan: getmeplastered. “Is everything all sorted for the weekend, Elijah? Need help with anything?”

“Just collect your gown from the dressmaker and ensure your cute little tush is on time on Saturday.” He’s a traitor. A monster. A bastard. Because he looks to Tim. “I can get you the information for our tailor if you like, so you can color match your tie and pocket square. Matching our Aubree will make all the difference in the photo album.”

I wave him off and snort-giggle. Panic and humor. Desperation and devastation meeting with alcohol and Tim’s hand touching my thigh under the table. “That won’t be necessary. He won’t be in the family photos.”

“Hogwash!” Katie, my one-night-stand kitty-heathen sister, announces. Because she, too, is a bastard. “Malcolm will be in the pictures. And Seely.” She gestures toward the woman who burrows beside my brother, Liam. “Partners have always been included. It wouldn’t be right to exclude Tim just because you’re shy.”

“Yeah, babe.” Tim’s eyes glitter with menace. “I never took you for the kind of woman to exclude others. Especially not someone you consider family.”

“What’s for dessert, anyway?” Seely saves me, sort of, and draws my mother’s gaze. “You know I have a sweet tooth, Joanette.”

“Chocolate mud.” She pops up from her chair as though the damn thing has springs in the cushions, then she skirts the table and makes a beeline for the kitchen counter. “I was hoping Duane would arrive in time for me to serve up. But I guess he’s not coming tonight.”

I slap Tim’s hand from my leg while my mother’s back is turned, and meet Seely’s kind gaze, athank youso clearly in mine.

She nods. Short. Discreet. Lifesaving.

9

TIM

JUST GETTING A HEAD START

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Aubree charges out of my car—no bus required for her return trip—and stalks through the heavy front door of the bar, stalling when the noise and heat smack her in the face and force her back a step.

It’s a predictable busyness.

This place waters every first responder on this side of the city—except the firefighters. Because cops and hose-jockeys can’t be friends. Men in uniforms, though they shouldn’t be drinking while wearing their blues. But I don’t tell, and no one else does, either.

“Keep going.” I come up at her back and gently nudge her through the door. “You’re letting all the heat out.”

“You told my parents we were engaged!” She spins and smacks my chest, hammering her fists to my pecs and hiccupping when I grab on.

Tears don’t fall from her eyes. But hell, I know they itch at the back.

“You took something from me, Tim! Marriage. Engagements. Meeting the family. Those aremythings to experience onmyterms. You took them from me like this is all a game to you!”

“But it’s not a game.” I wrap my fingers around her wrists and spy my brother’s curious stare. Back from New York, I suppose. He sits at the bar with Minka pulled onto his lap. “Wecouldbe engaged.” I bring my focus down to Aubree. “It doesn’t have to be a lie. I gave you the emeralds.”

“You didn’t give me the story of the emeralds!” She attempts to snap herhands from my grip. But I’m stronger, and her failure frustrates her. “You gave me a lie! You said, ‘Here, have this totally unimportant thing I found at a second-hand store. Also, do you wanna get coffee sometime?’ You owed me the truth! I deserved the entire story before I accepted the gift.”

“If I gave you the entire story, you’d have tossed the clip in my face.”

“Not necessarily!” Tears fall down her cheeks, shredding my heart and adding to the insurmountable pain I’ve already caused her. “I have loved you for so long, I don’t even know what my life is without you in it.”

I love you too!I want to shout.I adore you!Though I keep my mouth shut. Saying those words are so powerful, I’m certain my father will find a way to rise from the grave and take her innocence. Her beauty. Her purity.

“I want you in my life,” she groans. “And someday, maybe, we could’ve gone to dinner and triedthisout. But you’re a liar, Tim. You lied about Anne. And you lied about the emeralds. You lied to my face tonight when you said you were at my house as my friend.” She yanks her hands from mine and angrily shoves the straps of her bag onto shoulder. “You’re a liar. And it’s so painfully obvious to me when you try. It’s like a slap in my face every single time. I won’t trust a liar.”

“Uh, excuse me? Hi.” Cato sweeps in to stand on my right, grinning like the Cheshire Cat and risking a fist to his face when Aubree balls hers. “You’re having a pretty loud fight. I don’t know if you know, but…”

He gestures to the crowd surrounding us. Fifty or more cops watch on, their drinks held mid-sip and their eyes flickering with amusement. Then I look over Aubree’s shoulder and find Minka Mayet, burning me with a glare.

“You could probably take this upstairs,” he mock-whispers. “But can I come? Because I like to listen to the tea.”

“No!” Aubree swings around so fast, she almost knocks my baby brother out with the heft of her purse. Then she stalks to the bar and plops her ass on a vacant stool. “Wine, please.” She waves for Daisy and summons the preppy blonde immediately.

“You’re in trouble, huh?” Cato turns to stare at Aubree’s back, his shoulder touching mine and his hand coming up to pinch his bottom lip between his fingers. “Sounds kinda serious.”

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