Page 147 of Chasing Sparks

“Don’t expect an invitation.”

“I guess my sister shouldn’t expect one, either, huh?”

I freeze as I bend to grab the putty knife. “Do I know your sister?”

For half a second, my brain shoots off in the worst direction. Did I fuck his sister? I’ve been with a lot of women, but surely, I’d remember one related to this asshole.

Eddie chuckles, cutting through my spiraling thoughts. “Quite well. Oriana Thorne is my half-sister. We only recently came into each other’s lives.”

Wait.What?

The ground beneath me shifts. Eddie. Ori. Sister. The anger I’ve been clinging to suddenly feels hollow, like a weapon with no target.

“Your ... sister?” I repeat, dumbfounded.

“Yeah. Same dad,” he says, casually inspecting a dent in his knuckles like he didn’t just drop a bomb at my feet.

“How the hell did I not know this?”

“She didn’t either. Not for a long time. I knew Dad leaving was a sore spot, so I wanted to ease her into it.”

I drag a hand over my face, trying to make sense of it all. “But you don’t have the same last name.”

Eddie shakes his head. “I use my mother’s last name in business, since there’s already a well-known Edward Thorne.”

“Oh yeah, that fucking psycho serial killer.” Talk about an unlucky coincidence.

“That bastard pretty much killed my namesake,” Eddie says with a faint smirk. “Thanks to that asshole, I’ve got to introduce myself like I’m not about to steal your wallet or bury you in the woods. Not exactly a great opener if you’re trying to land a job.”

“Good point. Wait a minute. You’re not after Ori’s money, are you?” I ask, my voice still sharp, even though my earlier assumptions about Eddie are unraveling fast.

“I’ve got plenty of my own.” Eddie smirks, holding out his hand. “Still hate me?”

I stare at him, the pieces falling into place. Without saying it outright, he knows exactly why I lost my shit every time he came around.

“Fuck, man. I feel like an asshole.” I shake his hand, then pull him into a quick, brotherly hug. “I thought?—”

“I know,” he says, cutting me off with a knowing grin. “But you’ve got nothing to worry about from me. Unless you hurt Ori. Then we have a problem. Abigproblem.”

The mention of her name sends a pang of regret through me.

“She probably hates me right now,” I admit, running a hand through my messy hair.

“Nah,” Eddie says, his lips twitching. “But she’s pissed as hell at you.”

“I wish she’d told me.”

“Would you have listened?” Eddie raises a brow. “I was there, man. You saw me and were gone in sixty seconds flat.”

I tug at my beard, hating how right he is. My jealousy blinded me so completely I couldn’t see the truth staring me in the face.

“I’ll fix things with her,” I say firmly, the resolve settling in my chest. “And you’re always welcome atRum & Ruin. VIP all the way.”

Eddie nods, his approval clear in the small smile tugging at his lips. “I’ll take you up on that.”

“How is she?”

The grin falls from Eddie’s face. “Tired. Overwhelmed. Defeated. She’s asked me to find a buyer for the Dean Estate. Said there’s no point in continuing the repairs.”

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