Page 85 of Seducer

Exhaling, I placed the headset on the coffee table, trying nonchalantly to turn off the game before he realized what I was playing. Only my brother didn’t miss a thing, as observant if not more so than I was.

He frowned, already frustrated.

“So, what did you do?” I interrupted his thought process, hopeful he’d forget about it.

“I went to the school. I groveled to everyone who would listen to me and I was sincere about it.” He gave me his best imitation of a puppy dog look, something he’d used on me from day one of me becoming his surrogate mother. I hadn’t bought it then and Icertainly didn’t now, although I was hopeful others did. He could look very sincere when he wanted to.

“And?”

“And I’m back in as of Monday. With conditions.”

“Which are?”

“That I stay completely out of trouble and volunteer to wash down the common building with a few other guys.”

“Which you did with glee in your voice.”

Kyle shrugged, immediately glancing toward the headset again. “Yeah, I did. Just like you asked. Now, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

He glanced at the big, fat watch, one of the few things I’d snagged for him from our father. He’d worn it since he was twelve. Back then he’d been skinny, the watch too big for him. Now I couldn’t imagine him without it.

“You’re home early from work and you’re playing a video game. Why?”

It was my turn to shrug. “I thought it would be good for my job to at least get through it once. You know? I do want to advance my career.” Technically I wasn’t lying.

“You’re so talented. You could work anywhere.”

“Why are you suddenly down on the Blackwell Group?”

He gave me a strange look and started to walk away. I grabbed his arm.

“Don’t do that. If you know or suspect something about the company, you need to tell me.”

“I don’t know anything for certain. I just hear things. You know? I have buddies trying to break into the field. They do research. I just heard the Blackwell brothers are strange dudes. Plus, there’s this big story that their father was some hard-core serial killer. Beats to shit what our dad did.”

He was laughing and I was furious. “Don’t do that. You have no understanding of what our father did and how he was trying to protect us.”

“Oh, yeah, by working with the mafia. Some legacy we grew up with.”

That much he’d gleaned from television reporters.

I was shocked with myself when I slapped him, so much so I pressed both hands over my mouth and took a step back. His eyes highlighted the hurt and surprise I’d anticipated.

“I’m sorry, Kyle. That was horrible of me.”

“No, it wasn’t. I know we’re not allowed to talk about him and I didn’t experience what you did. I just… I just wish we were normal. You know, a real family.”

“I thought we were a real family.”

“You know what I mean. With a mom and dad, aunts and uncles. I can’t even talk about my parents to anyone. Not allowed.” Kyle had never mentioned our parents to this degree, not after the first few months they’d been murdered. There, I’d thought it finally for the first time in months, maybe years.

“I did my best.” I tried to turn away before he noticed tears in my eyes.

“Hey, sis. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. You’ve spent years trying to give me a safe environment to grow up in. I won’t forget that. I just need to talk about them sometimes. You know?”

“I do. I really do. I wish they were here too. That’s why I’m trying to ensure we have a better life. There’s this possibility I could move very far within the company if I play this game and make it through. Maybe it’s a pipe dream, but right now, it’s all I have to grasp onto.”

---