Page 90 of Blood & Lace
"Is someone dead in there?" I looked down at the man who was a bit taller than Onyx. He had to be closer to six foot, unlike my husband who was a perfect five foot six.
"No." He looked away from me, pulling on the long strands of hair until they covered most of his face. "If you're here because of the smell, I plan on getting to it."
"I'm not, but proper disposal of a body is important."
"What?"
I shoved the door open and the smaller man was no match for my strength in the slightest.
"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
I walked into his apartment. There was trash in various corners, piled high. One bag was leaking some strange liquid onto the tile flooring. The place wasn't huge by any standards. It was a typical one-bedroom apartment in the rough part of New York City. Amongst the trash smell, there was something familiar that was nothing more than a whiff in the air. I headed for the kitchen right off the front hallway.
"Hey, the fuck is your issue? No one said you could come in. Get out," he grumbled behind me. "I will call the cops."
I pointed to a familiar baggie on the counter. "You won't unless you want them discovering this place."
The man rushed past me, nearly falling over to swipe the baggie off the counter and shoving it into his pocket. His face was red and blotchy as he glared at me. "You have no right to be here."
"You're not wrong. I shouldn't be here. He will be really mad at me." I opened the microwave and pulled out the tupperware dish I knew all too well. It contained the lasagna I made a few nights ago. I knew my mother's recipe from anywhere.
"Where did you get this from?"
The taller Onyx stared at the dish. "Why?"
"I made this."
As if realization dawned on him, the man groaned. "I knew that asshole didn't magically learn how not to burn food."
"Watch it," I warned. If he was talking rudely about Onyx, I didn't care who he was, I'd end his life.
He held his hands up. "My brother Louis brought it over. I'm guessing you're the husband I've heard so little about?"
Louis? My head fell to the side.
"I doubt he knows you're here. I can guarantee he never wanted you to know, let alone see, his pathetic older brother." He moved over to the chair, plopped down, and pulled one long leg up to his chest. His eyes looked even more sunk in since I first saw him. "Why are you here?"
"To help Onyx."
"And coming here is going to do that, how? Are you going to put me and him out of our misery?" His laughter was void of any humor as he rested his cheek on his knee. "Well, the best way is for me to go ahead and die, but I'm finding it a little difficult at the moment. Don't worry, I'll no longer be a burden to my brother one of these days. Then he can finally go live his life with you and be happy."
That didn't sound right. "You're his brother."
The man slowly blinked at me. "Yeah, a shocker, right? I'm older too."
I moved over to him and shoved his hair out his face before he could protest. I got a better look at him. "I can see it."
He yanked back like a scared animal. "Personal space."
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. "You're family." I snatched him out of the chair and wrapped him up in my arms. He was as stiff as a board in my embrace but that didn't matter. "I have another brother. Wait, how old are you?"
"Put me down, you monstre géant.”
“Only Onyx is allowed to give me pet names.”
I placed him back on his feet as he glared at me. He rubbed his arms as if that would erase my hug. His brows were low as he took two steps away from me. "What is your problem?"
"Nothing. I didn't know what I expected when I came here, but I'm glad it's you." My shoulders relaxed and the tension in my stomach eased.
