Page 11 of Heart in Waiting
“How insightful of you to notice,” Dane said sardonically. “Been thinking about this a while, have you?”
“Nothing else,” he admitted. “Ever since he attacked Claire... I’d met him several times. When he dated her, and then again when he dated Reese. I didn’t like him, and not because he wasn’t good enough for either one of them—that part is a given. It’s more that he seemed too perfect and always said the right things. Add in the fact my mother adored him, and it was enough to make my skin crawl.” He sighed heavily. “None of that screamed serial killer though. All I could do with that information was pray my sisters saw through his fake charm and cut him from their lives.”
Neither one of them had woken up from that particular daze of love willingly. Nolan had dumped Claire to take up with Reese. After Nolan attacked Claire and was put in jail, Reese had no choice but to end their relationship. She’d have looked like a damned idiot otherwise.
“Don’t be so hard on your sisters.” Dane turned and met his gaze. “My brother’s had a lot of practice fooling those around him. He hated me and let it be known from the first moment we met. He resented my existence. Only the lord knows why. I’ve never done anything to him.”
“It’s probably not that simple,” Carter replied. “He’s evil. I doubt he needs a reason.”
“You’re right,” Dane agreed. “He is evil, but he won’t win. He’ll fuck up, and when he does, I’ll be there to stop him.”
“We both will.” Carter wanted to be there. He had to make sure the man never saw the outside of a prison cell ever again. “Nolan is never going to hurt anyone else. His brand of evil doesn’t deserve to see the light of day.”
“No, he won’t.”
Carter set his empty glass on a nearby table. He had a lot of work to do. As much as he’d like to bury his anger and frustration in a bottle of scotch—he knew better. Nolan would take advantage of any weaknesses. Carter already had too many to count when he factored in the people he cared about. He wouldn’t add any more to his list.
“Dinner is ready,” his mother yelled from the dining room. “Get in here now.”
“She is the very epitome of benevolence,” Dane said dryly as he glanced at Carter. “How ever did you survive living with such a paragon?”
Carter rolled his eyes. “Shut up and come join me in the lion’s den. If we’re lucky, she’ll only chew us and spit us out—I’d prefer to make it out of the house alive.”
“Did I ever mention how much I hate coming here for dinner?”
“No.” Carter grinned. “But you didn’t need to.” He patted Dane on his back, and they kept a leisurely pace as they headed to the dining room. “If my mother had been nice to you, I’d have worried. When she flayed you with her tongue, it was a good day.”
“You’re deranged.”
“No, that’s your brother.” Carter laughed. “It was a test. Albeit, not a fair one, but the results mattered—that first time I dragged you to dinner, I knew you’d be one of my best friends by the end of it. It takes a strong man to deal with my dear mother. You managed to survive her and not take it out on me. Trust me, a lot of people never talked to me again after meeting her.”
“Oh, I believe it,” he told him. “But I don’t let people decide who I’m supposed to be. If I did that, I’d have dug my own grave years ago.” He sighed. “Lucky for you, I can take a hit. Let’s go see how many daggers your mother can throw our way at dinner. Then, afterward, we can concentrate on finding my asshole brother.”
Carter chuckled and followed Dane into the dining room. Dinner was going to be hell, but at least he had a few allies in the room. His mother would put them through the ringer; however, they could survive her sharp tongue. Even if, in some ways, it hurt more than a knife sliding in the gut. At least words weren’t fatal...
