Page 264 of Mangled Memory
“I was raised by a single mom. I was the product of an on-going affair, one that never culminated in their marriage.”
“And this is relevant because…”
“My father was—” He clears his throat. “Is, rather… Giani Barone. It may come up as I dig into your background.”
What the fuck? This guy is my half-brother?
I study him. We’re similar in build, though he’s taller than me by two inches, maybe more. But he easily has twenty pounds of muscle on me, and I’m no slouch. His eyes are blue, but very dark and, if I’m not mistaken, we have the same nose.
He sits under my scrutiny, with an air about him that can onlybe described as confident. The dude was Army and carries himself as a man who never left.
He’s been in my home. He’s known this for— “How long have you known?”
“Since I turned eighteen.”
“And you kept your mother’s name?”
“She’s the only parent I’ve ever known. No need to change it to that of a man I’ve never met.”
A man I’ve never met.They’ve never met.
“Do you intend to?”
“Not at this point.”
“And you’re telling me this now because…?”
“If he was a man who knew he had a son, which he did, and chose to do nothing about it. If he was the cheating kind, and consequences be damned—” Ren says, not knowing my temperature is rising. No one speaks about my dad this way. “Then he may very well have others we don’t know about. And they may not be asuninterestedas I am.”
As far as twenty-four hours go, mine’s been a roller coaster. And this weightless, open-air plunge is my least favorite part.
“Right.Anything else?”
Ren’s face is a careful mask.
“No, sir.” He stands, peering down on me in what… curiosity. He doesn’t expect us to hug it out, right?
“Thanks. Keep me posted.” I reach for the papers on my desk, effectively dismissing him. He leaves without saying more, and I stare at the words on the page as they float across my vision, but wholly unseeing them.
If this is what I discovered without anyone digging in, what could turn up when someone does?
I’ve immersed myself in work until my eyeballs want to bleed with use.
Barone Hospitality is succeeding past my wildest dreams. Michelin rated chefs are seeking me out to form partnerships and start the hippest restaurant or speakeasy. Food and beverage is a lucrative industry and easy to do in a town with this kind of wealth and this kind of weather.
Barone Holdings puts Hospitality to shame. The real estate I buy is targeted, perfectly located, and prime for profitability. The real estate I sell is only if I must and then only to the highest bidder with terms that I deem worth it. That is to say, business is booming. Where I don’t want to sell, I place high end bars or my restaurants, drawing the niche customer I want into the property. Loft apartments for the über wealthy with Front Range views reside above clothiers and high-end accessory shops with long-term, high-dollar leases.
My father helped me launch but divested his interest before he moved to Carmel with his third wife. My mom, may she rest in peace, never met Cami, the blonde swimsuit model who’s two years older than me. The woman is savvy and hungry and wanted a piece of her new husband. I didn’t want her having a piece of me, so divestiture was easily agreed upon. The tracks were greased for me, but I was well on my way when any financial interests could be compromised.
Cami and my dad live on the coast and “weekend” in Vail when the spirit moves them. It moves them less and less over time, and that’s all right with me.
My dad, the cheater. How many people has he fathered and thrown away? I am an only child… or I’ve always thought I am. With at least one brother, I have to prepare for the idea there are more.
I spin in my chair and look out over Cherry Creek. The lights of shops spill out onto the sidewalks and the streetlights flicker above them.
Shit. What time is it? I look at my watch and am shocked to see it’s after eight.
I grab my phone and dial.
