Page 97 of Julien (Confessions 2)

“Got it,” Julien said, and as Priest left, Julien looked over at Robbie to see him staring off in the exact same direction he had since Priest had stood. His expression was one of confusion and fear and…betrayal, Julien thought, as his heart ached for the man who had just left them.

Whatever trust, whatever headway, Priest had made with Robbie, it appeared it had all just gone up in smoke, as Robbie realized the man he thought he knew was someone else entirely.

Chapter Twenty-Six

CONFESSION

I don’t know what this means for him or us.

And I’m too afraid to ask…

PRIEST STEPPED OFF the elevator at Mitchell & Madison and went straight to his office. Luckily, Cole and Logan were both out right now, and Priest was unlikely to be disturbed. Considering what he had to do, that was a good fucking thing.

He shut the door and headed straight to his filing cabinet, where he unlocked the bottom drawer and grabbed the piece of paper he’d scrawled Henri’s number on.

As he slammed the drawer shut, Priest shut his eyes and immediately saw an image of Robbie’s face as it had been just before he’d left him and Julien back at the restaurant. In startling detail, he recalled rosy cheeks that had turned ashen and blue eyes, usually so full of joy, filled with uncertainty and…betrayal.

Lies. They were the one thing Priest couldn’t abide, and he had been adamant from the beginning that Robbie be honest with them and they would do the same—and the look in Robbie’s eyes today, as the truth about Priest’s parentage came to light, made it clear that Robbie felt Priest had not lived up to his end of the bargain.

As Priest sat there, he told himself for the hundredth time he hadn’t lied about Jimmy—he just hadn’t told Robbie about it yet due to the circumstances surrounding the fucker.

If Jimmy was merely rotting in a cell for the rest of his life the way he was supposed to be, Priest would’ve told Robbie all about his miserable childhood back at the beginning of all of this. But with the news of Jimmy’s possible parole, and the weekend in L.A., the time to talk about this hadn’t exactly presented itself. Not in any suitable way.

Priest cursed and reached for the phone, doing as Henri had instructed and calling him on a private line. He needed to find out how the fuck Jimmy’s hearing had been leaked to the press. He’d certainly thought about it, but in the end decided against it, knowing that would make him no better than the man behind bars, because this would most certainly put a target on Jimmy’s back—not that Priest cared about that. He was more concerned with the fact his whole fucking life from birth to age seven was about to be up for public consumption all over again.

Just as that thought entered his mind, the phone connected, and before Henri could get more than his name out, Priest said, “What the fuck is going on down there, Henri?”

“So nice to hear from you too, Priest.”

Priest refused to feel shitty about his greeting as he turned his chair around and stared out the window. “I was just thinking the exact opposite about you.”

Henri sighed, and Priest could imagine him running a hand over his shaved head. “I assume you heard or—”

“I saw it on the afternoon fucking news.”

“Yeah, my offices are currently working on finding out who leaked the information— Wait, you didn’t…”

“Fuck you,” Priest said through clenched teeth.

“Hey, I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I’d be surprised, since you and I both know how this will likely end now. But I wouldn’t blame you. I’m thinking someone who doesn’t like Jimmy all that well got the scoop. Let’s face it, he’s not lacking for enemies. But you can bet Jimmy’s not resting too comfortably tonight.”

Good, Priest thought, and shook his head. “This is totally fucked. You know that, don’t you?”

“I do,” Henri said. “Are you okay?”

Priest ran a hand around to the back of his neck and squeezed it until it hurt. He didn’t want this man asking him that. “I’m fine.”

“Is Julien there?”

“No. He’s at home. But you told me to call from here. So here I am.”

“Nice to know you can at least follow an order if it’s to keep those you love safe.”

Those he loved… Priest shut his eyes and let Julien’s face come to mind. His worried expression, the concern that had been written all over his handsome face. And then an image of Robbie replaced it, sitting in the library back in L.A., cradling Julien in his arms.

“Don’t fucking start with me, Henri. I’m not in the mood.”

“Then go home,” Henri said. “Go home and let Julien know the deal. Be careful, keep an eye out, and all of that. And let me see what I can find on my end.”

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